1974 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

1974 Massachusetts gubernatorial election
	November 5, 1974
Turnout	74.64% 0.53
	Dukakis: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% ; Sargent: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
Governor before election; Francis Sargent; Republican	Elected Governor ; Michael Dukakis; Democratic

The 1974 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1974. Michael Dukakis was elected to a four-year term, from January 2, 1975 until January 4, 1979. He defeated incumbent Governor of Massachusetts Francis W. Sargent in the general election.

Primary elections were held on September 10. In the Republican primary, Sargent defeated a challenge from former Commerce Commissioner Carroll Sheehan. In the Democratic primary, former State Representative Michael Dukakis defeated Attorney General Robert H. Quinn.

The election was dominated by the Watergate scandal and resignation of President Richard Nixon on August 8 and the Boston desegregation busing crisis, including Sargent's May 10 decision to block repeal of the 1965 Racial Imbalance Act and the June 21 court ruling in Morgan v. Hennigan, in which federal judge W. Arthur Garrity Jr. found mandated desegregation busing in Boston schools.

As of 2025, this is the most recent year in which the incumbent governor of Massachusetts lost the general election and the earliest gubernatorial election in Massachusetts to feature a gubernatorial candidate (Michael Dukakis) who is still alive today.