hey're probably printing the bumper stickers now: ''Don't blame us, we voted for McCain.''
Ever willing to ignore national trends, Massachusetts primary voters reaffirmed their political independence yesterday, giving Arizona Senator John McCain 37 delegates and his biggest margin of victory on a day when he was trounced across the country by his Republican rival, Texas Governor George W. Bush.
Only a Bush victory in Maine prevented a McCain sweep of five New England states, where a total of 102 delegates were up for grabs.
On the Democratic side, Vice President Al Gore's national rout of former senator Bill Bradley extended throughout New England, where Gore won every state. In Massachusetts, 93 delegates were added to Gore's total.
Political analysts said yesterday that McCain's strength in New England reflects the region's independent streak that rewards anti-establishment candidates such as the Arizona senator, who called for sweeping campaign finance reform and denounced pork-barrel spending.
That is particularly the case in Massachusetts, the only state that Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern won in 1972 - a legendary tidbit of political history that spawned ''Don't blame me, I'm from Massachusetts'' bumper stickers as Watergate unfolded and President Nixon's administration crumbled.
And today, independent voters here outnumber Democrats and Republicans combined.
''Massachusetts has a lot of intellectual pride,'' said John Berg, a professor of government at Suffolk University. ''It's a state where people haven't felt comfortable at all about following anybody else.''
He added that Bradley was a victim of the perception that his campaign was a lost cause and was doubly damaged by McCain's appeals to the independents Bradley had once hoped to enlist.
Berg said that among independents, who were able to vote for either Democrats or Republicans in most New England states, ''only one or the other of the insurgent candidates can do well. ... McCain probably took most of those votes from Bradley.''
However, predictions that Gore and McCain would win Massachusetts by huge margins may have held down what was supposed to be a record Republican turnout here. Despite that, Secretary of State William F. Galvin last night was standing by his earlier estimates of GOP voters setting a new benchmark for this state.
Polling station volunteers blamed the media for lower turnout, especially among Democrats.
''People have mentioned that the newspapers tell you who's going to win before the election,'' said Mary Johnston, warden at St. Brigid's Church in South Boston.
However, those who did vote gave McCain a tremendous boost - stronger than any of the 16 states that participated in yesterday's primaries - even in staunchly Democratic districts.
In most elections, Johnston said, she sees 15 Republican votes cast. Yesterday, by 6 p.m., there were 90.
Despite the excitement over McCain, most polling stations in Massachusetts were quiet.
At the Talbot School in Weymouth, for example, there were no signs, no lines, no volunteers outside during late afternoon.
There was, however, confusion.
Voters tried to change their enrollment status on the spot to vote for McCain, not knowing that they had missed the deadline to do so by many weeks.
''I was confused,'' said one voter who declined to give her name. ''I didn't know you had to go fill out a card first.''
The frustrated woman left without casting a ballot for anyone.
Here's how the rest of New England voted.
Maine. Bush did not visit the state once to campaign. But no matter. This is where the Bush family spends its summers, in Kennebunkport. According to early returns, the governor was expected to sweep the state's 14 delegates.
Although most Maine voters are independents, the primary allows only party members to cast ballots, which helped Bush.
Gore won the state and its 23 Democratic delegates.
Connecticut. This state was logistically and historically stacked against McCain, but he won the 25 delegates.
Only party members are allowed to vote in the winner-take-all primary, which means independents, making up 40 percent of the electorate, could not cast ballots.
McCain also faced Governor John G. Rowland's support for Bush and his opponent's Connecticut family legacy. Bush was born in Connecticut, and both he and his father graduated from Yale University.
Gore easily claimed the state's 54 Democratic delegates.
Rhode Island. This overwhelmingly Democratic state also chose Gore and McCain, who was helped by the Ocean State's primary rules allowing independents to vote. The state delivered 22 Democratic delegates and 14 Republican ones, winner take all.
Vermont. The free-spirited state with strict campaign-finance laws was fertile ground for McCain, who swept its 12 winner-take-all GOP delegates.
Although Gore never visited the state, he was probably helped by his environmental reputation in defeating Bradley and taking 15 delegates.
Hermione Malone of the Globe Staff contributed to this report.
