2 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
2 candidates · ballot order · Maura Healey currently holds this seat
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Lowering costs — she says she is running to 'lower costs, make life better and stand up to Donald Trump.'
Housing affordability, following her $5.2 billion housing bond bill.
Defending health care and abortion rights and access to vaccines.
Continuing MBTA reform.
Free community college, which she made state policy.
Protecting immigrant communities from federal enforcement.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Governor of Massachusetts since January 2023; attorney general of Massachusetts 2015-2023.
Signed a roughly $1 billion a year package of tax cuts.
Signed a $5.2 billion borrowing bill aimed at housing affordability.
Made community college tuition-free in Massachusetts.
Hired a new MBTA general manager and pursued transit reform.
Her administration spent about $830 million in fiscal 2025 on emergency shelter for more than 4,000 families amid a migrant influx, and increased the HomeBASE rental assistance programme from $9.5 million in 2022 to $97 million in 2025.
Was unopposed in the September 1 2026 Democratic primary.
Arguments in favor
Her first term delivered concrete things — about $1 billion a year in tax cuts, a $5.2 billion housing bill, free community college and a new MBTA management.
— Healey for Massachusetts campaign
Donald Trump 'is making everything worse' by 'raising costs, taking away our health care and tearing families apart,' and she would defend health care, abortion rights and vaccine access against federal policy.
— Maura Healey, at her January 2026 campaign launch
She managed an unprecedented surge in demand on the family shelter system without letting families go unsheltered, while shifting the state toward rental assistance.
— Healey for Massachusetts campaign
Arguments against
'The responsibility for our struggles lies squarely with the state's chief executive: Maura Healey' — she 'does not deserve re-election by any measure.'
— Mike Kennealy, Republican candidate, during the primary
Her 'misguided policies' have raised housing and energy costs — 'Massachusetts simply cannot afford the sequel to this horror story.'
— Brian Shortsleeve, Republican primary candidate
She shifted the cost of sheltering migrant families into the HomeBASE rental assistance programme, which went from $9.5 million in 2022 to $97 million in 2025, after spending about $830 million on emergency shelter in a single fiscal year.
— Massachusetts Republicans, as reported by WWLP
What we couldn’t verify
Her official campaign website could not be verified, so no URL is listed.
Her second-term plan for the emergency shelter system.
Her campaign finance totals were not located; her opponent has self-funded at least $12.5 million.
Lowering taxes — he argues 'cost of living, including taxes, is driving people and businesses out of the state.'
Making Massachusetts a more attractive destination for businesses.
Investing heavily in education.
Reducing energy costs and fees, which he says working families cannot afford.
Addressing traffic and housing costs.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Chairman, president and chief executive of Abiomed from April 2004 to 2023; previously at GE HealthCare.
West Point graduate, 1989; U.S. Army infantry officer in Operation Desert Storm.
Oversaw the 2022 sale of Abiomed to Johnson & Johnson for $16.6 billion; public records indicate he stood to receive at least $153 million personally.
Had put a reported $12.5 million of his own money into the campaign as of March 2026.
The FDA documented eight recalls during his 19 years running Abiomed, including a 2009 Class I recall involving a pump shutting down without an alarm.
A 2018 whistleblower case alleged Abiomed violated anti-kickback laws by spending up to $450 per meal on physicians, with employees using fake attendee names; the company settled for $3.1 million without admitting wrongdoing.
Won the September 1 2026 Republican primary over Brian Shortsleeve; this is his first run for office.
Arguments in favor
He built and ran a Massachusetts medical device company to a $16.6 billion sale, and argues the state needs someone who has actually run a business to stop driving employers out.
— Minogue for Governor campaign
'Cost of living, including taxes, is driving people and businesses out of the state. Working families struggle to pay their bills: energy, taxes and fees are too expensive, traffic has never been worse, and housing is unaffordable.'
— Michael Minogue, in his campaign announcement
He is a West Point graduate and Desert Storm veteran running his first campaign as an outsider, and can self-fund against an incumbent's fundraising advantage.
— Minogue for Governor campaign, as reported by WBUR
Arguments against
Abiomed had eight FDA recalls during his nineteen years running it, including a Class I recall over a pump that shut down without an alarm — and 'a recall is a pretty scary thing that is not done routinely or lightly.' Minogue calls the FDA actions routine oversight.
— Christopher Robertson, Boston University health law professor, quoted by the Boston Globe
A 2018 whistleblower case alleged Abiomed broke anti-kickback law by spending up to $450 a head on meals for physicians, with employees logging fake attendee names; the company paid $3.1 million to settle. Minogue told a February Republican caucus 'there was never any wrongdoing, and there was never any payment or any charges,' which the settlement contradicts on its face.
— Boston Globe reporting
He has never held or run for public office and is self-funding a campaign in a state that has not elected a Republican governor since 2014.
— Massachusetts Democrats, as reported by WBUR
What we couldn’t verify
His official campaign website could not be verified, so no URL is listed.
His positions on abortion, immigration enforcement and the emergency shelter system could not be established from a source read directly.
How he would cut taxes while investing heavily in education.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
Democratic incumbent Maura Healey is seeking a second term. Roster established from Wikipedia's race page, Ballotpedia, the Washington Post's primary results, NBC News, GBH, WBUR and the Boston Globe, cross-checked. Massachusetts held its state primary on September 1 2026 — five days before this file was researched. Healey was unopposed for the Democratic nomination; former Abiomed chief executive Michael Minogue won the Republican primary over Brian Shortsleeve. Exact primary percentages could not be retrieved from a source read directly. Massachusetts elects governor and lieutenant governor as a joint ticket in November: Healey runs with Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, Minogue with Shawn Oliver. No independent or third-party candidate for governor was found on the general election ballot, though this could not be confirmed against a certified list.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A Massachusetts ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.