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BOSTON — During the first head-to-head showdown between Gov. Maura Healey and Republican challenger Mike Minogue Thursday, affordability and President Donald Trump took center stage.
Healey, who is running for her second term, repeatedly tied Minogue to Trump and argued that the president’s tariffs, war and cuts to federal programs are making life more expensive in Massachusetts. Minogue argued that Healey has had four years, a Democratic Legislature and record-high budgets to address the state’s high costs — and has fallen short.
Facing off in a WBZ-TV studio with moderator Jon Keller, the candidates returned over and over to a central question: whether Massachusetts’ affordability problems are primarily the result of decisions made on Beacon Hill or in Washington.
Healey invoked Trump over 30 times during the debate, beginning about two minutes and 40 seconds into the event. She argued that her administration has cut taxes, expanded housing, capped healthcare costs and made community college free, while Trump’s policies are pushing prices higher.
“Donald Trump is driving up the cost of everything. And by the way, we have 100,000 homes coming online because I filed and signed the strongest housing law in the country,” Healey said.
Minogue responded that the governor was diverting blame.
“I want to make sure that we focus on stopping overspending, which makes overtaxing happen, and then over-regulating,” Minogue said. “We already have eight taxes. Those taxes continue to go up.”
He pointed to the state’s permitting, energy, healthcare and housing costs, and said that if elected, his administration would reduce taxes and regulations while pursuing manufacturing and innovation.
Minogue also blamed Healey for the Steward Health Care crisis, saying she had allowed hospitals to close. Healey did not directly respond to the Steward accusation, instead challenging his broader characterization of the state’s healthcare system and returning to Trump’s impact on federal healthcare funding.
“My opponent is somebody who wrote a million-dollar check to Donald Trump,” Healey said. “He saw what Donald Trump did in his first term and said, ’I want more of that.’ He invited J.D. Vance to his house.” (PolitiFact reported that Minogue gave about $933,000 to Republicans, including Trump, between 2024 and 2025.)
One of the debate’s most sustained policy clashes came over education and a federal scholarship tax credit that Minogue said could generate $1.7 billion for educational grants.
Minogue pressed Healey to opt into the program, arguing that parents could use the money for tutoring, books, transportation and special education.
“Why would you not take the free money? Is it because it’s coming from D.C.?” Minogue said.
Healey said she would review the program rather than accept the Trump administration’s guidance at face value. (The tax credit would fund a school choice program, with its size determined by the number of parents participating; 30 states have accepted the tax credit program so far, PolitiFact reported.)
The candidates also disagreed over municipal finances and Proposition 2½. Minogue proposed returning a larger share of state money to cities and towns rather than forcing them to rely on property tax increases.
“My solution, real quick, is instead of towns keeping 26% of their money, which is what it is today, they should get 35 to 40% back,” Minogue said.
They later clashed over the state’s proposed Springfield courthouse, with Minogue arguing that the project represented excessive spending and poor oversight.
“Giving political insiders $2 billion to build a courthouse in Springfield is not integrity,” Minogue said, arguing that “the whole thing should be thrown out.”
Healey disputed the price tag and defended the procurement process.
“I don’t know, Mike, how much time you spent in Springfield, but there was a sick building. People were getting sick. They were dying of diseases. And I made a commitment as governor that I was going to make sure that those people in Springfield got a new courthouse,” Healey said. “And by the way, it’s not $2 billion to construct the courthouse. It’s actually $463 million to construct that.” (The construction will cost $462 million to $525 million, while $2 billion is the likely cost of the building’s 40-year lease and operation, according to PolitiFact.)
Healey said a judge had reviewed the procurement and declined to pause the project, and that the arrangement would save taxpayers money.
On housing, the candidates found some common ground on Question 7, the ballot question aimed at easing local zoning restrictions and allowing more single-family homes.
“I’m absolutely for it. We need more homes,” Healey said.
“I’m for it, but it doesn’t fix the problem,” said Minogue, who called for changes to building requirements and permitting.
They also agreed on the need for an audit of the state Legislature, though they disputed Healey’s record on the issue.
Healey said Minogue was wrong to claim she opposed the audit.
“You know full well I supported the audit. I voted for it along with 72% of the people in Massachusetts, and I have been audited hundreds of times,” Healey said.
Minogue countered that Healey’s support had not translated into action.
“You did not support it. You don’t even communicate and talk to the state auditor,” Minogue said. “You need to lead. You need to push on the Legislature. You didn’t do any of that, and you let the auditor hang out and dry.”
Minogue said he would more than double the state auditor’s budget, from $26 million to $52 million, and conduct a financial audit of the state’s more than $70 billion budget.
Disagreement over Trump also sharpened in the second half, particularly on immigration. Healey said immigrants in Massachusetts were living in fear because of federal immigration enforcement and accused Minogue of siding with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“I agree with Governor Healey. No kid should be worried about going to school. Nobody should be worried about going to the hospital. 100% agree with you on that,” Minogue said.
But he said his priority would be targeting violent criminals and drug dealers while lowering the political temperature.
“My position is simple: I am anti-violent-criminal and drug dealer,” Minogue said. “What I’m going to do is be the leader. I’m going to lower the temperature.”
“Well, then call Trump and tell him to take ICE home,” Healey said.
Minogue promised to cut taxes, reduce regulation and grow jobs. He knocked Healey’s track record on job growth and compared it to his time as CEO of a medical device company.
Minogue said Massachusetts was “last in that nation in private job growth. Last in the nation since Governor Healey took over. That’s negative growth. I created more jobs at Abiomed than Governor Healey indirectly.” (The right-leaning Pioneer Institute, analyzing federal data, said this year that Massachusetts was one of four states to lose private-sector jobs between 2020 and 2025.)
Healey countered by drawing a connection between Minogue and Trump and adding, “My opponent is somebody who supports Donald Trump’s agenda, which has been raising costs.” She also said, “My opponent just said a number of things that just aren’t accurate.”
Healey argued that Minogue’s relationship with Trump made the president relevant to the governor’s race.
“The best thing that Mike Minogue could do to lower costs in this state is to call his friend Donald Trump or J.D. Vance, who he supported, who he helped elect, who he gave a million dollars to, and say, ’End this war, cut it out with the tariffs,’” Healey said.
After the debate, Healey defended her frequent references to Trump when reporters asked whether she had mentioned him too many times.
“Look, Trump is on the ballot this election, and there’s a clear choice in this election,” Healey said.
Minogue did not take questions from reporters after the debate, pushing through a scrum of journalists gathered outside the event.
The Light contributed reporting.
