Ford Downs Reagan in Dull Contest

President Ford emerged from the Massachusetts Republican primary yesterday with a 61-per-cent to 35-per-cent victory over former California Gov. Ronald Reagan in a state where neither candidate had campaigned personally.

"By not appearing in Massachusetts once during the campaign, Reagan has made this something less than a campaign, and I'm disgusted," William Barnstead, Massachusetts state coordinator for Reagan said last night. "The Reagan staff in Washington refused to give us any real support, so what could we expect?"

Reagan campaigners last week predicted that Reagan would draw 40 per cent of the Republican vote.

A Reagan spokesman said yesterday that the organization "would be happy with 35 per cent."

David Sparks, state coordinator for Ford said he is "very pleased with the results, especially considering the low-key nature of the campaign here." Ford volunteers in the state have called almost 80 per cent of registered Mass. Republican to remind them to vote.

One young supporter said, however, that she is not sure "Ford can afford to rest on his laurels."

Despite the clear Ford victory, though, supporters gathering at the Sheraton Boston Hotel appeared subdued. Holding a drink in one hand, Ford coordinator Sparks gestured to a noisy ballroom next door full of Udall supporters and said, "Gee, those liberal Democrats have a lot of fun.