A Massachusetts general election was held on November 7, 1978 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The election included:

• statewide elections for United States Senator
  United States Senate
  The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
  
  , Governor
  Governor of Massachusetts
  The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
  
  , Lieutenant Governor
  Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
  The Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts is the first in the line to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor following the incapacitation of the Governor of Massachusetts...
  
  , Attorney General
  Massachusetts Attorney General
  The Massachusetts Attorney General is an elected executive officer of the Massachusetts Government. The office of Attorney-General was abolished in 1843 and re-established in 1849. The current Attorney General is Martha Coakley....
  
  , Secretary of the Commonwealth
  Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth
  The Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth is the principal public information officer of the state government of the U.S...
  
  , Treasurer, and Auditor
  Massachusetts Auditor
  The Massachusetts State Auditor is a statewide elected office in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The current auditor is Suzanne Bump.-List of state auditors of Massachusetts:-External links:*...
  
  ;
• district elections for U.S. Representatives, State Representatives
  Massachusetts House of Representatives
  The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
  
  , State Senators, and Governor's Councillors
  Massachusetts Governor's Council
  The Massachusetts Governor's Council is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matters such as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutations to the Governor of Massachusetts...
  
  ; and
• ballot questions at the state and local levels.

Democratic and Republican candidates were selected in party primaries held September 14, 1978.

United States Senator

Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 Democratic Congressman Paul E. Tsongas was elected over incumbent Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 Edward Brooke

Edward Brooke

Edward William Brooke, III is an American politician and was elected to the United States Senate as a Republican from Massachusetts in 1966, defeating his Democratic opponent, Endicott Peabody, 60.7%–38.7%...

.

Governor & Lieutenant Governor

Democrats

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 Edward J. King

Edward J. King

Edward Joseph "Ed" King was the 66th Governor of the U.S. state of Massachusetts from 1979 to 1983.Born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, and a graduate of Boston College and Bentley College, King played professional football as a guard with the All-America Football Conference Buffalo Bisons from 1948 to...

 and Thomas P. O'Neill III

Thomas P. O'Neill III

Thomas Phillip O'Neill III leads a public relations and government affairs firm called O'Neill and Associates in Boston. He is the son of Tip O'Neill, who served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1987.From 1975 to 1983, O'Neill served as lieutenant governor of...

 were elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor, respectively, over Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 candidates Francis W. Hatch, Jr.

Francis W. Hatch, Jr.

Francis W. Hatch, Jr. is a former Massachusetts politician who was a member of the Board of Alderman in Beverly, Massachusetts from 1957–1963 and as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1963–1979...

 and William I. Cowin

William I. Cowin

William Irvin Cowin is an American jurist, politician, and state cabinet secretary who served as Massachusetts Secretary of Consumer Affairs from 1971 to 1972 and Massachusetts Secretary of Administration and Finance from 1972 to 1974...

.

Attorney General

Democrat Francis X. Belotti was elected Attorney General

Massachusetts Attorney General

The Massachusetts Attorney General is an elected executive officer of the Massachusetts Government. The office of Attorney-General was abolished in 1843 and re-established in 1849. The current Attorney General is Martha Coakley....

. He defeated Republican William Weld

William Weld

William Floyd Weld is a former governor of the US state of Massachusetts. He served as that state's 68th governor from 1991 to 1997. From 1981 to 1988, he was a federal prosecutor in the United States Justice Department...

 in the general election.

Secretary of the Commonwealth

Incumbent Secretary of the Commonwealth

Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth

The Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth is the principal public information officer of the state government of the U.S...

 Michael J. Connolly defeated Lois Pines

Lois Pines

Lois Pines is a Democratic politician from Massachusetts.She ran for Massachusetts Attorney General in 1998 against Thomas Reilly, also a Democrat. Pines has also served in the state legislature for a number of years. In 2002, Pines ran for Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor, but lost in the...

, Anthony J. Vigliotti, James Hennigan, David E. Crosby, William J. Galvin, Jr., and John Fulham in the Democratic primary and Republican John W. Sears

John W. Sears

John Winthrop Sears is an American politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1965-1968, Sheriff of Suffolk County, Massachusetts from 1968-1969, Metropolitan District Commissioner from 1970-1975, Chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party from...

 in the general election.

Treasurer and Receiver-General

Incumbent Treasurer and Receiver-General

Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts

The Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts is an executive officer, elected state-wide every four years....

 Robert Q. Crane

Robert Q. Crane

Robert Quentin Crane is an American politician who served as Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts from 1965–1991. He is credited with starting the Massachusetts Lottery.- Early life :...

 defeated Lawrence DiCara

Lawrence DiCara

Lawrence "Larry" S. DiCara is an American attorney and politician who is currently a partner at Nixon Peabody.From 1972 to 1981, DiCara was a member of the Boston City Council. In 1978, he was the Council President...

, Paul Cacchiotti, Dayce Moore, Thomas Lopes, and Lawrence Blacke in the Democratic Primary and Republican Lewis Crampton in the general election.

Auditor

Incumbent Auditor

Massachusetts Auditor

The Massachusetts State Auditor is a statewide elected office in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The current auditor is Suzanne Bump.-List of state auditors of Massachusetts:-External links:*...

 Thaddeus M. Buczko

Thaddeus M. Buczko

Thaddeus M. Buczko is an American politician who served as a Salem, Massachusetts city councilor, a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and as Massachusetts Auditor...

 defeated Peter Meade in the Democratic primary and Republican Timothy F. O'Brien in the general election.

O'Brien replaced William A. Casey as the Republican nominee after Casey dropped out of the race. After conservative Edward J. King defeated Michael Dukakis

Michael Dukakis

Michael Stanley Dukakis served as the 65th and 67th Governor of Massachusetts from 1975–1979 and from 1983–1991, and was the Democratic presidential nominee in 1988. He was born to Greek immigrants in Brookline, Massachusetts, also the birthplace of John F. Kennedy, and was the longest serving...

 for the Democratic nomination for governor, Casey chose to drop-out and support the pro-life King over the Republican nominee Francis Hatch, who was pro-choice.

O'Brien was selected by the State Committee

Massachusetts Republican Party

The Massachusetts Republican Party is the Massachusetts branch of the United States Republican Party. Governance of the party takes the form of a State Committee which, in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 52, consists of one man and one woman from each of the 40 Senate Districts...

 over attorney Ralph Barbagallo, Jr. and William Sargent, the son of former Governor Francis W. Sargent

Francis W. Sargent

Francis William Sargent was the 64th Governor of Massachusetts from 1969 to 1975. Born in 1915 in Hamilton, Massachusetts, he was known for his sharp wit and self-deprecating manner...

.