Kennedy Wins 3-1 Victory; State Democrats Triumph

A Smashing Democratic landslide swept through Massachusetts last night, as Senator John F. Kennedy led his party to victory in every statewide contest.

With a record number turning out, voters gave incumbent Kennedy and Governor Foster Furcolo mammoth pluralities. At the same time, they elected a Democratic State Senate for the first time in the history of the Commonwealth.

Both Kennedy and Furcolo jumped off to immediate leads, and never were in danger, as the avalanche of Democratic votes poured in. With 1,422 of 1,970 precincts reporting, the count stood:

For U.S. Senator

Kennedy--1,005,688

Celeste--357,016

For Governor

Furcolo--792,996

Gibbons--603,489

Kennedy's efforts to poll as high a margin as possible succeeded beyond expectation. Although complete returns have not yet been tabulated he is sure to win by more than 600,000 votes.

The only dent Republicans succeeded in making in the huge Democratic majorities was in the race for Attorney General. Even there, however, Edward J. McCormack Jr. handily won from Christian A. Herter Jr., although Herter led the rest of his ticket by more than 100,000 votes.

The most significant Democratic gain in Massachusetts was scored in the contest for the State Senate, which the party took control of for the first time. Biggest upset in the Senatorial contests occurred in the Back Bay where Democrat Richard R. Caples scored a surprishing victory over incumbent Republican James Bailey.

Massachusetts voters tended to be less sympathetic to the Democrats running for Congress, although the G.O.P. did lose at least one seat. The loss came in the 13th district where former State Representative James A. Burke defeated Republican William W. Jeness by a margin of almost two to one.

In the hotly contested 10th district, Democrat John L. Saltonstall Jr. held a slim lead over incumbent Congressman Laurence Curtis. With only a few districts yet to report, the count stood:

Saltonstall--53,223

Curtis--52,155

The attempt by Williams College Professor James M. Burns to take away the Republican--held Congressional seat in the first district fell flat. State Senator Silvio O. Conte won by a very comfortable margin.

Implications of the Massachusetts election returns are great. Kennedy's record showing definitely pushed him to the forefront of the Democratic party ranks. With Harriman's defeat in New York and the relatively poor showing of Governor Williams in Michigan, Kennedy has emerged from this election as the number one contender for the 1960 Presidential nomination.

On the state level, control of the Legislature will enable Governor Furcolo to put more of his program into effect.