At the federal level, Republican Governor Leverett Saltonstall was elected to the United States Senate over Cambridge mayor John H. Corcoran in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.'s resignation and Republicans won ten of fourteen seats in the United States House of Representatives.

Middlesex County District Attorney Robert F. Bradford defeated Senate President Jarvis Hunt, Speaker of the House Rudolph King, Beverly mayor Daniel E. McLean, and perennial candidate William McMasters for the Republican nomination.

Although he was a relative unknown in statewide politics, Carr did have a similar name to his party's 1942 lieutenant gubernatorial nominee, John C.

[2] Twelve-term Republican Incumbent Frederic W. Cook ran unopposed in the primary and defeated Democrat Margaret O'Riordan in the general election for Secretary of the Commonwealth.

John M. Bresnahan had defeated Margaret O'Riordan in the Democratic primary, but gave up the nomination to instead run for the United States House of Representatives seat in Massachusetts's 6th congressional district.

Bresnahan also won the Democratic primary for the United States House of Representatives seat in Massachusetts's 6th congressional district.

Massachusetts Governor’s Councilor Clarence A. Barnes defeated attorneys Charles Fairhurst and James E. Farley in the Republican primary.