Mass. House Democrats reject Healey’s ‘gimmick’ proposal to suspend state gas tax

About 59 percent of the 500 likely general election voters surveyed said they would back Healey for a second term, while 36 percent planned to vote for Minogue, the former Abiomed executive who has cast the state as too expensive and insufficiently governed. Less than 4 percent of voters remained undecided — including some who were surveyed after two debates between the candidates — suggesting Minogue has little opportunity to woo disaffected voters. One might think, given voter unhappiness, that Minogue could have more potential converts. While more than half of respondents said they believed Massachusetts was headed in the right direction, only 15 percent said the state has become a better place to live over the last four years. By comparison, about 42 percent — a plurality — said they believed the state had gotten worse to some degree. Another 40 percent said they believed it has remained the same. Still, the survey’s results emphasized that Massachusetts voters’ enduring distaste for President Trump supersedes more parochial concerns.

Gov. Maura Healey and challenger Mike Minogue shared a stage but little else Thursday, as the Democrat and Republican savaged each other's positions during their last debate before Election Day. Their disputes centered around two hallmark themes: affordability and President Trump. Both issues have come to define this election and dozens of others across the country. But the overall testiness of the evening flared across a number of topics, including abortion and the situation around a Healey administration worker who was arrested and charged with distributing cocaine. Minogue said he didn't want to "politicize" a personal issue like abortion. "I will follow the law. I believe in the separation of church and state and when I become governor, I will swear an oath to do that," Minogue said. "Now I am still allowed to have my own beliefs, but my own beliefs will not get in the way of me doing what I'm supposed to do in upholding the law. ""It's not politicizing something when one in three women in America live without access to needed abortion care," Healey said. "I trust women. I trust women and their doctors. Mike Minogue doesn't.

Support WBURWBUR NewsroomOctober 14, 2026Democratic Gov. Maura Healey and Republican challenger Mike Minogue met on the debate stage Thursday, for the last time before Election Day. WCVB Channel 5's Ed Harding is moderated the debate. Panelists included WBUR's Tiziana Dearing, the Boston Globe's Adrian Walker and WCVB's Sharman Sacchetti. The hour-long debate is sponsored by WBUR, WCVB, and the Globe in collaboration with The Bay State Banner and El Planeta. You can watch a replay of the debate here:2026 Election

LaMar Cook, a former Healey aide who has previously been charged with cocaine trafficking and firearm offenses, has again been arrested, this time on fraud charges. U. S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley's office has accused Cook of receiving more than $500 in monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits while on bail awaiting trial for his cocaine and gun charges. He's set to appear in Boston federal court at 2 p.m. A public defender listed as Cook's lawyer declined to comment. The Springfield resident previously worked as deputy director of the governor’s western Massachusetts office. He was fired when the initial gun and cocaine charges against him were announced in late October 2025, a spokesperson for Healey's office said at the time. According to Foley's office, Cook was paid out his salary of $130,227 and $22,374.29 of accrued vacation time after he was fired. The state later realized the vacation time payout was an error, and attempted to reverse the direct deposit, but could not recoup the funds because Cook did not have enough money in his account. The Massachusetts attorney general's office has sued in January to get the excess money back.

With the temperature dropping and election rhetoric heating up, Gov. Maura Healey wants utility companies to fast-track refunds that are not legally due to Massachusetts ratepayers until late spring. In a Tuesday letter to Eversource, National Grid and Unitil executives, Healey demanded that the utilities "immediately" issue refunds to Bay State customers who paid "transmission rates with an excessive return on equity (ROE) for more than a decade. " Roughly $1.5 billion in refunds are owed to New England ratepayers overall. Healey also sent the letter to the head of grid operator ISO-New England. The governor's call stems from a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission decision in March, which reduced the profits that New England transmission utilities can earn on their investments and initially said refunds were due within 30 days. That deadline was later extended to May 20, 2027, and the U. S. Court of Appeals for the D. C. Circuit denied the utilities' effort to delay, according to the letter that Healey's office circulated. "Further delay is unacceptable," Healey wrote. "Customers should not have to wait any longer for money that FERC has determined must be returned to them.

Legendary Canadian basketball player Steve Nash is feeling bullish on the Toronto Raptors this season. The Hall of Famer from Victoria said that the addition of Kawhi Leonard, a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, to the Raptors’ roster will take Toronto to a new level. In particular, Nash likes that the oft-injured Leonard played in 65 games for the Los Angeles Clippers last season. “He’s a player that last year was about as healthy as he’s been for a number of years. He played at an All-NBA level,” said Nash in a recent interview with The Canadian Press. “He’s incredibly efficient. He can play with the ball and be the focal point. He can play off the ball, for example, when Scottie Barnes is doing what he does. “He’s a two-way player. He gives them perimeter size, strength, rebounding defence, along with the scoring and that focal point gives them a closer.” Story continues below advertisement