Massachusetts Governor Healey, Dems brace for second Trump presidency; here is what they had to say

Alison Kuznitz

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, NOV. 6, 2024…..In her first public remarks since Vice President Kamala Harris lost the presidential election, Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday said she will support a peaceful transfer of power and acknowledged that voters across Massachusetts and the country have mixed feelings about Donald Trump’s comeback.

Under the future Trump administration, Healey signaled she will keep pursuing priorities like driving down housing costs, securing the growth of the offshore wind industry, preserving Massachusetts’s public education ranking, and defending people’s rights and freedoms.

“Whoever you are, whoever you voted for, know that we’re going to continue to work together and move forward,” Healey told reporters. “I am a governor and the LG is a lieutenant governor for everyone, and we will work with anyone to make life better for residents in our state. In moments like this, I also think it’s important to remind everyone that this great country of ours is bigger than any one person alone. We all have a role to play in building the kind of community, state and country that we want to be, and that we want for our children.”

Reflecting on anger and division across the United States, Healey said “Massachusetts is a place, and will be a place, where we care about each other, and we look after one another.” The governor also noted that the “arc of history is long” and said that Massachusetts can show where the country is headed.

Harris secured 61.4 percent of the vote in Massachusetts, compared to Trump’s 36.4 percent. AP results show Harris garnered 2,057,345 votes, with Trump at 1,221,650 votes.

Healey, joined by Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, appeared somber in the corner office suite Wednesday afternoon, her mood having shifted from the energized photos she shared online Tuesday. Driscoll didn’t offer any remarks.

The Legislature’s top Democrats, House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka, were not made available to speak to reporters Wednesday. In statements, they spoke about the importance of state government in protecting Massachusetts’s core values without directly mentioning Trump by name.

“We have faced an anti-democratic presidency before, and we responded by doubling down on defending reproductive freedom, protecting the health care of all our residents regardless of gender or gender identity, strengthening voter protections, and creating comprehensive climate policy to protect our state—and our nation—from the devastating effects of climate change,” Spilka said. “The Massachusetts State Senate stands ready to fight for the fundamental values our Commonwealth holds dear once again.”

Pointing to unspecified past instances of “federal mismanagement,” Mariano suggested a “heightened” role for the House.

“Time and time again, the Massachusetts House has endeavored to step up in the face of federal mismanagement, voting to expand rights that were otherwise being threatened, and always serving as a driving force behind forward-thinking solutions to our most pressing challenges,” Mariano said. “That is a role that will now be of heightened importance due to yesterday’s incredibly disappointing election results and the potential for decreased federal support.”

Healey spent Election Day and recent days in New Hampshire to rally support for Democrat Joyce Craig, who lost her gubernatorial bid to Republican Kelly Ayotte. The former attorney general of New Hampshire, Ayotte repeatedly ridiculed Massachusetts policies on the campaign trail, and outgoing Gov. Chris Sununu said Tuesday that Craig faltered by linking her bid to the Bay State, The Boston Globe reported.

Ayotte secured 53 percent of the vote, with Craig trailing at about 45 percent, according to AP results Wednesday afternoon with 96 percent of precincts reporting. Republicans also touted victories in Vermont, where GOP officials predicted the party would gain 17 seats in the House of Representatives and effectively eliminate Democrats’ supermajority, according to Vermont Public Radio.

The Massachusetts GOP criticized Healey for campaign trips throughout Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, a state that pitches itself as an alternative to Massachusetts. Party Chair Amy Carnevale, who pointed out Healey failed to sway Bay Staters to vote against Question 2 eliminating MCAS as a high school graduation requirement, said Healey has “little to show for her time away.”

“Instead of focusing on the pressing issues of the Commonwealth, she chose to campaign in Pennsylvania, supporting Kamala Harris, who ultimately lost her presidential bid,” Carnevale said of Healey in a statement. “She also headed to New Hampshire, deploying tired and inappropriate attacks against Kelly Ayotte, who subsequently secured a victory as Governor.”

Healey, asked Wednesday whether she should have spent more time campaigning in Massachusetts, said, “No.”

“We knew New Hampshire was going to be close. The reason I was in New Hampshire is because, you know, my mom and dad still live there,” Healey said. “I grew up there, I played sports there, went to school there, worked there, I got a lot of friends (there). I care a lot about that state, and you know, we have a very close relationship, I mean literally as border states.”

On the Massachusetts front, Healey acknowledged voters embraced Question 2 and Question 1, another controversial referendum on Beacon Hill that explicitly authorizes Auditor Diana DiZoglio to audit the Legislature. Ahead of the election, Mariano and Spilka hinted at the possibility of legislative changes to the measures.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will issue guidance “shortly” on how to handle the changing status of the MCAS exam, Healey said. Should the Legislature recommend any changes to the voter laws, Healey broadly said she would review “anything that comes to my desk.”

“The voters spoke on that question,” Healey said of Question 2. She continued, “I don’t know what will come as of just yet.”

Healey was scheduled to spend Tuesday evening at the Massachusetts Democratic Party’s watch party at the SoWa Power Station in Boston’s South End, but never showed up. Party Chair Steve Kerrigan had told the crowd at around 8:20 p.m. that Healey was still in New Hampshire, and Treasurer Deb Goldberg said the governor could not “tear herself away” from the commonwealth’s northern neighbor.

“I think that results here were pretty much consistent with what they’ve been historically,” Healey said. “I think that Donald Trump picked up a couple, three more percentage points maybe in the Massachusetts vote. New Hampshire, interestingly, you know, it was a close election. It’s always a close election in my home state of New Hampshire.”

Harris won New Hampshire, securing 50.9 percent of the vote compared to Trump’s 48.1 percent.

Driscoll, who did attend the watch party, attempted to energize the crowd shortly after 8:30 p.m. Tuesday while acknowledging public jitters at the results rolled in.

“I want to start by giving a huge-thank you to all the incredible campaign workers, all the volunteers, all the busloads of people who went to other states to make sure that our democratic values were heard,” Driscoll said. “You made phone calls, you sent text messages, you sent postcards, you talked to your friends and neighbors, you knocked on doors, and that’s what really counts. You know, we win elections at kitchen tables, on front porches talking to people about the real issues, and your hard work is going to pay off for the victory tonight.”

Healey, asked where Democrats went wrong Wednesday, invoked messaging around the economy while praising the Biden-Harris administration.

“I know what the Biden-Harris administration did for Massachusetts,” said Healey, as she referenced federal funding for infrastructure, transportation, housing and climate resilience. “Ultimately these are all investments in jobs and a growing economy.”

Ensuring people understand the impact of those investments, and getting the “right policymakers” in Washington and here, must be a “continuing effort and work of everybody in office,” Healey said. She also rattled off economic accomplishments in Massachusetts, such as cutting taxes, making child care more affordable, and boosting housing affordability through the recent housing bond bill.

An hour before the polls closed Tuesday, Democratic Party Chair Steve Kerrigan had predicted Harris was positioned for victory and could win North Carolina and Georgia. Trump ended up winning both of those swing states.

By Wednesday afternoon, Kerrigan said he understood the feelings of “disappointment, uncertainty and deep concern” among Democrats.

“Today, it is clear there is much work to do,” Kerrigan, who was not made available for an interview, said in a statement. “That work must be conducted with a touch of humility. While we can be proud of our performance here at home, sending Senator Warren and our Democratic congressional delegation back to Washington and maintaining wide majorities in both houses of the state legislature, it is OK to recognize that we were not prepared for the outcome nationally.”

Mariano said Democrats must view the election as a “wake up call.” The Quincy Democrat also called the election an “opportunity to renew our focus on the issues that drove voters across the country towards the Republican Party this year.”

As attorney general, Healey was one of the top critics of Trump, suing his administration nearly 100 times. As governor dealing with Trump back in the White House, Healey said she will fight for Massachusetts residents and businesses. She stopped short of bashing Trump outright on Wednesday.

“I think I’ve spoken quite a bit about Donald Trump and my feelings about him,” Healey said. “We have to see whether he makes good on what he promised and ran on, in terms of Project 2025 or other things.”

A new law designed to help Massachusetts leverage rainy day fund interest to compete for federal dollars is still “really important,” Healey said. She vowed to work with the next Congress and incoming Trump administration to secure as much federal money as possible.

Asked whether Massachusetts can achieve its clean energy goals under the Trump administration, Healey said, “I sure hope so.” While Healey looks to slash the state’s greenhouse gas emissions and invest in the offshore wind industry, Trump has said he wants to boost fossil fuel production and again pull the country out of the Paris climate agreement.

“Look, we’re full steam ahead, and we are not taking our foot off the pedal at all,” Healey said. “That’s what we’re going to do, and whether it’s meeting our climate goals, whether it’s building the climate tech infrastructure that I think can make us the global hub for climate tech, building on a thriving life sciences, innovation-based economy, continuing to support our students who are top of the country right now, continuing to support our incredible teaching hospitals and our academic institutions.”

Spilka, in her statement, also emphasized the importance of Massachusetts remaining a leader. 

“As we wait for our country to turn yet another page, we are reminded that Massachusetts is a Commonwealth—and we are all charged with the responsibility of caring for each other, regardless of background or political affiliation,” Spilka said. “We have been a leader and a model for our nation in so many ways throughout our long history. Now, more than ever, we must continue to be a light of democracy and justice for all.”