The Democratic attorney general will also be one of the nation’s first openly lesbian governors.
Maura Healey speaks to the press at Maverick Square in East Boston on Monday. JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images
Maura Healey will be the first woman elected governor of Massachusetts and one of the nation’s first openly lesbian politicians to ever serve as a state chief executive. Healey, 51, a Democratic state attorney general and South End resident, along with Salem mayoral candidate Kim Driscoll narrowly scored a gubernatorial victory Tuesday against Republican Geoff Diehl, a former Donald Trump state representative from Whitman who ran along with former legislator Leah Allen, of Danvers. The Associated Press announced the Healey race shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m. Both Healey and Diehl ran campaigns aimed at offsetting the rising cost of living in the Bay State, from housing to everyday expenses. But each saw significantly different paths to get there. Healey, promising an aggressive climate agenda, unveiled plans to put the state on track to divest from fossil fuels in the coming years. Diehl has been a frequent critic of the proposal, saying Healey would bankrupt the state in pursuit of her vision. Diehl, meanwhile, emphasized individual freedom. He called for overturning the COVID-19-related mandates on state employees and sought to give parents more say in their children’s classroom affairs, including through a proposal that seeks to require informed consent for “controversial curriculum topics ». But Healey warned that a Diehl victory would open the door to “Trumpism” in Massachusetts, a political movement she says is idiosyncratic to the values of local voters. Healey’s win is no surprise: Polls have consistently shown Healey as the front-runner since she entered the race early this year — a large lead she carried steadily until Election Day. But Healey’s victory means the Beacon Hill corner office will return to Democrats — who hold sizable majorities in both houses of the Legislature — once popular moderate Republican Gov. Charlie Baker completes his second, four-year term in January. How exactly the one-party leadership will be a change after years of balance between Baker’s office and the two chambers remains to be seen. Healey, who has touted a close bipartisan working relationship with Baker, has often praised the embattled governor and has often cited his administration’s efforts on several issues as ones she would emulate or want to continue. Voters apparently also see a bit of Baker in Healey. A UMass Amherst/WCVB poll last month found that most voters think Healey resembles Baker’s leadership style and ideology more than Diehl. When she takes office in January, Healey will not be the first woman to serve as governor of the Bay State, although she is the first to be elected to the position. Republican Jane Swift served as the state’s first female governor between 2001 and 2003, after stepping up to the position when Gov. Paul Cellucci resigned to serve as the US ambassador to Canada. Healey will also make national history when she goes to the governor’s office. With her victory in hand, she is set to become one of, if not the first, openly lesbian governor in the United States. Former Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek, another Democrat and lesbian, was also on the ballot for governor in her home state Tuesday, though she faced a tougher race than her Massachusetts counterpart.
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