Incumbent Democratic governor Deval Patrick was eligible to seek a third term but stated in January 2011 that he would not run for re-election.

Primary elections for governor and lieutenant governor were conducted separately on September 9, 2014: the Democrats nominated Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley and former CEO of the Democratic National Convention Steve Kerrigan, and the Republicans nominated former state cabinet secretary and 2010 gubernatorial nominee Charlie Baker and former state representative Karyn Polito.

[114] However, Fisher argued that according to the convention rules, blank votes are not counted for the purposes of determining the winner, and that he thus received 15.148%, enough to make the ballot.

[122] On May 9, 2014, a week into the case, Judge Douglas Wilkins accepted the State Committee's offer to certify Fisher on the primary ballot and put off the expedited June 16 trial date.

[123][124] The State Committee had not at that point turned over the "tally sheets" and the judge did not order them to do so, instead inviting Fisher's attorneys to submit an amended complaint.

Baker called for "constructive friction" in electing him governor to counterbalance the Democratic-controlled General Court and said that he would "clean up the regulatory morass, control spending [and] reduce taxes."