Governor's Council Elections

Governor’s Councilors are elected every two years to represent one of eight large districts in Massachusetts. Each district comprises five state Senate districts, making them larger than congressional districts. Because the role flies under the radar for many voters, incumbents are rarely challenged and are almost always reelected. The Democratic Party currently holds all eight seats, and many races are effectively decided in the primary.

Structural Challenges Favor Incumbency

Most Council elections are decided in low-turnout  Democratic primaries:

The election history of the three longest serving members of the current Council, Christopher Iannella (33yrs), Terrance Kennedy (15 yrs) and Joseph Ferriera (11 yrs) points to this pattern.

In Kennedy’s 8 election victories, primary voter turnout averaged roughly 27.5% of the general election turnout. The election history of Ferriera and Iannella follows a similar pattern.

Out of the 17 times Iannella ran for the office, 12 times he faced no general election challenger and 5 times he faced no primary challengers. Out of the 8 times that Kennedy ran, 5 times he faced no general election challenger and 4 times, no primary challenger. In Ferreira’s 6 runs for the office, only once has he faced a general election opponent and a primary challenger.


Voters are often unfamiliar with the office or its impact:

One indicator of the lack of familiarity with the office is the consistently high number of “blanks,” voters who chose not to select any candidate in the race. In the 4 races where Kennedy faced opposition candidates in the primary, an average of roughly 19.5 % of primary voters left the category blank. 

The ballot label simply says “Councillor” which creates confusion:

To add to the general confusion for voters, the office is referred to as “Councillor” rather than as “Governor’s Councillor” on the ballot. Sen. Michael Barrett has introduced Senate Bill 497, An Act Clarifying the Role of Governor’s Councillor on the Ballot, to amend state law to add the word “Governor.” It was filed in the last session but failed to advance and was re-introduced in February 2025. 


The size of each district makes campaigning resource intensive:

Each Governor’s Council district encompasses 5 Senate districts making each very large. For example, the third district stretches from Stow, Shirley, and Acton to Boston's Back Bay. It is challenging for those running for the office to reach voters in their district particularly for an office that does not garner high visibility or attention.

The Governor’s Council garnered more attention in 2024:

Two seats on the Council were vacated resulting in two contested primaries. These elections in districts 2 and 5 saw the victories of the first women of color to the Council in its 400-year history.

In three contested primaries, on average, only 11% of voters left the category blank.

Marilyn Petito Devaney was one example of the power of incumbency on the Governor’s Council. She was first elected in 1998 after receiving 18% of the votes cast in a Democratic primary with eight candidates, 360 more than her closest opponent, 12,541 to 12,181. Despite this initial meager margin of victory and negative publicity Devaney received, over the next 24 years no opponent was able to unseat her until public defender Mara Dolan did so on her second try in 2024.

Stacey Borden, a woman of color and first-time candidate, challenged 33-year incumbent Christopher Iannella in the Democratic primary and received 32.2% of the vote. A notable result particularly because a third candidate ran in the primary.

2024 Election Summary

  • Tamisha Civil - 27,256 - 38.7%
    Sean Murphy - 15,758 - 22.4%
    Muriel Kramer - 15,515 - 22.0%
    David Reservitz - 11,919 - 16.9%

  • Mara Dolan - 45,238 - 52.2%
    Marilyn Devaney (incumbent) - 41,478 - 47.8%

  • Chris Iannella Jr. (incumbent) - 41,220 - 56.6%
    Stacey Borden - 25,530 - 32.3%
    Ronald Iacobucci - 8,112 - 11.1%

Democratic Primary
September 3, 2024

General Election
November 5, 2024

  • Joseph Ferreira (D, inc.) vs. Krysten Condon (U)
    Winner: Ferreira

  • Tamisha Civil (D) vs. Francis Crimmins Jr. (R)
    Winner: Civil

  • Mara Dolan (D)
    Winner: Dolan (Uncontested)

  • Chris Iannella Jr. (D, inc.)
    Winner: Iannella (Uncontested)

  • Eunice Zeigler (D), Anne Manning‑Martin (R), Jody Elliott (U)
    Winner: Zeigler

  • Terrence Kennedy (D, inc.)
    Winner: Kennedy (Uncontested)

  • Paul DePalo (D, incumbent) vs. Andrew Couture (R)
    Winner: DePalo

  • Tara Jacobs (D, inc.)
    Winner: Jacobs (Uncontested)