Healey ties Minogue to Trump; he presses her on accountability in first governor debate
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Gov. Maura Healey invoked the specter of President Trump on nearly every issue in her first debate with challenger Mike Minogue, tying her reelection bid to national trends instead of state government work.
Why it matters: Minogue tried to keep the conversation on state-level results to make voters' choice on Nov. 3 more of a referendum on Healey's performance over the past four years.
- But Healey deflected criticism of her term by calling out White House policies that she says are really to blame for driving up costs in Massachusetts.
One stunning stat: Healey said "Trump" 36 times in the hourlong debate.
- Minogue used the president's name zero times.
The big picture: Healey's refrain of "who your governor is matters more than ever" was matched by Minogue's insistence that "blaming others is easy. Leadership is harder."
- Minogue, who's spent over $17 million of his own money on his first-time bid for governor, has only a few weeks to convince voters to ditch Healey.
- Polls have consistently shown the GOP challenger has an extremely uphill path to beating her.
On the race's biggest issue, the high cost of living, Healey said Trump is driving up costs with tariffs and the Iran war.
- She cited her tax cuts, capped copays and free community college as ways she's cut some costs for Bay Staters.
- Minogue cited Massachusetts' low ranking on private job growth and proposed ending the gas tax and a $130 utility fee.
- He tried to distance himself from Trump's policies, saying he opposes tariffs and NIH cuts, but wanted to focus on the taxes many Mass. residents contend with.
The pair tangled over education, an area where Massachusetts consistently outpaces the rest of the country.
- This time, she tied Minogue to Trump for backing the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education.
- She said she would "look at" a federal scholarship tax credit Minogue backs but not "take Trump's word for it."
What they're saying: "This is an example where Maura Healey hates the other party more than she cares about our kids," Minogue said at the debate hosted by WBZ/CBS Boston and moderated by political analyst Jon Keller.
- She replied, "I don't actually hate anyone."
Between the lines: The exchanges over accountability were the most personal and heated of the debate.
- Minogue questioned the roughly $2 billion Springfield courthouse deal, but Healey estimated the construction cost at $463 million, adding that a judge found the procument process sound.
- She asked Minogue to "do me the decency of not questioning my integrity."
Public safety: Healey said federal immigration enforcement "is not making us safe" and told Minogue to "call Trump and tell him to take ICE home."
- Minogue said he wanted to "lower the temperature" on immigration enforcement and that he is "anti-violent criminal and drug dealer," not anti-immigrant.
- He wants to change state law that blocks local authorities from cooperating with federal agents.
The bottom line: Healey repeatedly tied Minogue to Trump through his big financial donations, while the South Hamilton Republican didn't directly address the claim.
- Minogue's position that "it really doesn't matter who the president is" when governing Massachusetts is going to have to attract a lot of converts in this Trump-weary state if the GOP hopes to make a dent in Healey's reelection plan.