Massachusetts Electoral Earthquake: How Education Polarization Shattered a Blue State's Democratic Coalition (2000-2024)

Massachusetts experienced an 8.8-point rightward shift in 2024—the largest in modern history—concentrated in working-class Gateway Cities where Democratic margins collapsed by 18-31 points. Simultaneously, affluent highly-educated suburbs voted 75-85% Democratic. Education level now predicts voting behavior more than income, race, or geography, creating effectively separate political universes within the Commonwealth.

Families researching Massachusetts towns, political observers, academics studying realignment, voters understanding their communities, real estate professionals navigating demographic trends, anyone curious about education's role in political polarization.

• •Lawrence (82% Hispanic) shifted 30 points: Biden 74% to Harris 57%—stunning working-class revolt
• •Fall River voted Republican for first time since 1924; Bristol County nearly flipped
• •Cambridge (83% college grads) delivered 87.6% for Harris—extreme education polarization
• •Question 2 (MCAS) exposed class fissures: wealthy Dover/Lexington opposed, Chelsea supported
• •Turnout gaps widened: Chelsea down 16.7%, affluent suburbs stable—structural advantage for Republicans
• •Charlie Baker's 66.6% 2018 win vs. Trump's 32.8% 2016 shows split-ticket era ending
• •Education explains 50-60% of voting variance—surpassing income as primary predictor