The three Republican candidates for Massachusetts governor are pouncing on the official launch of Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll’s reelection campaign.
The governor released a video Tuesday announcing the start of the campaign, touting the first-term accomplishments that she says include lowering costs, “turning around” the MBTA, and “standing up to Donald Trump,” among other things.
But Healey has a few political hurdles to overcome that may serve as liabilities, something her Republican challengers have been targeting since announcing their own respective campaigns. The most notable hurdle for Healey is soaring energy costs, followed by the state’s ongoing housing crisis, her handling of illegal immigration in Massachusetts, and the shocking arrest of her former aide LaMar Cook, among other things.
In a statement reacting to the official launch of the reelection campaign, GOP candidate Mike Minogue tells the Herald that the only people benefiting from Healey are the “political elite.”
“After four years of the Healey administration, the only people doing better in Massachusetts are the political elite. Families are being priced out, businesses are leaving, and communities are less safe while the political establishment keeps asking voters to accept more of the same,” said Minogue. “I’m running to be a new kind of governor, focused on accountability, affordability, and making Massachusetts the best place to live, work, and raise a family again. Today’s announcement is just another promise to protect a system that works for some, but not for all.”
Fellow candidate Brian Shortsleeve zeroed in on issues with affordability and economic competitiveness in Massachusetts under Healey’s leadership.
“Under Maura Healey, Massachusetts is the most expensive state in the nation. Thanks to her misguided policies, our people are forced to pay more for housing, energy and taxes even as Healey gave free housing, meals, transportation and health care to illegal immigrants at a cost of billions in taxpayer dollars,” Shortsleeve told the Herald. “Healey’s policies caused 5,000 employers to shutter and cost us 12,000 private sector jobs, and a third of our residents have considered leaving the state to escape our impossibly high cost of living. Massachusetts simply cannot afford a sequel.”
As for candidate Mike Kennealy, he says a second Healey term would be “undeserved.”
“Massachusetts is now one of the top states for outmigration, we rank 47th in affordability, and our families pay the third-highest energy bills in the entire country – these are direct results of policies enacted and pushed by Maura Healey. These aren’t abstract statistics – they’re the real-world consequences of a Governor who has mismanaged the basics and refuses to take responsibility for the decline happening on her watch,” Kennealy said.
“Massachusetts needs a Governor with integrity who puts people first – their wallets, quality of life, and ability to build the future they deserve over grandstanding and political finger-pointing. The window to the American Dream is closing in our Commonwealth and it’s Maura Healey who is closing it. Voters understand that, and they’re ready for a change,” he said.
Healey listed the key accomplishments in her first term, which she says include opposing utility rate increases while proposing legislation to take charges off energy bills the administration predicts will save ratepayers $13 billion, protecting the SNAP program in Massachusetts from federal cuts, and cutting taxes “for the first time in more than 20 years.” Healey also mentions capping health care deductibles and co-pays, “turning around the MBTA,” doubling funding for education, making community college free, “transforming our veterans’ homes,” and eliminating renters’ fees, along with plans to build 100,000 new homes as her key accomplishments.
When it comes to the political liabilities surrounding affordability issues, illegal immigration, and a housing crisis, Healey is taking a familiar approach: blaming President Donald Trump.
“There’s more for us to do – a lot more – and that’s why I’m running for reelection: to lower costs, make life better, and stand up to Donald Trump,” Healey said in the campaign launch video. “He’s raising costs, taken away our health care and is tearing families apart. We see the damage he’s doing to our state and our country, but we’ll never back down. In Massachusetts, we stand together on what matters most.”
The Massachusetts Democratic Party is praising the reelection launch while shaming the three GOP candidates for their support of Trump.
“The MassDems are proud to support Maura and Kim’s reelection campaign for Governor and Lieutenant Governor. They are delivering on their promises to improve our schools and transportation, build more housing, and bring down costs,” MassDems Chair Steve Kerrigan told the Herald in a written statement. “And while the three Republican candidates continue to side with Donald Trump, Maura Healey is unafraid to stand up to Trump to protect our people and our communities.”
The three Republicans face off in the September primary for the chance to run against Healey in the general election in November.
