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Healey intends to run for reelection
"There's a heck of a lot more to do," Healey said Friday, confirming for the first time her plans to seek another term.
Mass. Gov. Maura Healey said Friday that she intends to run for reelection.
MAURA HEALEY:
The announcement, made during her appearance on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio,” appears to be the first time Healey has definitively confirmed her plans to seek a second term. As recently as December, she was noncommittal when asked about the topic by The Boston Herald. She told the paper earlier this week that she wanted to “continue to serve” in some capacity, but did not offer more details.
Healey highlighted some of the major issues she came into office wanting to tackle and said that her administration has been up to the challenge so far.
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“I’m really proud of the record so far,” Healey said. “When Kim [Driscoll] and I started, we laid out in our inaugural address things that we wanted to do. We wanted to get after housing, we wanted to get after transportation, we wanted to cut taxes, we wanted to make investments in education. And I feel like we’ve done all those things. Yet, there’s a heck of a lot more to do.”
Healey rose to prominence when she served at attorney general, bolstering her national reputation by repeatedly suing the first Trump administration. Healey became the first woman and first openly LGBTQ person elected Massachusetts governor when she defeated Republican Geoff Diehl in 2022.
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With President Donald Trump back in the White House, Healey will have plenty of opportunities to publicly fight back against GOP policies over the next few years. An emboldened Trump appears likely to target blue states like Massachusetts with increased immigration enforcement and the potential to cut off federal funding.
Last summer, Healey was found to be the 14th most popular governor in the country with a 59% approval rating. Despite her overall popularity, UMass pollsters noted last year that she was seeing decreased support amongst key groups like people of color and young people.
Perhaps the defining challenge of Healey’s term so far is managing the ongoing shelter crisis. Amid high immigration rates and a lack of affordable housing, the state’s emergency shelter system has been at overburdened for more than a year.
Last month, Healey began pushing for changes to the state’s unique right-to-shelter law, arguing that residency requirements are needed to ease the pressure on the system. Advocates for migrant and homeless families have consistently criticized Healey for not doing enough to help those residents. Other constituencies have blasted her for not taking swifter actions to change the right-to-shelter law and for not vetting shelter residents enough.
Who else could run for the governorship is unclear at this early point. However, former Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Mike Kennealy is “seriously considering” running as a Republican, the Herald recently reported.
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“I love my job. I feel incredibly privileged to be in this position, and I’d love to have the opportunity to continue to work for the great people of this state,” Healey said.
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