Gov. Maura Healey won a second four-year term on Tuesday, Nov. 3, defeating Republican Michael Minogue, the Associated Press reported. The AP declared Healey the winner at 8:01 p.m. EST, one minute after Massachusetts polls closed.
Brookline voters helped decide the race as part of the 4th Congressional District, where polls were open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to Patch. Brookline-specific vote totals had not been released as of publication.
Healey, a Democrat, will serve alongside Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, the former Salem mayor who joined the ticket in 2022. Healey previously served two terms as attorney general before winning the governor's office four years ago, WBUR reported.
Minogue, a former medical technology executive who ran Danvers-based Abiomed, put $19.5 million of his own money into his campaign. That set a record for a statewide candidate in Massachusetts, WBUR reported. Independent candidate Andrea James, a criminal justice advocate running with Kayla Kittredge of Winchester, was also on the ballot, according to WWLP.
With about a third of votes counted as of 10:52 p.m., unofficial AP results showed Healey with more than 64 percent of the vote to Minogue's 32 percent, boston.com reported, citing AP data. James received about 3 percent. Those numbers will change as more ballots are counted.
Election night reaction
Healey told supporters she has an obligation "to get up every day and to drive change with urgency and action," WBUR reported.
"I'm gonna work my hardest every single day for the things that matter in your lives," she said, according to WBUR.
Minogue congratulated Healey at his own event. "An election determines who holds the office. It does not determine what we believe in, what we stand for, and how much we care about the commonwealth," he said, according to WBUR.
Affordability and Trump shaped the race
The cost of living and the candidates' ties to President Donald Trump dominated the contest.
Healey campaigned on her first-term record, pointing to efforts on housing and a proposed gas tax suspension. Minogue argued Massachusetts needs an outsider to rein in spending and lower costs, GBH News reported.
Healey and her allies labeled Minogue "MAGA Mike" and linked him to Trump throughout the campaign. Minogue donated about $1 million to Trump and other Republicans, the Boston Globe reported. Trump did not publicly endorse Minogue, the Globe reported.
In the final stretch, Minogue called himself a registered independent for 19 years rather than the Republican nominee, the Globe reported.
Running mate's arrest roiled GOP ticket
Minogue's running mate, New Bedford City Councilor Shawn Oliver, suspended his campaign Oct. 18 after police arrested him following a crash involving five parked vehicles. He pleaded not guilty to operating under the influence and other charges. Oliver's name stayed on the ballot because the deadline to remove a candidate had passed weeks earlier.
Minogue told reporters he would govern without a lieutenant governor if elected. "He will not be my lieutenant governor. Period," Minogue said, the Globe reported Oct. 20.
What's ahead
Healey faces high costs and surging energy bills in her second term, the Globe reported. She will also manage the state's response to the Trump administration for the president's final two years in office.
Certified results will be available through the secretary of state's Massachusetts Election Statistics database.
