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Massachusetts Democrats endorse Maura Healey, Kim Driscoll for second term; here is what the pair had to say
May 30, 2026…..Bay State Democrats endorsed Maura Healey for another four years in the corner office, as she strives to become just the second Democrat to be reelected governor here in the last 40 years.
In a speech Friday night to the delegates who gathered at Worcester’s DCU Center the evening before Saturday’s Democratic Party convention main event, the governor said she will be “focused on lowering costs, making life easier, and standing up to Donald Trump” while she argued that the two Republicans vying to challenge her in November “stand with Donald Trump’s agenda that is raising costs and cutting healthcare, sending ICE agents into our communities, and banning abortion across the country,” her campaign said.
“I want you to know that I see you. My focus is on you and your life, and I’ll work every day to make it better. And as your governor, I’ll always have your back,” Healey said, according to the campaign. “This election is about who you stand for, who you stand with, and who you stand against. Mike Minogue and Brian Shortsleeve stand with Donald Trump. I stand with you.”
Minogue, who earned the endorsement of the Republican Party convention in Worcester last month, and Shortsleeve have said Healey would rather make this election about Trump than about state-level issues like high energy costs, a lack of housing and largely stagnant job growth.
“As much as we will hear about President Trump, the truth is businesses and people are not fleeing to North Carolina, Florida, Texas and New Hampshire because of Trump. He’s president there too. They are leaving because of Maura Healey,” Shortsleeve’s campaign said.
When asked how he would respond to Healey leveling a Trump-centric attack at him, Minogue earlier this year told the Howie Carr Show: “I’m not running for senator. She should go run for senator if she’s so concerned about that. I’m running for governor because I am Massachusetts Mike. I’m focused on things that apply to our citizens, our entrepreneurs in business. That’s what I’m obsessed with.”
Kim Driscoll was similarly endorsed for another four-year term as lieutenant governor, and she used her time addressing the convention hall to highlight steps she said have helped to lower the cost of housing, healthcare and more. The campaign said the duo is running for reelection “because there is a lot more to do to make life more affordable, create opportunities for all, and stand up to the damage Donald Trump is doing every single day.”
“Since day one, Maura and I have focused on one thing: making Massachusetts more affordable, more competitive, and more compassionate,” Driscoll said, according to the campaign. “Not by papering over problems, not by kicking challenges down the road, but by making smart investments and tackling issues head on.”
A top Republican Party official knocked the timing of Healey’s convention speech.
“Hiding from the voters with an 8:30 p.m. Friday night speech is laughable, especially for an incumbent Governor,” said Haley Jones, executive director of the Massachusetts Republican Party.
Healey and Driscoll faced no competition for the party’s convention endorsement and face no challenger in the September primary. They will face the winners of the Republican primaries in the Nov. 3 general election.
Colin Young is the deputy editor for State House News Service and State Affairs Pro Massachusetts. Reach him at colin.young@statehousenews.com.
