1978Flipped from RepublicanFinal resultsIncumbent defeated
1978 election for Massachusetts Senate District D13
Massachusetts State Senate · Massachusetts
Jack H. Backman (D) won with 44.8% of the vote, defeating Edward L. Burke (D) by 7.5 points, a seat Republicans won last time.
Jack H. BackmanDemocrat · winner · incumbent
44.8%37,733
Edward L. BurkeDemocrat · incumbent
37.3%31,424
Gerald J. McManusRepublican
17.9%15,030
84,191 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1978
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET