Healey vs. Minogue Debates: Key Quotes

Gold dome of the Massachusetts State House in Boston, where the next governor will work after the 2026 election — The Massachusetts State House dome. Photo: Acediscovery / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

Published Oct. 16, 2026. Covers the two general-election debates held Oct. 8 and Oct. 15, 2026.

The 2026 Massachusetts governor debates are over. Democratic Gov. Maura Healey and Republican nominee Mike Minogue met twice in eight days: first on Oct. 8 at WBZ-TV in Boston, and again on Oct. 15 at WCVB Channel 5 in Needham. Thursday’s one-hour WCVB event was the last face-to-face meeting scheduled before the Nov. 3 election, according to WBUR. This report lays out who hosted each debate, what the candidates said in their own words, and where they agreed.

Debate schedule, hosts and moderators

Oct. 8, WBZ-TV, Boston. Moderated by WBZ political analyst Jon Keller. It was the first one-on-one meeting of the general election.
Oct. 15, WCVB, Needham. Hosted by a media consortium of WCVB, WBUR and The Boston Globe, in partnership with El Planeta and the Bay State Banner. WCVB anchor Ed Harding moderated, with panelists Sharman Sacchetti (WCVB), Tiziana Dearing (WBUR) and Adrian Walker (Boston Globe), according to the State House News Service schedule.

Over the summer, the two campaigns announced separate debate commitments. Healey agreed to the WBZ and WCVB consortium debates, while Minogue first announced acceptance of a debate hosted by Boston 25, GBH and New England Public Media, State House News Service reported. Independent candidate Andrea James was not invited to the Oct. 15 debate, WBUR reported. There were no Republican primary debates; Minogue defeated Brian Shortsleeve in the Sept. 1 primary.

Who is on the ballot for governor

The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s candidate list shows three tickets for governor and lieutenant governor: Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll (Democratic, incumbents), Minogue and Shawn Oliver (Republican), and an independent ticket listed as “James and Kittredge.” Healey is seeking a second term. Minogue is the former chief executive of medical device maker Abiomed and is running for office for the first time.

First debate (Oct. 8): affordability and federal policy

WBUR, via State House News Service, reported that the WBZ debate kept returning to one question: whether high costs in Massachusetts stem mainly from Beacon Hill or from Washington.

Healey tied rising costs to the Trump administration. “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,” she said.

Minogue pointed to state government. “It is what can we do, not who do we blame,” he said. “I want to make sure that we focus on stopping overspending, which makes overtaxing happen, and then over-regulating.” Later he said, “It really doesn’t matter who the president is. We are last in Massachusetts, so you own that.”

Healey answered: “Donald Trump is president for the next two years, and that’s why who your governor is matters more than ever.”

Education. Minogue urged Healey to opt into a federal scholarship tax credit that he said could bring $1.7 billion for educational grants. “Why would you not take the free money? Is it because it’s coming from D.C.?” he asked. Healey said, “A federal tax credit is not an education plan, Mike,” and added that she would review the program: “I’m not just going to take Trump’s word for it.”

Springfield courthouse. Minogue criticized the state’s plan for a new Springfield courthouse, saying, “Giving political insiders $2 billion to build a courthouse in Springfield is not integrity.” Healey disputed that figure: “It’s not $2 billion to construct the courthouse. It’s actually $463 million to construct that.” Minogue then said taxpayers would pay $2 billion over the life of the agreement, WBUR reported.

Local aid. Minogue proposed that cities and towns get “35 to 40%” of state money back instead of the current 26%. He also pledged to double the state auditor’s budget, from $26 million to $52 million.

Second debate (Oct. 15): abortion, energy and public safety

On abortion, Minogue said, “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.” Healey replied, “It’s not politicizing something when one in three women in America live without access to needed abortion care,” and said, “I trust women and their doctors. Mike Minogue doesn’t.” Minogue responded, “To say I don’t respect women is a cheap shot. You’re better than that.”

Gas tax and energy. “We need to cut the gas tax now. Yes, it went up because of the Iran war, but we can give people immediate relief,” Minogue said. WBUR noted that Healey has also proposed cutting the state’s 24-cent-a-gallon gas tax, though the Legislature has not acted on it. On energy bills, Healey said costs are “being driven up by a war we shouldn’t be in and tariffs.” Minogue said Pennsylvania has “massive natural resources of natural gas that we need to bring in.”

Housing. Minogue said, “No one can live in ‘underway,'” and proposed cutting home-building permit times to 45 days. Healey said the state has already cut state permit times to 30 days.

State Police and the LaMar Cook case. Minogue said reform “starts with the leader.” Healey praised State Police Col. Jeffrey Noble and said, “Do things happen? Sometimes things happen. But I can tell you, he and I make sure swift action is taken.” Minogue replied, “That is unacceptable.” On the case of former state employee LaMar Cook, Healey said, “I did fire LaMar Cook immediately.” Minogue disputed that account.

Immigration enforcement. Minogue said he would work with ICE to remove criminals: “Be the leader. Lower the temperature.” Healey said, “The problem is ICE. ICE is the public safety threat.”

Where the candidates agreed

In the first debate, both candidates said they support Question 7, the single-family homes ballot measure. “I’m absolutely for it. We need more homes,” Healey said. “I’m for it, but it doesn’t fix the problem,” Minogue said, citing slow permitting. Both also said they back an audit of the Legislature, although they disputed Healey’s record on it. When the subject turned to immigration enforcement, Minogue said, “No kid should be worried about going to school. Nobody should be worried about going to the hospital. 100% agree with you on that.”

Polls and what comes next

WBUR reported that Healey led September polls from MassINC Polling and the University of New Hampshire Survey Center with more than 50%, and that Minogue had less than 40%. Polls are snapshots, not forecasts. In-person early voting runs Oct. 17 to Oct. 30, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. For the full state ballot, see our Massachusetts Election 2026 overview and Boston early voting guide. To follow national issues raised in the debates, see our Presidency Tracker, our Congress Tracker and our 2026 midterm elections guide.

Massachusetts Governor Debates: Healey and Minogue in Their Own Words