Healey Takes Aim At Trump In Gubernatorial Re-Election Announcement

MASSACHUSETTS — Gov. Maura Healey framed her re-election bid as a battle to protect Massachusetts residents against the Trump Administration policies, as three Republican challengers have lined up to try to replace her on Beacon Hill in 2026.

"These are tough times," she said in announcing her re-election bid on Tuesday morning. "Donald Trump is making everything worse."

Healey announced that she and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, the former Salem mayor, were running for a second term together "to lower costs, make life better, and stand up to Donald Trump."

She touted her steps to cap utility rate increases, mitigate federal SNAP funding cuts, cap health care deductibles, build 100,000 new homes across the state amid the housing crisis, make community colleges free, and help turn around the long-troubled MBTA in her campaign video.

"But there is more for us to do," she said. "A lot more. That's why I am running for re-election."

Republican challenger Mike Kennealy, who served in the cabinet of former Gov. Charlie Baker, responded to Healey's announcement with a statement blasting her for residents moving out of the Bay State because of the high cost of living, which he said has been exacerbated by the governor's actions.

"These aren't abstract statistics," he said. "They're real-world consequences of a governor who has mismanaged the basics and refuses to take responsibility for the decline happening on her watch.

"While the governor tries to shift blame onto others, the people of Massachusetts know the truth. The responsibility for our struggles lies squarely with the state's chief executive: Maura Healey."

Former MBTA administrator Brian Shortsleeve and Army veteran and businessman Mike Minogue have also launched campaigns to unseat Healey.

"Under Maura Healey, Massachusetts has become the most expensive state in America," Shortsleeve said in response to Healey's announcement on Tuesday. "Families are paying more for housing, energy, and taxes, while billions of taxpayer dollars were blown on free housing, food, transportation, and health care for illegal immigrants.

"That's not compassion, it's failed leadership. Healey's policies have helped shut down more than 5,000 employers, wiped out 12,000 private-sector jobs, and pushed one-third of Massachusetts residents to consider leaving the state entirely. Working families are getting squeezed, businesses are packing up, and Beacon Hill keeps pretending everything is fine.

"Massachusetts can't afford another four years of this disaster."

No Democrats thus far have signaled an intention to challenge Healey for the party nomination in 2026.

More on Patch:

• 2 Bitter Blasts Follow Weekend Snow, Big Storm On Horizon?: See Snow Totals
• Car Crashes Into Police Station | School Bus Fire | Young Pats Fan Takes Center Stage: MA Weekend
• New Restaurants Opening In MA In 2026