Mass. — The Massachusetts race for Governor is in its’ final days. Latest polls show our state’s current Attorney General, Democrat, Maura Healey with a substantial lead over the former State Representative, Republican Geoff Diehl. But Healey says she’s still on the trail working to reach as many voters as she can before Tuesday.
She’s also been stumping for fellow Democratic candidates down the Massachusetts ballot. This week, Maura Healey sat down with Boston 25 News Anchor Kerry Kavanaugh for a final conversation before Election Day.
Kavanaugh: “What is your plan for reaching out to all those who support you and those who do not, at least in the race?”
Healey: “I think that’s a really important question because I want to be a governor for everyone. I want to make sure that people, irrespective of party across the state, feel listened to and heard. Right now, I think something that everyone is experiencing a lot of pain with is the cost-of-living, affordability, the housing prices just through the roof, the cost of childcare, transportation, gas, groceries and heating bills. And that’s something that I’m very focused on as governor. How do we drive down prices?”
Kavanaugh: “We are approaching winter and we’re seeing really significant rate hikes, I think it’s 64% for National Grid on electric rates. And they’re talking about this being the cost of natural gas. Your opponent has been saying you block the natural gas pipeline, hence we’re partially in this situation.”
Healy: “We’re definitely seeing rising heating costs and that’s really attributable to what’s happening in the world markets. And, you know, what we need to do here is to work to make sure that we are bringing in the supply. It’s why I joined with Governor Baker in calling for the waiver of the Jones Act so we get more and more gas into the Northeast. We need relief for ratepayers. It also shows, though, why we do need to move away from our dependance on world energy markets, which is also something I’m going to continue to do as the Baker administration has done, moving us towards renewables and alternative energy sources.”
Kavanaugh: “Can we build our way out of a housing crisis?”
Healey: “We need to increase supply right now. We don’t have enough housing in the state. We don’t have enough housing for middle class incomes, for lower incomes for a range of residents across the state. Rents are too high. People can’t afford down payments. Some people can’t afford to downsize. So, one way to do this is to just build more housing.”
Kavanaugh: “How do you restore faith in our public transportation system?”
Healey: “I’m going to appoint a general manager of the team who is going to focus on safety, reliability, and affordability. And I’m going to work to make sure that our public transit system is working well, meeting the needs of the residents of this state. Right now is not good enough.”
Kavanaugh: “Education, the numbers, post-pandemic, we’ve seen them there. You know, low is lower than they’ve been in decades. As governor, what can you do to help the children get back on track?”
Healey: “Whatever those gaps or whatever the learning losses are, we need to do everything we can to support our schools, our educators and our young people. That means more resources for things like wraparound services, mental health. Dealing with kids’ anxiety and depression right now and have only been exacerbated during COVID. Making sure that we have the workforce in place to meet the needs of our students to make sure that we are there.”
Kavanaugh: “As you wrap up this campaign, what do you want to leave people with?”
Healey: “That I’ll be a leader, a governor who is about bringing people together, not dividing them. Kim Driscoll and I will be about getting things done and delivering real results for people in the state.”
If elected, the Healey ticket would be making history in a couple of ways. Healey and Kim Driscoll would become the first all-female gubernatorial ticket elected to lead any state. Healey would also become the first openly gay candidate elected Massachusetts Governor.
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