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.