Governor Candidates •
Chris Gabrieli, businessman and lieutenant governor nominee in
2002 •
Deval Patrick, former
Assistant United States Attorney General for
Civil Rights •
Thomas Reilly,
Massachusetts Attorney General Endorsements • Deval Patrick:
Attleboro Sun Chronicle,
Bay State Banner,
Blue Mass Group,
Boston Globe,
Brookline Tab,
Cambridge Chronicle,
Hamilton-Wenham Chronicle,
Wellesley Townsman,
Worcester Magazine • Tom Reilly:
Boston Herald,
Cape Cod Times,
Springfield Republican Campaign The Democratic state caucuses were held in February in all cities and towns to elect delegates to the state convention. The Patrick campaign organized their supporters, many of whom had never been involved in such party processes before, to win twice as many pledged delegates as the Reilly campaign. (Chris Gabrieli did not join the race until a month later, which played a major role in his difficulty in getting on the ballot.) At the Democratic Convention on June 3 in Worcester, each candidate needed to receive support from 15% of the delegates to be on the primary ballot in September. There was some question as to whether Gabrieli could succeed after entering the race so late. Patrick received the convention's endorsement with 57.98% of the vote, Reilly made it with 26.66%, and Gabrieli narrowly achieved ballot access with 15.36% of the delegates' votes. The campaign was highlighted by numerous debates. The first two debates took place in late April.
WBZ-CBS4 News hosted a debate between Democratic candidates Chris Gabrieli, Deval Patrick, and Tom Reilly on April 21 and it aired at 8:30 AM on April 23. A second Democratic candidate debate, moderated by
Sy Becker from
WWLP TV 22, was held at
Agawam Middle School on April 27. The "
Campaign to Stop Killer Coke", a group dedicated to holding Coca-Cola accountable for violence in its
Colombian bottling plant in the mid-1990s, began to attack Patrick and his candidacy. Patrick had resigned from the company and said he'd done so after his attempts to get them to carry out an independent investigation were ignored and undermined. Five Massachusetts unions filed a complaint against the group with the
Office of Campaign and Political Finance, in an effort to require the group to disclose its donors. On August 11, it was reported that Reilly's campaign had been behind the efforts. The final two televised debates played a key role in the primary campaign, as they took place during the two weeks between
Labor Day and Primary Day when the public and the media hold their greatest focus on the election. The first of the two was carried about by the media consortium (which includes the
Boston Globe,
NECN, and
WBUR, among others) and moderated by former
New Hampshire governor Jeanne Shaheen, while the second and final debate was held by
WBZ-TV and moderated by their political analyst, Jon Keller.
Polling Results On September 19, Patrick won the Democratic primary with 50% of the vote, ahead of Gabrieli (27%) and Reilly (23%).{{Election box begin no change
Lieutenant governor Candidates •
Deb Goldberg, former chair of the
Brookline Board of Selectmen •
Tim Murray, mayor of
Worcester •
Andrea Silbert, businesswoman
Withdrew •
Sam Kelley, MD, child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist, medical director of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and former legislative aide to US Congressman
Jim McDermott •
Marie St. Fleur, State Representative from
Dorchester Declined •
Chris Gabrieli (running for Governor)
Campaign On April 23, 2006, a "virtual debate" between Murray, Silbert, and
Sam Kelley was released on SaintKermit.com. On May 21, all four candidates debated in Lowell. Four days later, on May 25, Kelley dropped out of the race and joined the Deval Patrick campaign as a volunteer advisor on
health care issues. At the Democratic convention in Worcester on June 3,
Worcester Mayor Tim Murray was endorsed by a voice vote after receiving 49% on the first ballot. Andrea Silbert and
Deb Goldberg both qualified for the ballot with 29% and 22% respectively.
Endorsements • Deborah Goldberg:
Boston Herald • Tim Murray:
Boston Globe,
Worcester Telegram & Gazette • Andrea Silbert:
Blue Mass Group,
Brookline Tab Polling Results Tim Murray won the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor on September 19 with 43% of the vote. {{Election box begin no change ==Republican primary==