Maura Healey, who is currently the Attorney General for Massachusetts has announced she will run for Governor in this year’s midterm elections. Other state offices are also up for election, including State Auditor and Attorney General. Currently, Charlie Baker serves as governor and Karyn Polito as Lieutenant Governor. Both announced that they will not seek a third term. Both Baker and Polito are very popular despite being Republicans in a very Democratic state, and would’ve likely won their re-election campaigns, given that they did not face off against a serious Democrat challenger.

The Most Experienced Candidate

Healey is by far the most qualified candidate to hold the position of Governor. So far, her 2 major primary opponents are Sonia Chang-Diaz, a state representative for Suffolk’s 2nd District, and Danielle Allen, a Harvard Professor. While Chang-Diaz has worked to make the Commonwealth a more equal place, namely by making education available to everybody in her district equally, her experience on Beacon Hill is simply incomparable to Healey’s successes and proven track record statewide and nationally. Allen is no doubt qualified within the academia realm, attending Princeton University, King’s College at the University of Cambridge, and Harvard University. She received a PhD from both Cambridge and Harvard, as well as a BA from Princeton. However, a career filled with academic qualifications and achievements does not translate to the ability to lead a state. Allen has no prior political experience, whereas both Healey and Chang-Diaz do. To enter such a high-stakes race with such little experience is a grave mistake.

On the Republican side, former State Representative and 2018 Senate candidate Geoff Diehl, as well as Wrentham businessman Chris Doughty are declared candidates. To say Diehl would be an ill-suited Governor would be an understatement. Simply put, Diehl’s views do not align with the majority of people in Massachusetts. Diehl has been skewing further to the right with former President Trump, which again, only harms his campaign. Diehl, nor Trump’s policy/views are going to win this election. Furthermore, similar to Chang-Diaz, being a State Representative is not comparable to being a Governor; leading a small district is completely different than leading a state. Doughty has taken a much more moderate approach, and seems more similar to Baker and Polito. Doughty is an experienced businessman, owning a gear manufacturing company that has grown from 12 employees to over 1,000 over the past 30 years. While Doughty is clearly an accomplished successful businessman and leader, he has no political experience whatsoever. While it is never bad to have political outsiders, it would be far better to have a political outsider with experience in the realm of public service. Doughty does not possess this. 

Healey Knows How to Fight When Needed

I believe that Healey would prove to be a great Governor, building off successes from the Baker-Polito administration. Healey has a proven track record, and is not scared to take on big companies. She sued Purdue Pharma (makers of Oxycontin), as well as Lyft, Uber, Juul, Facebook, the NRA (National Rifle Association), and Google. Her ability to stand up to conglomerates proves that she will not back down from any challenge, and will fight for what is right; equity and protection for all. Healey understands the weight her position as A.G. carried, and will take this to the Governor’s office. 

A Civil Rights Advocate

Additionally, Healey has been a champion of both civil rights and worker’s rights. Healey began working for former Attorney General Martha Coakley in 2007. There, she worked with Coakley to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act, which limited marriage to be only between a man and a woman, which was signed into law in 1996 by former president Bill Clinton. Eventually, her fighting paid off, and the Supreme Court of the United States legalized gay marriage in 2015. The Supreme Court cited Healey’s arguments on the case in their majority opinion. Additionally, back in January 2017, Healey joined several other Attorney Generals in their lawsuit against the Trump Administration when they banned immigration from 7 countries that were mostly Muslim. She worked with the ACLU of Massachusetts, as well as countless immigration lawyers across the state. Healey correctly labeled the Trump Administration’s order as unconstitutional, as it discriminated on the basis of religion. The order also violated the Establishment Clause, among more amendments. Healey received support from other statewide officials, including Governor Charlie Baker, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, former Speaker DeLeo, and many other State Representatives and Senators, such as Katherine Clark and Mike Capuano.  

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Maura Healey’s accomplishments speak volumes to her capacity as governor of Massachusetts. She has successfully worked across the aisle with the executive branch of our state, taken on huge corporations, and championed civil rights for all. Her qualifications speak for themselves. She has been elected twice, and served under prior Attorney General Martha Coakely. There is not a more experienced, qualified, dedicated candidate in this election.