Presidential election in Massachusetts, 2016

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Massachusetts
2020 →
Presidential Elections-2016-badge.png
Choose a different state
General election in Massachusetts
  Date: November 8, 2016
2016 winner: Hillary Clinton
Electoral votes: 11
2012 winner: Barack Obama (D)
Democratic Primary
  Date: March 1, 2016
Winner: Hillary Clinton
Republican Primary
  Date: March 1, 2016
Winner: Donald Trump
Down ballot races in Massachusetts
  U.S. House
Massachusetts State Senate
Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts judicial elections
Massachusetts local judicial elections
Ballot measures
Recalls
Click here for more elections in Massachusetts
Have you subscribed yet?

Join the hundreds of thousands of readers trusting Ballotpedia to keep them up to date with the latest political news. Sign up for the Daily Brew.
Click here to learn more.

Massachusetts held an election for the president of the United States on November 8, 2016. The Democratic and Republican parties held primary elections for president on March 1, 2016.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Hillary Clinton won Massachusetts in the general election. In 2016, Massachusetts had 11 electoral votes, which was 2 percent of the 538 electoral votes up for grabs and 4 percent of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the general election.
  • Between 1900 and 2016, Massachusetts cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 73.33 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Massachusetts supported Democratic candidates for president more often than Republican candidates, 56.67 to 43.33 percent. The state favored Democrats in every election between between 2000 and 2016.
  • Presidential primary elections in Massachusetts took place on March 1, 2016. Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary with 49.7 percent of the vote. Donald Trump won the Republican primary with 49 percent.

    • General election candidates and results

    Candidates

    See also: Ballot access for presidential candidates

    The candidate list below is based on an official list on the Massachusetts secretary of state website. The candidate names below appear in the order in which they were listed on the official list—not necessarily the order in which they appeared on the ballot in November. Write-in candidates were not included in the list below.

    Presidential candidates on the ballot in Massachusetts

    ☑ Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine (Democratic)
    ☐ Gary Johnson/Bill Weld (Libertarian)
    ☐ Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka (Green-Rainbow)
    ☐ Donald Trump/Mike Pence (Republican)

    Results

    U.S. presidential election, Massachusetts, 2016
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngHillary Clinton/Tim Kaine 60% 1,995,196 11
         Republican Donald Trump/Mike Pence 32.8% 1,090,893 0
         Libertarian Gary Johnson/Bill Weld 4.2% 138,018 0
         Green Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka 1.4% 47,661 0
         - Write-in/other 1.6% 53,278 0
    Total Votes 3,325,046 11
    Election results via: Massachusetts Secretary of State

    Historical election trends

    See also: Presidential election accuracy

    Below is an analysis of Massachusetts's voting record in presidential elections. The state's accuracy is based on the number of times a state has voted for a winning presidential candidate. The majority of statistical data is from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration and was compiled, here, by Ballotpedia, unless otherwise noted.

    Presidential election voting record in Massachusetts, 1900-2016

    Between 1900 and 2016:

    • Massachusetts participated in 30 presidential elections.
    • Massachusetts voted for the winning presidential candidate 73.33 percent of the time. The average accuracy of voting for winning presidential candidates for all 50 states in this time frame was 72.31 percent.[1]
    • Massachusetts voted Democratic 56.67 percent of the time and Republican 43.33 percent of the time.

    Presidential election voting record in Massachusetts, 2000-2016

    *An asterisk indicates that that candidate also won the national electoral vote in that election.

    Election results

    2012

    U.S. presidential election, Massachusetts, 2012
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngBarack Obama/Joe Biden Incumbent 60.3% 1,921,290 11
         Republican Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan 37.3% 1,188,314 0
         Libertarian Gary Johnson/James Gray 1% 30,920 0
         Green Jill Stein/Cheri Honkala 0.6% 20,691 0
         N/A All others 0.2% 6,552 0
         N/A Blanks 0.5% 16,429 0
    Total Votes 3,184,196 11
    Election results via: Massachusetts Secretary of State

    2008

    U.S. presidential election, Massachusetts, 2008
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngBarack Obama/Joe Biden 61.4% 1,904,097 11
         Republican John McCain/Sarah Palin 35.7% 1,108,854 0
         Independent Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzalez 0.9% 28,841 0
         Libertarian Bob Barr/Wayne Allyn Root 0.4% 13,189 0
         Green Cynthia McKinney/Rosa Clemente 0.2% 6,550 0
         Constitution Chuck Baldwin/Darrell Castle 0.2% 4,971 0
         N/A All others 0.5% 14,483 0
         N/A Blanks 0.7% 22,010 0
    Total Votes 3,102,995 11
    Election results via: Massachusetts Secretary of State

    Electoral votes

    See also: Electoral College

    The president of the United States is not elected by popular vote but rather by electors in the Electoral College. In fact, when Americans vote for president, they are actually voting for a slate of electors selected by members of Democratic and Republican state parties or nominated in some other fashion. Under this system, which is laid out in Article 2, Section 1, of the Constitution, each state is allocated one electoral vote for every member of their congressional delegation, meaning one for each member of the U.S. House and one for each of their two Senators.

    Massachusetts electors

    In 2016, Massachusetts had 11 electoral votes. Massachusetts's share of electoral votes represented 2 percent of the 538 electoral votes up for grabs in the general election and 4 percent of the 270 votes needed to be elected president.

    "Faithless electors"

    The U.S. Constitution does not dictate how presidential electors are to cast their votes, but, in general, electors are expected to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state or the candidates of the party that nominated them to serve as electors. Electors who choose not to vote for the winner of the popular vote or the candidates of the party that nominated them are known as "faithless electors." Faithless electors are rare. Between 1900 and 2012, there were only eight known instances of faithless electors.

    Several states have passed laws against faithless electors and require electors to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state, for the candidate of the party that nominated them to serve as electors, or in accordance with any pledge they may have been required to make at the time of their nomination. In states with these types of laws, faithless electors can be fined or replaced, or their votes can be nullified.[3][4]

    Massachusetts was one of 31 states in 2016—including the District of Columbia—with a law seeking to bind the votes of presidential electors.

    Down ballot races

    See also: Massachusetts elections, 2016

    Below is a list of down ballot races in Massachusetts covered by Ballotpedia in 2016.

    Primary election

    Quick facts

    Democrats: Republicans
    • 2016 Republican winner: Donald Trump
    • Poll leader: Donald Trump
    • 2012 Republican winner: Mitt Romney
    • Type: Primary
    • Delegate allocation: Proportional
    • Pledged delegates at stake: 42
    • Total delegates at stake: 42

    Democrats

    Hillary Clinton won the 2016 Massachusetts Democratic primary.[5] With 97 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton narrowly defeated Bernie Sanders, 50.3 percent to 48.5 percent.[6] This was a hard-fought victory for Clinton as Sanders outspent her in the state with $1.35 million in television and radio advertising buys. Clinton spent less than half that amount: $547,000.[7]

    According to exit polls from CNN, Clinton won with women, voters 30 years of age or older and college graduates. Sanders won 65 percent of voters younger than 29 years of age and 72 percent of first-time voters.[8]

    Republicans

    Donald Trump won the 2016 Massachusetts Republican primary.[5] With 49 percent of the vote, Trump registered more support than his four rivals combined. John Kasich placed a surprising second in the state with 18.1 percent. Rubio followed closely behind in third with 17.9 percent.[6] Exit polling from CNN showed Trump winning across nearly every demographic group, including men, women, voters of all ages and education levels and self-identified conservatives and moderates. Among voters who indicated that "shares my values" was their top candidate quality, Kasich won.[8]

    Primary results

    Democrats

    Massachusetts Democratic Primary, 2016
    Candidate Vote % Votes Delegates
    Green check mark transparent.pngHillary Clinton 49.7% 606,822 46
    Bernie Sanders 48.3% 589,803 45
    Martin O'Malley 0.4% 4,783 0
    Roque De La Fuente 0.1% 1,545 0
    Other 0.4% 4,927 0
    No preference 0.7% 8,090 0
    Blank votes 0.4% 4,326 0
    Totals 1,220,296 91
    Source: Massachusetts Elections Division and CNN

    Republicans

    Massachusetts Republican Primary, 2016
    Candidate Vote % Votes Delegates
    Green check mark transparent.pngDonald Trump 49% 312,425 22
    Marco Rubio 17.7% 113,170 8
    Ted Cruz 9.5% 60,592 4
    John Kasich 17.9% 114,434 8
    Ben Carson 2.6% 16,360 0
    Jeb Bush 1% 6,559 0
    Chris Christie 0.3% 1,906 0
    Rand Paul 0.3% 1,864 0
    Carly Fiorina 0.2% 1,153 0
    Jim Gilmore 0.1% 753 0
    Mike Huckabee 0.1% 709 0
    George Pataki 0.1% 500 0
    Rick Santorum 0% 293 0
    Other 0.4% 2,325 0
    No preference 0.5% 3,220 0
    Blank votes 0.2% 1,440 0
    Totals 637,703 42
    Source: Massachusetts Elections Division and CNN

    Candidate list

    Democrats[9]

    Hillary Clinton
    Roque De La Fuente


    Martin O'Malley
    Bernie Sanders

    Republicans[9]

    Jeb Bush
    Ben Carson
    Chris Christie
    Ted Cruz
    Carly Fiorina


    Jim Gilmore
    Mike Huckabee
    John Kasich


    Rand Paul
    Marco Rubio
    Rick Santorum
    Donald Trump

    Polls

    Democratic Primary

    Democratic Party Democratic Party presidential primary polling (Massachusetts)
    Poll Hillary Clinton Bernie SandersUnsure or OtherMargin of ErrorSample Size
    Suffolk University
    February 25-27, 2016    		49.6%41.8%8.6%+/-4.4500
    UMass Amherst
    February 19-25, 2016    		47%44%9%+/-6.5400
    WBUR/Mass Inc
    February 21-23, 2016    		49%44%8%+/-4.9418
    Emerson College
    February 19-21, 2016    		46%46%8%+/-4.75417
    Public Policy Polling
    February 14-16, 2016    		42%49%8%+/-4.2538
    Boston Globe/Suffolk University
    November 19-22, 2015    		54%29%15%+/-6.3241
    Emerson
    October 16-18, 2015    		59.1%25.3%15.6%+/-6265
    Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

    Republican Primary

    Republican Party Republican Party presidential primary polling (Massachusetts)
    Poll Donald Trump Marco RubioJohn KasichTed CruzBen CarsonUnsure or OtherMargin of ErrorSample Size
    Suffolk University
    February 24-26, 2016    		42.6%19.8%17%8.8%3.8%8%+/-4.4500
    UMass Amherst
    February 19-25, 2016    		47%15%11%15%2%10%+/-6.3292
    WBUR/Mass Inc
    February 21-23, 2016    		40%19%19%10%5%7%+/-5.7386
    Emerson College
    February 19-21, 2016    		50%16%13%10%2%9%+/-5.7289
    Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.
    Republican Party Republican Party presidential primary polling (Massachusetts)
    Poll Donald Trump Marco RubioBen CarsonTed CruzJeb BushCarly FiorinaChris ChristieJohn KasichRand PaulLindsey GrahamUnsure or OtherMargin of ErrorSample Size
    Boston Globe/Suffolk University
    November 19-22, 2015    		32.09%17.91%5.22%10.45%7.46%4.48%4.48%2.24%1.49%0%14.18%+/-N/A134
    Emerson
    October 16-18, 2015    		47.8%11.8%13.9%5.1%7.1%6.5%2.3%2.8%<1%<1%1.4%+/-5.9271
    Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.


    Delegates

    Delegate selection

    See also: 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules

    Democratic Party

    Democratic Party Logo.png

    Massachusetts had 115 delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Of this total, 91 were pledged delegates. National party rules stipulated how Democratic delegates in all states were allocated. Pledged delegates were allocated to a candidate in proportion to the votes he or she received in a state's primary or caucus. A candidate was eligible to receive a share of the state's pledged delegates if he or she won at least 15 percent of the votes cast in the primary or caucus. There were three types of pledged Democratic delegates: congressional district delegates, at-large delegates, and party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs). Congressional district delegates were allocated proportionally based on the primary or caucus results in a given district. At-large and PLEO delegates were allocated proportionally based on statewide primary results.[10][11]

    Twenty-four party leaders and elected officials served as unpledged delegates. These delegates were not required to adhere to the results of a state's primary or caucus.[10][12]

    Massachusetts superdelegates

    See also: Superdelegates from Massachusetts, 2016 and Superdelegates and the 2016 Democratic National Convention

    Republican Party

    Logo-GOP.png

    Massachusetts had 42 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 27 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's nine congressional districts). District-level delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; a candidate had to win at least 5 percent of the statewide primary vote in order to be eligible to receive any of the state's district delegates.[13][14]

    Of the remaining 15 delegates, 12 served at large. At-large delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; a candidate had to at least 5 percent of the statewide primary vote in order to be eligible to win any of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.[13][14]

    Republican delegates

    See also: Republican delegates from Massachusetts, 2016

    Presidential voting history

    Massachusetts presidential election results (1900-2024)

    • 22 Democratic wins
    • 10 Republican wins
    Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
    Winning Party R R R D R R R D D D D D D R R D D D D D R R D D D D D D D D D D

    State profile

    Demographic data for Massachusetts
     MassachusettsU.S.
    Total population:6,784,240316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):7,8003,531,905
    Race and ethnicity**
    White:79.6%73.6%
    Black/African American:7.1%12.6%
    Asian:6%5.1%
    Native American:0.2%0.8%
    Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
    Two or more:2.9%3%
    Hispanic/Latino:10.6%17.1%
    Education
    High school graduation rate:89.8%86.7%
    College graduation rate:40.5%29.8%
    Income
    Median household income:$68,563$53,889
    Persons below poverty level:13.1%11.3%
    Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
    Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Massachusetts.
    **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

    Presidential voting pattern

    See also: Presidential voting trends in Massachusetts

    Massachusetts voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.


    More Massachusetts coverage on Ballotpedia

    See also

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ This average includes states like Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, which did not participate in all 30 presidential elections between 1900 and 2016. It does not include Washington, D.C., which cast votes for president for the first time in 1964, or Alaska and Hawaii, which cast votes for president for the first time in 1960.
    2. ↑ This number refers to the number of times that the state voted for the winning presidential candidate between 2000 and 2016.
    3. ↑ Archives.gov, "About the Electors," accessed July 28, 2016
    4. ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The Electoral College: How it works in contemporary presidential elections," April 13, 2016
    5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 CNN, "Super Tuesday: Live updates," March 1, 2016
    6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 The New York Times, "Massachusetts Primary Results," accessed March 2, 2016
    7. ↑ Politico, "Where the candidates are betting big on Super Tuesday," February 26, 2016
    8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 CNN, "Massachusetts Exit Polls," accessed March 2, 2016
    9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Norwell Wicked Local, "Presidential primary ballot for Mass. set for March 1," January 4, 2016
    10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Democratic National Committee, "2016 Democratic National Convention Delegate/Alternate Allocation," updated February 19, 2016
    11. ↑ The Green Papers, "2016 Democratic Convention," accessed May 7, 2021
    12. ↑ Democratic National Committee's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection, "Unpledged Delegates -- By State," May 27, 2016
    13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
    14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
    v • e
    2016 United States Presidential Election
    OverviewsPresidential Elections-2016-badge.png
    Candidate profiles
    Path to the presidency
    Policy positions
    On the campaign trail
    Ballotpedia's battleground poll • Campaign preparations • Political and leadership attributes • Presidential campaign trackers and opposition researchers
    Campaign staff
    Debates
    Analysis
    The media's coverage of Donald Trump • The media's coverage of Hillary Clinton

    Post-debate analysis overview
    Democratic: April 14, 2016 (CNN) • March 9, 2016 (Univision) • March 6, 2016 (CNN) • February 11, 2016 (PBS) • February 4, 2016 (MSNBC) • January 17, 2016 (NBC) • December 19, 2015 (ABC) • November 14, 2015 (CBS) • October 13, 2015 (CNN)
    Republican: March 10, 2016 (CNN) • March 3, 2016 (FNC) • February 25, 2016 (CNN) • February 13, 2016 (CBS) • February 6, 2016 (ABC) • January 28, 2016 (FNC) • January 14, 2016 (FBN) • December 15, 2015 (CNN) • November 10, 2015 (FBN) • October 28, 2015 (CNBC) • September 16, 2015 (CNN)

    Insiders Poll: First Democratic debate (October 13, 2015) • Presidential Nominating Index: Clinton remains choice of Democratic Insiders • Presidential Nominating Index: Bush remains choice of Republican Insiders • Insiders Poll: Winners and losers from the Fox News Republican Debate
    v • e
    Ballotpedia
    About
    Editorial Content
    Geoff Pallay, Director of Editorial Content and Editor-in-Chief • Ken Carbullido, Vice President of Election Product and Technology Strategy • Norm Leahy, Senior Editor • Daniel Anderson, Managing Editor • Ryan Byrne, Managing Editor • Cory Eucalitto, Managing Editor • Mandy Gillip, Managing Editor • Doug Kronaizl, Local Elections Project Manager • Jaclyn Beran • Marielle Bricker • Joseph Brusgard • Emma Burlingame • Kelly Coyle • Thomas Ellis • Frank Festa • Nicole Fisher • Brianna Hosea • Joseph Greaney • Thomas Grobben • Jaime Healy-Plotkin • Tyler King • Glorie Martinez • Nathan Maxwell • Ellie Mikus • Jackie Mitchell • Ellen Morrissey • Mackenzie Murphy • Kaley Platek • Samantha Post • Adam Powell • Ethan Rice • Spencer Richardson • Victoria Rose • Briana Ryan • Myj Saintyl • Maddy Salucka • Maddie Sinclair Johnson • Abbey Smith • Alexis Thacker • Janie Valentine • Joel Williams • Samuel Wonacott • Trenton Woodcox


    v • e
    2016 Presidential Primaries and Caucuses
    OverviewsPresidential Elections-2016-badge.png
    Contests by state
    Contests by territory
    Flag of Massachusetts
    v • e
    State of Massachusetts
    Boston (capital)
    Elections

    What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures

    Government

    Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy

    Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Presidential_election_in_Massachusetts,_2016&oldid=7800247"