Massachusetts shifts towards Trump

Demographic factors associated with the shift include rates of college attendance, socio-economic status, race, and ethnicity

Brent Benson
2025-01-12

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts remained reliably blue in the 2024 presidential election with Kamala Harris taking 61% of the vote. However, Massachusetts has seen increase in Donald Trump’s vote share going from approximately 32% of the vote in 2016 and 2020 to 36% in 2024.

The statewide shift has not been uniform with some areas moving towards Trump while other areas became even more Democratic. To better understand these shift we use statistical analysis of demographic factors to better understand which factors are associated with the shifts.

We will use Massachusetts State Representative districts as the unit to measure the vote shift and demographic factors. The advantage of using State Rep. districts is that they are approximately the same size in terms of population (currently about 44,000 people), and they are created with the guidance of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) with the goal of not breaking up voting blocks along the lines of race and minority language groups, resulting in variations that provide good contrasts for our statistical analysis. (There are more details on redistricting and district formation in the Mass. Numbers deep-dive on State Senate redistricting.)

Districts with the largest shifts

It is important to emphasize that we are examining voting behavior shifts rather than district partisanship. All of the districts with the largest shifts towards Trump are majority Democratic districts. The district with the largest shift towards Trump, the Tenth Hampden District in Springfield, remains remarkably Democratic with a Partisan Voter Index (PVI, an average of the last two presidential elections compared to the U.S. as a whole) of D+24, even after an eight point Republican shift.

The districts with the largest shifts towards Trump are:

District Cities/Towns PVI Representative Shift
Tenth Hampden Springfield D+24 Carlos Gonzalez (D-Springfield) R+8
Fourth Essex Lawrence, Methuen D+12 Estela A. Reyes (D-Lawrence) R+7
Sixteenth Essex Lawrence, Methuen D+11 Francisco E. Paulino (D-Methuen) R+7
Eleventh Bristol New Bedford D+10 Christopher Hendricks (D-New Bedford) R+7
Seventh Bristol Fall River D+1 Alan Silvia (D-Fall River) R+7
Seventeenth Essex Andover, Lawrence D+17 Frank A. Moran (D-Lawrence) R+6

The districts with the largest shifts away from Trump and towards Democratic candidates are:

District Cities/Towns PVI Representative Shift
Fourth Barnstable Chatham, Eastham, Harwich, Orleans, Provincetown, Truro, Wellfleet D+19 Hadley Luddy (D-Orleans) D+3
Second Middlesex Chelmsford, Littleton, Westford D+17 James Arciero (D-Westford) D+3
Fourteenth Essex Amesbury, Boxford, Groveland, North Andover, West Newbury D+10 Adrianne Pusateri Ramos (D-North Andover) D+3
First Middlesex Ashby, Dunstable, Groton, Lunenburg, Pepperell, Townsend D+5 Margaret R. Scarsdale (D-Pepperell) D+3
Third Barnstable Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee D+9 David T. Vieira (R-Falmouth) D+3
Thirty-Second Middlesex Malden, Melrose, Wakefield D+20 Kate Lipper-Garabedian (D-Melrose) D+3

While every one of these districts is Democratically leaning, these shifts points towards warning signs for down-ballot Democrats in swingier districts like the Third Barnstable that already has a Republican representative in David Viera.

Associated demographic factors

The primary demographic factors associated with shifts toward and away from Trump are:

Figure 1: Factors associated with vote shift. Lines sloping downward indicate shifts are towards Trump and upward sloping lines are shifts toward Democrats.

Vote shifts and demographics by State Rep. district
district Representative PVI Shift PVI 2024 PVI 2020 Some College Poverty Hispanic Portuguese White
Tenth Hampden Carlos Gonzalez (D-Springfield) R+8 D+24 D+32
22%
42%
64%
0%
16%
Fourth Essex Estela A. Reyes (D-Lawrence) R+7 D+12 D+19
27%
18%
69%
1%
25%
Sixteenth Essex Francisco E. Paulino (D-Methuen) R+7 D+11 D+18
31%
14%
65%
0%
26%
Eleventh Bristol Christopher Hendricks (D-New Bedford) R+7 D+10 D+16
24%
25%
32%
19%
47%
Seventh Bristol Alan Silvia (D-Fall River) R+7 D+1 D+7
26%
21%
14%
23%
65%
Seventeenth Essex Frank A. Moran (D-Lawrence) R+6 D+17 D+23
31%
18%
66%
0%
26%
Ninth Hampden Orlando Ramos (D-Springfield) R+5 D+18 D+23
29%
18%
53%
1%
27%
Eleventh Suffolk Judith A. Garcia (D-Chelsea) R+5 D+23 D+28
26%
21%
65%
0%
22%
Thirteenth Bristol Antonio d. F. Cabral (D-New Bedford) R+5 D+10 D+15
29%
15%
20%
23%
62%
Fifth Suffolk Christopher J. Worrell (D-Boston) R+4 D+37 D+42
30%
25%
29%
0%
8%
Eighteenth Middlesex Tara Thorn Hong (D-Lowell) R+4 D+16 D+20
31%
19%
17%
1%
38%
Fifteenth Worcester Mary S. Keefe (D-Worcester) R+4 D+19 D+23
34%
27%
36%
2%
39%
Tenth Essex Daniel H. Cahill (D-Lynn) R+4 D+16 D+20
28%
12%
47%
1%
32%
Eleventh Hampden Bud L. Williams (D-Springfield) R+4 D+26 D+29
30%
23%
41%
0%
27%
Sixth Bristol Carole A. Fiola (D-Fall River) R+3 D+3 D+6
35%
18%
11%
25%
76%
Seventeenth Worcester David Henry Argosky Leboeuf (D-Worcester) R+3 D+11 D+15
34%
19%
29%
0%
48%
Thirteenth Suffolk Daniel J. Hunt (D-Boston) R+3 D+20 D+23
47%
15%
15%
0%
43%
Sixteenth Suffolk Jessica Ann Giannino (D-Revere) R+3 D+5 D+8
36%
10%
32%
1%
53%
Eleventh Essex Sean Reid (D-Lynn) R+3 D+16 D+19
32%
16%
41%
0%
37%
Fifth Hampden Patricia A. Duffy (D-Holyoke) R+3 D+16 D+19
32%
25%
52%
0%
43%
Seventh Suffolk Chynah Tyler (D-Boston) R+3 D+40 D+43
30%
33%
23%
0%
27%
Sixth Suffolk Russell E. Holmes (D-Boston) R+3 D+39 D+42
34%
19%
25%
0%
9%
Twenty-Eighth Middlesex Joseph W. Mcgonagle, Jr (D-Everett) R+3 D+17 D+20
33%
13%
28%
2%
39%
Sixteenth Worcester Daniel M. Donahue (D-Worcester) R+3 D+13 D+15
36%
16%
21%
1%
53%
Fourth Suffolk David Biele (D-Boston) R+2 D+18 D+20
68%
10%
9%
1%
77%
Sixth Middlesex Priscila S. Sousa (D-Framingham) R+2 D+23 D+25
40%
14%
25%
1%
44%
Ninth Bristol Christopher M. Markey (D-Dartmouth) R+2 D+1 D+4
38%
8%
6%
27%
83%
Eighth Bristol Steven J. Ouellette (D-Westport) R+2 R+4 R+2
39%
10%
5%
23%
88%
Ninth Suffolk John Francis Moran (D-Boston) R+2 D+37 D+39
55%
25%
21%
0%
44%
First Suffolk Adrian C. Madaro (D-Boston) R+2 D+24 D+25
38%
14%
55%
0%
34%
Fourteenth Suffolk Rob Consalvo (D-Boston) R+1 D+30 D+32
46%
10%
24%
0%
33%
Twelfth Suffolk Brandy Fluker Oakley (D-Boston) R+1 D+38 D+40
44%
16%
16%
0%
17%
Eleventh Plymouth Rita A. Mendes (D-Brockton) R+1 D+30 D+31
27%
15%
14%
1%
19%
Fifth Bristol Justin Thurber (R-Somerset) R+1 R+2 R+1
44%
5%
3%
16%
90%
Seventeenth Middlesex Vanna Howard (D-Lowell) R+1 D+14 D+15
38%
14%
14%
5%
56%
Third Worcester Michael P. Kushmerek (D-Fitchburg) R+1 D+8 D+9
37%
14%
29%
1%
60%
Thirty-Third Middlesex Steven Ultrino (D-Malden) R+1 D+22 D+23
44%
14%
9%
0%
45%
Nineteenth Suffolk Jeffrey Rosario Turco (D-Winthrop) R+1 D+11 D+12
41%
12%
35%
0%
55%
Third Suffolk Aaron M. Michlewitz (D-Boston) R+1 D+29 D+30
58%
18%
8%
0%
63%
Eighteenth Suffolk Michael J. Moran (D-Boston) R+1 D+32 D+33
46%
18%
11%
1%
60%
Fifteenth Suffolk Samantha Monta?o (D-Boston) R+1 D+42 D+42
56%
18%
25%
0%
47%
First Norfolk Bruce J. Ayers (D-Quincy) R+1 D+16 D+17
51%
12%
6%
0%
47%
First Berkshire John P. Barrett, III (D-North Adams) EVEN D+17 D+17
43%
11%
4%
0%
89%
Third Bristol Carol Ann Doherty (D-Taunton) EVEN D+5 D+5
38%
13%
8%
8%
73%
Fourteenth Worcester James J. O'Day (D-West Boylston) EVEN D+15 D+15
42%
17%
20%
0%
59%
Twelfth Essex Thomas P. Walsh (D-Peabody) EVEN D+5 D+5
45%
8%
13%
4%
78%
Second Berkshire Tricia Farley-Bouvier (D-Pittsfield) EVEN D+24 D+24
47%
14%
8%
0%
79%
Twenty-Sixth Middlesex Mike Connolly (D-Cambridge) EVEN D+39 D+39
59%
13%
12%
2%
55%
Seventeenth Suffolk Kevin G. Honan (D-Boston) EVEN D+36 D+36
62%
20%
11%
0%
60%
Second Norfolk Tackey Chan (D-Quincy) EVEN D+15 D+15
53%
10%
5%
0%
59%
Eighth Suffolk Jay D. Livingstone (D-Boston) EVEN D+34 D+34
60%
19%
9%
0%
68%
Second Suffolk Daniel J. Ryan (D-Boston) EVEN D+30 D+30
55%
16%
12%
0%
60%
Twelfth Bristol Norman J. Orrall (R-Lakeville) EVEN R+4 R+4
44%
7%
3%
7%
87%
Twelfth Middlesex Greg Schwartz (D-Newton) EVEN D+32 D+32
65%
4%
4%
0%
71%
Sixth Hampden Michael J. Finn (D-West Springfield) EVEN D+1 D+1
44%
12%
16%
1%
74%
Sixth Worcester John J. Marsi, Jr (R-Dudley) EVEN R+2 R+2
36%
11%
18%
1%
75%
Third Essex Andres X. Vargas (D-Haverhill) EVEN D+8 D+8
40%
14%
28%
0%
63%
Tenth Bristol Mark David Sylvia (D-Fairhaven) EVEN D+2 D+2
47%
6%
3%
14%
90%
Tenth Plymouth Michelle Marie Dubois (D-Brockton) EVEN D+22 D+22
30%
13%
12%
1%
31%
Sixteenth Middlesex Rodney M. Elliott (D-Lowell) EVEN D+11 D+11
39%
13%
17%
2%
59%
Eighth Hampden Shirley B. Arriaga (D-Chicopee) EVEN D+4 D+4
37%
15%
20%
1%
71%
Fifth Norfolk Mark J. Cusack (D-Braintree) EVEN D+6 D+6
49%
5%
3%
1%
70%
Thirteenth Worcester John J. Mahoney, Jr. (D-Worcester) EVEN D+18 D+18
45%
14%
13%
0%
68%
Thirty-Fifth Middlesex Paul J. Donato, Sr. (D-Medford) EVEN D+21 D+21
52%
9%
9%
1%
57%
Thirty-Fourth Middlesex Christine P. Barber (D-Somerville) EVEN D+32 D+32
51%
12%
11%
2%
66%
Eleventh Middlesex Amy Mah Sangiolo (D-Newton) EVEN D+33 D+32
57%
5%
4%
0%
74%
Second Franklin Susannah M. Whipps (U-Athol) EVEN D+6 D+6
41%
12%
5%
0%
90%
Tenth Middlesex John J. Lawn, Jr. (D-Watertown) EVEN D+23 D+23
52%
8%
13%
0%
63%
Fourth Middlesex Danielle W. Gregoire (D-Marlborough) EVEN D+15 D+15
45%
9%
17%
1%
62%
Third Norfolk Ronald Mariano (D-Quincy) EVEN D+11 D+11
50%
8%
5%
0%
69%
Twenty-Fifth Middlesex Marjorie C. Decker (D-Cambridge) EVEN D+44 D+43
59%
13%
8%
0%
60%
Third Hampshire Mindy Domb (D-Amherst) EVEN D+36 D+35
30%
20%
8%
0%
69%
Second Plymouth John Robert Gaskey (R-Carver) EVEN R+2 R+2
43%
6%
2%
3%
86%
Fifteenth Norfolk Tommy Vitolo (D-Brookline) EVEN D+39 D+38
62%
12%
7%
1%
67%
Fourth Bristol Steven S. Howitt (R-Seekonk) EVEN R+2 R+2
49%
4%
4%
9%
91%
Seventh Norfolk Richard Gerard Wells, Jr (D-Milton) D+1 D+23 D+23
48%
7%
8%
0%
52%
Third Berkshire Leigh Susan Davis (D-Great Barrington) D+1 D+24 D+23
54%
8%
4%
0%
91%
Tenth Worcester Brian William Murray (D-Milford) D+1 D+7 D+6
44%
8%
9%
3%
77%
Second Worcester Jonathan D. Zlotnik (D-Gardner) D+1 EVEN R+1
44%
11%
6%
1%
86%
First Franklin Natalie M. Blais (D-Deerfield) D+1 D+24 D+23
53%
11%
4%
0%
89%
Tenth Suffolk William Macgregor (D-Boston) D+1 D+25 D+24
64%
5%
9%
1%
73%
Twenty-Seventh Middlesex Erika Uyterhoeven (D-Somerville) D+1 D+40 D+39
65%
8%
9%
2%
72%
Twenty-Ninth Middlesex Steven C. Owens (D-Watertown) D+1 D+35 D+35
65%
8%
8%
0%
64%
Eighth Norfolk Ted Philips (D-Sharon) D+1 D+18 D+17
56%
4%
3%
2%
72%
Seventh Hampden Aaron L. Saunders (D-Belchertown) D+1 D+7 D+6
49%
9%
7%
7%
86%
Sixth Norfolk William C. Galvin (D-Canton) D+1 D+13 D+12
52%
6%
5%
2%
68%
Fourth Norfolk James Michael Murphy (D-Weymouth) D+1 D+8 D+7
52%
7%
4%
1%
79%
Fourth Worcester Natalie Higgins (D-Leominster) D+1 D+6 D+5
45%
9%
14%
1%
71%
Fourteenth Norfolk Alice Hanlon Peisch (D-Wellesley) D+1 D+26 D+25
55%
5%
6%
0%
73%
Seventh Essex Manny Cruz (D-Salem) D+1 D+24 D+23
51%
14%
19%
1%
69%
Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket Thomas W. Moakley (D-Falmouth) D+1 D+24 D+23
58%
8%
7%
2%
79%
Seventh Plymouth Alyson M. Sullivan-Almeida (R-Abington) D+1 EVEN R+1
44%
5%
3%
0%
88%
Eleventh Worcester Hannah E. Kane (R-Shrewsbury) D+1 D+14 D+12
57%
4%
5%
0%
62%
Twelfth Norfolk John H. Rogers (D-Norwood) D+1 D+11 D+10
55%
7%
7%
0%
76%
Third Hampden Nicholas A. Boldyga (R-Southwick) D+1 R+6 R+7
48%
6%
5%
1%
90%
Twelfth Hampden Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr. (D-Springfield) D+1 D+6 D+5
48%
9%
18%
1%
68%
Ninth Essex Donald H. Wong (R-Saugus) D+1 D+3 D+2
48%
7%
8%
1%
81%
Second Bristol James K. Hawkins (D-Attleboro) D+1 D+7 D+6
41%
10%
8%
4%
81%
Eighth Worcester Michael J. Soter (R-Bellingham) D+1 EVEN R+1
47%
5%
4%
1%
87%
Fifteenth Essex Ryan M. Hamilton (D-Methuen) D+1 D+3 D+1
46%
5%
18%
1%
70%
Eighteenth Worcester Joseph D. Mckenna (R-Sutton) D+1 R+4 R+5
46%
8%
9%
1%
85%
First Bristol Michael Chaisson (R-Foxborough) D+1 D+8 D+6
50%
5%
4%
2%
84%
Eighth Plymouth Dennis C. Gallagher (D-Bridgewater) D+1 EVEN R+1
43%
6%
3%
4%
83%
Fifth Plymouth David F. Decoste (R-Norwell) D+1 D+1 EVEN
48%
5%
2%
1%
89%
Twelfth Plymouth Kathleen R. Lanatra (D-Kingston) D+1 D+2 D+1
52%
6%
3%
2%
90%
Second Hampden Brian M. Ashe (D-Longmeadow) D+1 D+5 D+4
53%
6%
7%
0%
84%
Eighth Essex Jennifer Wb Armini (D-Marblehead) D+1 D+21 D+20
59%
7%
10%
1%
81%
First Hampden Todd M. Smola (R-Warren) D+1 R+3 R+4
45%
8%
4%
1%
89%
Seventh Middlesex Jack Patrick Lewis (D-Framingham) D+1 D+21 D+20
60%
5%
9%
1%
69%
Thirteenth Essex Sally P. Kerans (D-Danvers) D+1 D+4 D+3
53%
4%
5%
1%
88%
First Hampshire Lindsay N. Sabadosa (D-Northampton) D+1 D+32 D+31
58%
10%
7%
0%
85%
Fourth Hampden Kelly W. Pease (R-Westfield) D+1 EVEN R+2
44%
8%
9%
1%
83%
Ninth Middlesex Thomas M. Stanley (D-Waltham) D+1 D+19 D+18
54%
8%
12%
0%
66%
Fifth Essex Ann-Margaret Ferrante (D-Gloucester) D+1 D+18 D+16
56%
9%
3%
2%
91%
Seventh Worcester Paul K. Frost (R-Auburn) D+1 D+1 R+1
47%
4%
4%
0%
89%
Twenty-Second Middlesex Marc T. Lombardo (R-Billerica) D+1 D+2 D+1
51%
4%
5%
1%
77%
Fifth Worcester Donald R. Berthiaume, Jr (R-Spencer) D+1 R+4 R+6
42%
9%
4%
0%
91%
Fifteenth Middlesex Michelle Ciccolo (D-Lexington) D+1 D+24 D+23
63%
5%
3%
1%
63%
Eleventh Norfolk Paul McMurtry (D-Dedham) D+1 D+15 D+13
55%
4%
6%
0%
80%
Sixth Plymouth Kenneth Peter Sweezey (R-Pembroke) D+1 D+4 D+2
53%
4%
2%
1%
92%
Fifth Middlesex David Paul Linsky (D-Natick) D+2 D+26 D+24
61%
5%
4%
0%
78%
Ninth Plymouth Bridget M. Plouffe (D-Brockton) D+2 D+9 D+8
45%
7%
7%
1%
69%
Thirtieth Middlesex Richard M. Haggerty (D-Woburn) D+2 D+12 D+10
50%
6%
6%
2%
76%
Fourteenth Bristol Adam J. Scanlon (D-North Attleborough) D+2 D+6 D+5
52%
5%
3%
2%
85%
Thirty-First Middlesex Michael Seamus Day (D-Stoneham) D+2 D+15 D+13
56%
4%
4%
1%
78%
First Worcester Kimberly N. Ferguson (R-Holden) D+2 D+4 D+2
53%
3%
4%
0%
90%
Thirty-Sixth Middlesex Colleen M. Garry (D-Dracut) D+2 R+1 R+3
43%
6%
8%
2%
81%
Nineteenth Middlesex David Allen Robertson (D-Wilmington) D+2 D+2 EVEN
50%
3%
3%
2%
87%
Thirteenth Middlesex Carmine Lawrence Gentile (D-Sudbury) D+2 D+28 D+26
63%
3%
3%
0%
80%
Tenth Norfolk Jeffrey N. Roy (D-Franklin) D+2 D+11 D+9
54%
4%
4%
0%
85%
Ninth Norfolk Marcus S. Vaughn (R-Wrentham) D+2 D+7 D+6
55%
4%
5%
1%
85%
Twenty-First Middlesex Kenneth I. Gordon (D-Bedford) D+2 D+17 D+15
58%
5%
4%
1%
72%
Twelfth Worcester Meghan Kilcoyne (D-Clinton) D+2 D+8 D+6
54%
5%
8%
2%
85%
Thirteenth Norfolk Joshua Tarsky (D-Needham) D+2 D+25 D+23
61%
3%
3%
0%
83%
Twentieth Middlesex Bradley H. Jones, Jr (R-North Reading) D+2 D+4 D+2
54%
4%
3%
1%
87%
Sixth Essex Jerald A. Parisella (D-Beverly) D+2 D+18 D+16
51%
10%
6%
1%
85%
First Essex Dawne Frances Shand (D-Newburyport) D+2 D+14 D+12
56%
7%
3%
1%
90%
Twenty-Fourth Middlesex David M. Rogers (D-Cambridge) D+2 D+32 D+30
65%
5%
5%
0%
70%
Eighteenth Essex Tram T. Nguyen (D-Andover) D+2 D+11 D+10
58%
2%
8%
1%
75%
Second Barnstable Kip A. Diggs (D-Barnstable) D+2 D+8 D+6
50%
8%
7%
1%
73%
Second Hampshire Homar Gomez (D-Easthampton) D+2 D+18 D+16
53%
8%
6%
1%
87%
Fourteenth Middlesex Simon Cataldo (D-Concord) D+2 D+24 D+22
60%
4%
5%
0%
75%
Third Plymouth Joan Meschino (D-Hull) D+2 D+16 D+14
60%
3%
2%
0%
93%
First Plymouth Michelle L. Badger (D-Plymouth) D+2 D+5 D+3
56%
4%
3%
2%
91%
Ninth Worcester David Kent Muradian, Jr (R-Grafton) D+2 D+7 D+5
50%
6%
7%
1%
82%
Thirty-Seventh Middlesex Danillo A. Sena (D-Acton) D+2 D+22 D+19
56%
4%
7%
0%
74%
Third Middlesex Kate Hogan (D-Stow) D+2 D+18 D+16
55%
6%
4%
3%
83%
First Barnstable Christopher Richard Flanagan (D-Dennis) D+2 D+11 D+9
59%
8%
4%
1%
89%
Fourth Plymouth Patrick Joseph Kearney (D-Scituate) D+2 D+8 D+6
59%
5%
2%
1%
93%
Twenty-Third Middlesex Sean Garballey (D-Arlington) D+2 D+31 D+29
62%
5%
5%
1%
74%
Fifth Barnstable Steven G. Xiarhos (R-Barnstable) D+2 D+3 D+1
58%
5%
2%
1%
92%
Second Essex Kristin E. Kassner (D-Hamilton) D+2 D+11 D+9
59%
5%
2%
0%
92%
Eighth Middlesex James Arena-DeRosa (D-Holliston) D+2 D+19 D+17
59%
4%
3%
0%
82%
Nineteenth Worcester Kate Donaghue (D-Westborough) D+2 D+20 D+18
59%
4%
5%
1%
71%
Thirty-Second Middlesex Kate Lipper-Garabedian (D-Melrose) D+3 D+20 D+18
57%
5%
5%
0%
79%
Third Barnstable David T. Vieira (R-Falmouth) D+3 D+9 D+6
58%
6%
2%
2%
88%
First Middlesex Margaret R. Scarsdale (D-Pepperell) D+3 D+5 D+2
52%
6%
4%
0%
88%
Fourteenth Essex Adrianne Pusateri Ramos (D-North Andover) D+3 D+10 D+8
54%
7%
7%
1%
85%
Second Middlesex James Arciero (D-Westford) D+3 D+17 D+14
56%
3%
3%
0%
76%
Fourth Barnstable Hadley Luddy (D-Orleans) D+3 D+19 D+16
65%
8%
2%
1%
91%