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Some GOP candidates for governor have donated to Democrats. Here are all the candidates’ donations broken down.
One candidate donated $32,000 to Rep. Seth Moulton, one, previously donated to Sen. Ed Markey, and the wife of another donated thousands to Healey.
The three Republicans vying to take on Governor Maura Healey next year all have supported Republicans locally and nationally, but two have donated thousands of dollars to Massachusetts Democrats, while another’s wife has donated $2,000 to Healey since 2017.
The three GOP gubernatorial candidates — Brian Shortsleeve, Mike Minogue, and Mike Kennealy — are all prolific donors. Of the candidates, Shortsleeve has donated the most to Democrats but also to the Massachusetts Republican Party, a review of campaign finance records for federal and state campaigns shows.
Shortsleeve has donated $32,000 to Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat. Minogue crossed the aisle with a nearly $15,000 donation to Sen. Ed Markey in 2013.
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Kennealy is the only candidate who hasn’t donated a dime to Democratic congressional candidates in Massachusetts, according to public campaign finance data, while his wife, Trisha Kennealy, supported previous Healey campaigns as recently as 2022 along with other Democratic campaigns on a national level.
“Mike Kennealy was the single largest donor to Massachusetts Republicans last election cycle, serving as MassGOP Finance Chair, growing the party and helping Republicans make gains,” Logan Trupiano, a spokesperson for Kennealy, said.
Shortsleeve donated to Moulton, a North Shore Democrat, for years and contributed $18,000 to Rep. Jake Auchincloss, another Democrat. He also contributed to Attorney General Andrea Campbell and to an environmental PAC, according to data from the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance.
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“Just as President Trump said when he was attacked for his donations to many Democrats like Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, as a Republican businessman in a deep blue state you need to be friends with everyone, and making donations along the way is a cost of doing business,” said Holly Robichaud, a spokesperson for Shortsleeve.
GOP megadonor Minogue, who donated half a million to the National Republican Committee, also contributed $14,600 to Sen. Ed Markey in 2013. His wife, Renee Minogue, also gave Auchincloss, a Democrat, $1,000 in 2020.
“For 19 years, I worked with Republicans and Democrats across the country to develop products that save lives,” Minogue said in a statement. “I’m not a politician. I come from a results-driven world where you work with everyone to get things done.”
All three candidates donated to former Gov. Charlie Baker, while Minogue and Shortsleeve supported former President George Bush’s reelection campaign in 2004. Minogue also contributed to Josh Kraft’s failed mayoral campaign in Boston.
According to campaign records, Healey donated around $1,500 to John Kerry’s presidential run in 2004, as well as to committees to elect Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Diane Feinstein, and Hillary Clinton in 2005. She also financially supported former Gov. Deval Patrick in 2005.
Shortsleeve: A major MassGOP donor who also made donations to Moulton, Auchincloss
Shortsleeve, a venture capitalist who managed the MBTA under Baker, contributed $32,000 to Moulton and sent $2,700 to Moulton’s political action committee supporting Democrats nationally, according to campaign finance records. He also donated $18,000 to Rep. Jake Auchincloss between 2019 and 2023.
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The Moulton and Auchincloss contributions are part of his total $414,255 in federal contributions since 2005, which included $24,400 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Locally, Shortsleeve also went across the aisle to support Attorney General Andrea Campbell with $2,000 total in 2021 and 2022. He also contributed $10,000 to a Massachusetts environmental PAC.
Of his $128,000 contributions to local elections, he spent $25,000 to oppose the Fair Share Amendment and sent more than $15,000 to the Republican State Committee. He and his wife, Liz Shortsleeve, also donated about $5,000 to Democrat John R. Connolly, a 2013 Boston mayoral candidate.
“Unlike his opponents, Brian has served in the trenches of the Massachusetts Republican Party for decades as a member of the Republican State Committee and his local town committee,” Robichaud said, “working on campaigns for state and local office, and donating more to local Massachusetts Republicans than any candidate in the race.”
Kennealy: Hundreds of thousands of dollars to the GOP while wife supported Healey, Harris
Kennealy, a former Baker official, financially supported Nikki Haley in 2023 to the tune of $13,200. His total federal campaign contributions since 2009 is about $243,677, including nearly $100,000 to the NRSC.
Trisha Kennealy, the owner of a luxury inn in Lexington, donated $900 to Act Blue, $600 to Pro-Choice Women, and $3,000 to former Vice President Kamala Harris, according to federal and state campaign filings. Her largest contribution was $8,400 to Joe Biden’s campaign in 2020.
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While Trisha Kennealy donated to former Sen. Scott Brown, a Republican, and Baker through the years, she sent Healey, her husband’s prospective opponent, $500 in 2014, another $500 in 2017, and $1,000 in 2022, according to state filings.
Kennealy poured $1.4 million of his own money into his campaign this year, according to OCPF records. Since 2010, he spent $117,931.33 on state and local elections other than his own. He contributed $30,000 to a PAC supporting Stand for Children, an education advocacy group, and $25,000 to the Republican State Committee.
“His two opponents… have donated exorbitant amounts to elect progressive Democrats at every level of government,” Trupiano said. “They can’t be trusted.”
Minogue: Trump supporter focused on national races
Minogue, the only financial supporter of President Donald Trump of the candidates, is the biggest spender of the three, but that spending has been largely either on his own campaign or national candidates and committees. He contributed $13,000 to MassGOP in federal filings but nearly $10,000 to a Massachusetts Democrats committee in 2013.
Besides the $1.5 million to his own campaign, Minogue donated $15,000 to state and local races, including to the Republican State Committee, the least of his GOP competitors.
But, of Minogue’s nearly $2 million in contributions to federal committees, $531,000 went to the Republican National Committee.
Minogue, who supported a Bush-Cheney committee in 2004, previously supported Romney and donated more than $100,000 to Trump’s re-election in 2024.
His wife Renee, who runs the couple’s faith-forward, Christian foundation, also supported Trump’s bid with another $100,000, most of which was in 2024.
“What concerns me is how often the political class focuses inward while costs keep rising and the state works for some not all,” Minogue said. “Massachusetts should be leading in innovation and affordability, and that requires someone who knows how to solve problems and put people first.”
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Correction: An initial version of this article incorrectly stated that Brian Shortsleeve donated to Josh Kraft’s recent mayoral campaign and omitted a Mike Minogue donation to the Republican State Committee.
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