Massachusetts Governor Voter Guide: Healey, Minogue and James on Taxes and Health Care
Three candidates are on the ballot for governor of Massachusetts on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026: Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, who is seeking a second term, Republican Mike Minogue, an Army veteran and former medical device company CEO, and Andrea James, a criminal justice advocate running as an independent.
The Digital Free Press voter guide video compares the three candidates on taxes and health care. Here is where each one stands, based on the video and the candidates' own campaign websites.
Healey was unopposed in the Democratic primary on Sept. 1, and Minogue won the Republican primary the same day over former MBTA official Brian Shortsleeve. James, who is not enrolled in a party, qualified for the ballot by petition. Healey and Minogue met in televised debates in October; James was not included.
Why Taxes and Health Care Are Issues
In 2023, Healey signed a tax relief law that state officials describe as the first tax cut in Massachusetts in more than 20 years. It expanded the Child and Family Tax Credit and the Senior Circuit Breaker credit, among other changes. Massachusetts also has a 4% surtax on annual income over $1 million, approved by voters in 2022. On health care, the state Division of Insurance has limited how fast patient cost-sharing such as deductibles and copays can rise in the market where many individuals and small employers buy coverage, and the enhanced federal Affordable Care Act tax credits expired at the end of 2025.
Maura Healey (Democrat, Incumbent)
Healey, of Arlington, served two terms as Massachusetts attorney general before she was elected governor in 2022. She is the first woman elected governor of Massachusetts. Two losing bidders have sued the state and the winning developer over her administration's nearly $2 billion, 40-year lease for a new Springfield courthouse. Healey has defended the deal, saying it saves taxpayers $300 million and that legal challenges after bid awards are routine, WWLP and Western Mass News reported.
On taxes, the video says Healey says she cut taxes for the first time in more than 20 years. Her campaign website says she "cut taxes for the first time in more than 20 years, providing savings for families, seniors, and small businesses." Her campaign website does not list a new tax proposal for a second term.
On health care, the video says Healey says she capped health care deductibles and copays and would defend health care. Her campaign website says she is "the first governor to cap health care deductibles and co-pays" and that she "capped the cost of insulin and other drugs at $25." It also credits her with expanding eligibility for subsidized ConnectorCare plans. The state's action limits the growth of cost-sharing rather than setting a fixed dollar cap: insurers in that market must hold increases to 3.6% in 2027, down from 4.8%, which Healey's office estimates will save patients an average of $232 a year.
Mike Minogue (Republican)
Minogue graduated from West Point in 1989 and served as an Army infantry officer, including in Operation Desert Storm, according to his campaign. He was chairman, president and CEO of Danvers-based Abiomed, the maker of the Impella heart pump, for nearly 19 years. In 2018, while Minogue was CEO, Abiomed agreed to pay $3.1 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by buying lavish meals for physicians, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts. The Healey campaign has raised the settlement in this race.
On taxes, the video says Minogue would cut taxes and spending by eliminating waste and fraud with audits. His campaign website says he would "cut taxes and spending by eliminating waste and fraud with audits and prioritization" and would audit the state Legislature and the entire state budget with an outside auditor. It also calls for cutting "state-mandated energy utility fees" on day one, a gas tax holiday when gas tops $4 a gallon, and returning surplus revenue to taxpayers under the state's 62F tax cap law.
On health care, the video says Minogue would use third-party auditors to find waste, fraud and abuse in health care. His campaign website says he would "utilize third-party healthcare auditors to find waste, fraud, and abuse to ensure the care and dollars get to the patient." His "Patients First" plan would support primary care doctors, move procedures to lower-cost outpatient clinics and surgery centers, require generic drugs through pharmacy benefit managers, and shift mental health care from emergency rooms to community-based care.
Andrea James (Independent)
James, a former criminal defense attorney, founded the advocacy group Families for Justice as Healing. She says her family has lived in Massachusetts for seven generations and that her campaign takes no corporate contributions. In 2009, James was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison on wire fraud charges, and she was disbarred in 2010, according to the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights profile of her and Wikipedia. She has said her time in prison led to her work on criminal justice reform.
On taxes, the video says James would tax luxury real estate speculation and large corporate landlords. Her campaign website says she would "tax luxury real estate speculation and large corporate landlords" and finance housing construction through public bonding, "progressive real estate taxation" and state-owned land. Her website says her universal health care plan would not require major tax increases.
On health care, the video says James would pursue Medicare for All with no premiums, copays or deductibles. Her campaign website backs "An Act Establishing Medicare for All in Massachusetts," a single-payer system covering all residents, and nonresidents who work 20 or more hours a week in the state, "without premiums, co-pays, or deductibles." It says the plan would ban private insurance for services the public system covers, and that she would seek federal waivers to pool Medicaid and ACA funding and cap hospital and drug costs.
Where to Follow the Candidates
Maura Healey: @maura_healey on X and Instagram and @maurahealeyma on TikTok. Mike Minogue: @mikeminoguema on X and Instagram. Andrea James: @ajforma on X and TikTok and @andreaforgovernor on Instagram.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. This guide is for information only; The Digital Free Press does not endorse any candidate.
Yossi Schmidt, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Digital Free Press
Hold Everyone Accountable.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Massachusetts gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2026: https://ballotpedia.org/Massachusetts_gubernatorial_and_lieutenant_gubernatorial_election,_2026 ; WBUR, "Minogue defeats Shortsleeve in GOP primary for governor" (Sept. 1, 2026): https://www.wbur.org/news/2026/09/01/massachusetts-gop-governor-primary-minogue-shortsleeve ; Maura Healey campaign, Accomplishments: https://maurahealey.com/accomplishments/ ; Maura Healey campaign, Made Health Care More Accessible and Affordable: https://maurahealey.com/accomplishment/made-health-care-more-accessible-and-affordable/ ; Maura Healey campaign, Meet Maura: https://maurahealey.com/meet-maura/ ; Mike Minogue campaign, Blueprint for a Better Future: https://minogueforma.com/blueprint-for-a-better-future/ ; Mike Minogue campaign, Meet Mike: https://minogueforma.com/meet-mike/ ; Andrea James campaign, Housing Affordability: https://www.ajforma.com/housing-affordability ; Andrea James campaign, Universal Healthcare: https://www.ajforma.com/universal-healthcare ; Andrea James campaign, Meet Andrea: https://www.ajforma.com/meet-andrea ; Mass.gov, "Cutting Taxes, Saving You Money": https://www.mass.gov/doc/general-tax-cuts-flyer/download ; WBUR, "State lowers cap on some patient health care cost increases" (May 19, 2026): https://www.wbur.org/news/2026/05/19/healey-health-insurance-costs-increases-limits-merged-market ; WBUR, "In first Healey-Minogue debate, lots of talk of affordability" (Oct. 8, 2026): https://www.wbur.org/news/2026/10/08/massachusetts-governor-gubernatorial-debate-keller-wbz ; WWLP, "As litigation begins, Healey defends courthouse project developer choice": https://www.wwlp.com/news/massachusetts/as-litigation-begins-healey-defends-courthouse-project-developer-choice/ ; Western Mass News, "Healey reacts to Springfield courthouse controversy" (July 30, 2026): https://www.westernmassnews.com/2026/07/30/healey-reacts-springfield-courthouse-controversy-defends-300m-taxpayer-savings/ ; U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts, "Abiomed, Inc. Agrees to Pay $3.1 Million to Resolve Kickback Allegations": https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/abiomed-inc-agrees-pay-31-million-resolve-kickback-allegations ; Boston Herald (Oct. 22, 2026): https://www.bostonherald.com/2026/10/22/corruption-and-incompetence-minogue-slams-healey-over-ma-being-sold-as-sanctuary-for-illegal-fraudsters/ ; Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Andrea James: https://kennedyhumanrights.org/person/andrea-james-2/ ; Wikipedia, Andrea C. James: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_C._James ; Time, "2 Years In Prison Inspired Me to Fight for Justice Reform": https://time.com/4948746/prison-sentence-justice-reform/
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