United States presidential election in Massachusetts, 2016 (New Johannson Scenario)



The 2016 United States presidential election in Massachusetts took place on November 8, 2016, as part of the 2016 United States presidential election, which was held throughout all contemporary 50 states and the District of Columbia. Voters chose 16 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for President and Vice-President.

Massachusetts was won in a landslide by incumbent Republican President Edward H. Johannson of Minnesota, who was running against Democratic Governor John C. Dickenson of Georgia. Johannson's running mate was Vice President Neel Kashkari of California, while Dickenson ran with Attorney General Chris Koster of Missouri. Also running that year were Libertarian Party candidate R. Lee Wrights of Texas, Green Party candidate Jill Stein of Massachusetts, and Constitution Party candidate Darrell Castle of Tennessee.

Johannson carried Massachusetts overwhelmingly with 68.55 percent of the popular vote to Dickenson's 31.08 percent, a Republican victory margin of 37.47 percent.

In 2016, President Johannson enjoyed very high approval ratings, as voters viewed him as the man responsible for bringing the country economic prosperity, while keeping Americans out of entangling and complicated foreign conflicts. Through his Contract with America agenda, Johannson had sought to lower the tax burden, reduce the amount of burdensome regulations, invest in the nation's infrastructure, and preserve the nation's social security net, while also sponsoring positive reforms to improve education and the criminal justice system. Moreover, in the weeks before the election, Johannson successfully managed two foreign policy crises, the Syrian anthrax attacks and the Persian Gulf Affair, demonstrating American military and diplomatic strength while avoiding armed intervention and bringing about a peaceful conclusion among the governments concerned. As a result, many American voters became determined to award Johannson with another term, and they found little appeal in Dickenson's policy ideas.

Johannson swept every county in the state of Massachusetts, including Suffolk County, home to the state's capital and largest city Boston. Suffolk County had last voted Republican for President in 1968, and Boston had long been a Democratic stronghold. Johannson won the county by double digits, evidence of his ability to win crossover support from normally Democratic voters. In thirteen of the state's fourteen counties (all but Suffolk), Johannson broke sixty percent of the vote, and in eight, he broke seventy percent. He even reached eighty percent in the island county of Dukes and peninsular Barnstable. Massachusetts was one of thirty states where Johannson won every county.