Massachusetts polls show Healey lead

Governor Maura Healey enters the final stretch of the 2026 election with a substantial polling advantage despite an unyielding cost of living crisis and unfinished legislative agenda. Recent data from five separate polling organizations confirms that voters overwhelmingly support her reelection over Republican challenger Mike Minogue.

The margin of victory has remained consistent throughout the autumn. A CommonWealth Beacon and MassINC Polling Group survey conducted in mid-September showed Healey leading by 22 percentage points. UMass Amherst and WCVB reported a 25-point gap in early October, while Suffolk University and The Boston Globe recorded a 23-point lead in mid-October. Two additional surveys confirmed this trend. A UMass Lowell and YouGov poll taken between October 7 and 18 gave Healey 57 percent of the vote compared to Minogue’s 29 percent. The most recent data, from the University of New Hampshire, collected from October 27 to 31, placed Healey at 55 percent against Minogue’s 36 percent.

Healey’s current standing contrasts with her earlier struggles in the first half of the year. A March MassINC Polling Group survey found that only 39 percent of voters held a favorable opinion of the governor, while 45 percent viewed her unfavorably. In June, a Suffolk and Globe survey indicated that most voters could not name a specific achievement from her first term. Even as of mid-October, the same Suffolk and Globe poll that showed her large lead found that 42 percent of voters believe Massachusetts has worsened over the last four years.

The state legislature has not delivered major legislative victories for Healey before Election Day. Her proposal to suspend the gas tax, introduced shortly after Minogue highlighted the issue, stalled in the House of Representatives. A comprehensive energy cost bill introduced in May 2025 remains stuck in negotiations between the House and Senate since July. Housing reform efforts have also stalled, with no action taken on her push for new permitting reforms since a 2024 debt bill.

Minogue has spent heavily to counter the incumbent’s lead. He is a former chief executive of Abiomed, a medical device company acquired by Johnson & Johnson. SEC documents revealed that Minogue personally gained more than $240 million from the acquisition. He has contributed over $17 million to his own campaign and has outspent Healey significantly. Despite his wealth and aggressive spending, he has not been able to close the polling gap.

Healey’s campaign strategy focuses on national politics rather than local issues. She has used Minogue’s past donations to Donald Trump and other Republican causes to frame the race as a referendum on the president. This approach appears to be resonating with voters. The latest Suffolk and Globe survey found that nearly three-quarters of voters hold an unfavorable opinion of Trump. Approximately one-third of voters identified Trump as the primary reason for the state’s economic condition, a proportion similar to those who blamed Healey.

Partisan ideology is driving results in other statewide races as well. Democratic incumbents are leading their Republican opponents by 20 points or more in recent polls. Senator Ed Markey, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, and Treasurer Deborah Goldberg all hold substantial leads. Secretary of State Bill Galvin maintains an even larger advantage. These results suggest that voters in Massachusetts are prioritizing party affiliation over specific policy disagreements in this election cycle.