In recent years, why candidates from Massachusetts seem unpopular?

[iceman]

In the past few decades, there have been several candidates from Massachusetts who never gained traction in the primaries or was not favored in the general.

To name: Ted Kennedy, Michael Dukakis, John Kerry, Elizabeth Warren, Deval Patrick, Mitt Romney, Paul Tsongas,

[Catalyst138]

Republicans have attacked candidates as “Massachusetts liberals” before, implying that Massachusetts politics don’t gel with the rest of America and are too far left. Recently this line of thinking has been applied more to New York and California (think of Ted Cruz “New York values” line)

Though, it probably comes down mostly to coincidence. Warren didn’t fail because she was from Massachusetts, she failed for a variety of other reasons.

[morgankingsley]

Simply because usually they only appeal to a smaller sub section of a party electorate

[Agonized-Statism]

Coincidence. Kennedy tried the impossible by unseating an incumbent president via primary and had the protest vote split with Jerry Brown, Dukakis was doing the impossible by running against Reagan's legacy, Kerry came extremely close, Warren's just a bad candidate who struggled to find a niche in a crowded field, Patrick came in waaaaaaay too late, Romney didn't tap into the demand for right wing populism enough, Tsongas was outshined by Clinton.

The 1980s-2000s were arguably a more conservative time than years before and since. The south became way more important as those states grew in population and economy and their values became dominant (especially during the immediate post-9/11 emotional freakout). Massachusetts didn't appeal to them. It stunk of old, dirty, out-of-touch New Dealers like the Kennedys and terrifying """"""""""""""leftists"""""""""""""" like that hippie who won it in '72. The craving then was for someone folksy and gut feeling-centric. The state didn't produce anyone like that at the time. The demand for cosmopolitanism might put it back on the map soon.

[UWS]

Some of them like John Kerry and Mitt Romney were flip floppers and were ready to say or do anything to get elected, especially Kerry's vote for the Iraq War before voting against an $87 billion to provide ammunition, body armors and spare parts for the troops; and while running for office in Massachusetts (for senate and for Governor) he supported gay marriage, abortion and gun control while running for President he changed his positions on all these issues. Flip-flopping is far from being a win for any political candidate.