The Nov. 3 elections reshaped who holds power in Massachusetts. Governor Maura Healey won a second term at home, and Democratic control of both chambers of Congress put several members of the state’s delegation in line for some of the most powerful posts in Washington.[1][3] Meanwhile, the state’s largest employers, universities and hospitals are dealing with federal funding cuts, data center fights and the return to the office.
This is The Boston Report’s list of the 20 most influential leaders in Massachusetts right now. It is an editorial judgment, not a poll. We weighed four things: formal power over laws, budgets and money; reach beyond the state, especially in the new Congress; economic weight; and how directly each person’s decisions affect people who live and work here. Every fact below is linked to a source.
Nos. 1 to 10: Beacon Hill, City Hall and the new Congress
1Maura HealeyState government
Governor of Massachusetts
Voters gave Healey a second four-year term on Nov. 3. The Associated Press called the race as polls closed, and she beat Republican Mike Minogue, a former medical-technology executive who put a record $19.5 million of his own money into his campaign. Affordability, housing and energy costs dominated the race, and those issues now define her second term, which begins in January.[1] Her administration also sets the state’s energy course, including a new push to bring offshore wind power from Nova Scotia.
2Katherine ClarkCongress
U.S. Representative, 5th District; House Democratic Whip
Clark is the second-ranking House Democrat and won an eighth term without opposition.[2] With Democrats taking the House majority, she is expected to become majority leader. UMass political scientist Ray La Raja called her “probably the most powerful woman and the third most powerful person in Congress.”[3] Clark has said House Democrats will start by trying to restore cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, veterans’ benefits and food programs.[2]
3Ron MarianoState Legislature
Speaker of the Massachusetts House
The Quincy Democrat leads the 160-member House and, with the Senate president, negotiates major state laws and the budget. In July he and Senate President Karen Spilka said bills on the cost of living, housing and protections against federal actions had passed or were in final talks.[4] Under new joint rules, July 31 ended formal sessions, but major bills only had to reach a conference committee by then, leaving final deals to be struck later.[5]
4Karen SpilkaState Legislature
President of the Massachusetts Senate
The Ashland Democrat runs the state Senate and shares control of the Legislature’s agenda with Mariano. Their joint statement in July pointed to work on affordability, housing, immigrant protections and access to reproductive and gender-affirming care.[4] In August, several of the session’s largest bills were in conference committees, where negotiators for the two chambers write final versions.[5]
5Elizabeth WarrenCongress
U.S. Senator
With Democrats winning the Senate, Warren is likely to become chair of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. That would put her in charge of the agenda on consumer finance, cryptocurrency and banking regulation.[3]
6Richard NealCongress
U.S. Representative, 1st District
The Springfield Democrat is in line to chair the House Ways and Means Committee again. The committee writes tax law and handles tariffs and the financing of Social Security and Medicare, among the biggest issues before Congress.[3]
7Michelle WuCity government
Mayor of Boston
Wu began her second term on Jan. 5, telling about 2,000 people at Symphony Hall that Boston would not “appease or abet any threat to our city.” Opposition to the Trump administration has become central to her public profile since she defended Boston’s immigration policies before a U.S. House committee in 2025.[7] Her administration’s deal on the Kraft Group’s Everett soccer stadium includes nearly $48 million in payments to Boston over 15 years.[10]
8Jim McGovernCongress
U.S. Representative, 2nd District
The Worcester Democrat is expected to chair the House Rules Committee, which decides how and when bills reach the House floor. He told GBH News the new majority would focus on affordability and accountability, naming tariffs, health costs and a ban on stock trading by members of Congress among early priorities.[3]
9Andrea CampbellState government
Attorney General of Massachusetts
Campbell won a second term on Nov. 3, the AP projected. In 2022 she became the first Black woman elected to statewide office in Massachusetts. Her campaign highlighted her lawsuits against the Trump administration over issues from birthright citizenship to public health research.[8]
10Ed MarkeyCongress
U.S. Senator
Markey, 80, won another six-year term by defeating Republican John Deaton, and he has said it will be his last. He is the longest-serving member of the state’s congressional delegation, first elected to the House in 1976 and to the Senate in 2013.[6] He is in line to chair the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.[3]
Nos. 11 to 20: Business, universities, health care and public agencies
11Robert KraftBusiness
Chairman and CEO, the Kraft Group; owner of the New England Patriots
The Kraft Group is proposing a $16 billion, 10-building data center campus in Sutton that would be the fourth-biggest such facility in the United States, according to the research firm Cleanview, and it faces local opposition.[9] In December, Boston and Everett signed the agreements the Krafts needed for a New England Revolution soccer stadium in Everett.[10] The Boston Report has covered Sutton residents’ pushback.
12Abigail JohnsonBusiness
CEO, Fidelity Investments
Johnson runs Fidelity Investments, the Boston-based financial firm. In April she told many Fidelity employees to return to the office five days a week starting in September, a move closely watched by downtown landlords and businesses.[11] Boston has since led U.S. cities in the return to the office.
13Anne KlibanskiHealth care
President and CEO, Mass General Brigham
Klibanski leads the state’s largest health system, which includes Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In January she was elected the 85th chair of the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association’s board, giving her a lead role in speaking for the state’s hospitals.[12]
14Alan GarberHigher education
President, Harvard University
Harvard’s governing board said in December 2025 that Garber, whose term was due to end in 2027, would stay on indefinitely. He has led the university through its fight with the Trump administration over more than $2.2 billion in research funding that a federal judge restored in 2025.[13] A federal appeals panel in Boston heard the government’s appeal on Oct. 5.[14]
15Sally KornbluthHigher education
President, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Kornbluth said in May that MIT’s research enterprise had shrunk 10% from a year earlier and warned of falling graduate admissions, blaming federal funding cuts, a higher endowment tax and immigration policy changes. MIT has faced a $300 million shortfall. “Frankly, it’s a loss for the nation,” she said.[15]
16Susan CollinsEconomy
President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
Collins supported the Federal Reserve’s September quarter-point rate increase to a range of 3.75% to 4.00%, and in October said she expects another increase before the end of 2026.[17] She takes full part in the Fed’s rate discussions, though she is not a voting member this year.[18]
17Diana DiZoglioState government
State Auditor
DiZoglio was projected to win a second term on Nov. 3. Her push for more openness on Beacon Hill, including her effort to audit the Legislature, has put her at odds with some fellow Democrats.[8]
18Phil EngTransportation
MBTA General Manager and interim Secretary of Transportation
Hired to run the MBTA, Eng has also served as interim state transportation secretary since October 2025, overseeing both the T and MassDOT. He led the transit plan for the seven World Cup matches at Gillette Stadium this summer.[16]
19Ayanna PressleyCongress
U.S. Representative, 7th District
Pressley will sit on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in the new majority. She has said she expects the committee to use its subpoena power to investigate officials accused of obstructing justice for Jeffrey Epstein’s victims and of enriching themselves.[3]
20William GalvinState government
Secretary of the Commonwealth
Galvin won a record ninth term as the state’s chief elections officer on Nov. 3, the AP projected.[8]
The full list
| # | Leader | Role | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maura Healey | Governor of Massachusetts | State government |
| 2 | Katherine Clark | U.S. Representative, 5th District; House Democratic Whip | Congress |
| 3 | Ron Mariano | Speaker of the Massachusetts House | State Legislature |
| 4 | Karen Spilka | President of the Massachusetts Senate | State Legislature |
| 5 | Elizabeth Warren | U.S. Senator | Congress |
| 6 | Richard Neal | U.S. Representative, 1st District | Congress |
| 7 | Michelle Wu | Mayor of Boston | City government |
| 8 | Jim McGovern | U.S. Representative, 2nd District | Congress |
| 9 | Andrea Campbell | Attorney General of Massachusetts | State government |
| 10 | Ed Markey | U.S. Senator | Congress |
| 11 | Robert Kraft | Chairman and CEO, the Kraft Group; owner of the New England Patriots | Business |
| 12 | Abigail Johnson | CEO, Fidelity Investments | Business |
| 13 | Anne Klibanski | President and CEO, Mass General Brigham | Health care |
| 14 | Alan Garber | President, Harvard University | Higher education |
| 15 | Sally Kornbluth | President, Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Higher education |
| 16 | Susan Collins | President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston | Economy |
| 17 | Diana DiZoglio | State Auditor | State government |
| 18 | Phil Eng | MBTA General Manager and interim Secretary of Transportation | Transportation |
| 19 | Ayanna Pressley | U.S. Representative, 7th District | Congress |
| 20 | William Galvin | Secretary of the Commonwealth | State government |
How we chose
The Boston Report’s editors ranked people by the power they hold now and in the next year, not by fame or past achievements. Elected leaders rank high because they control state and federal laws and budgets. Committee posts in the new Congress are listed as expected, since House and Senate Democrats still have to confirm their leaders and committee chairs before the session begins in January.[3] Business, university and health leaders are included when their decisions shape jobs, research money or public debate across the state. We will update the list as roles change.
For more on state politics, see the 2026 election results page, our People section, and Boston Business News & Economy.
Sources
- WBUR: Healey wins second term as Massachusetts governor
- WBUR: Katherine Clark on the road ahead for House Democrats
- GBH News: ‘Tremendous power’: Massachusetts will have outsized clout in new Congress
- Office of Senate President Karen Spilka: Joint statement from Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano, July 31, 2026
- NEPM: Massachusetts lawmakers pivot to campaign trail mode as regularly scheduled sessions end
- WBUR: Markey wins reelection to U.S. Senate
- GBH News: Wu sworn in for second term as mayor of Boston
- The Boston Globe: Campbell, Galvin among Democrats to win reelection, AP projects
- The Boston Globe: Kraft Group seeks to build data center campus in Sutton, Mass.
- GBH News: Boston reaches agreement with Kraft Group on Everett soccer stadium
- The Boston Globe: Fidelity’s return to office is a boost for Boston
- Mass General Brigham: Anne Klibanski elected chair of MHA Board of Trustees
- Harvard Magazine: News in brief: Garber presidency, courts and research funding
- Poets&Quants: Harvard funding case goes before appeals court with nearly 900 HBS alumni in its corner
- The Boston Globe: MIT says research funding has fallen amid Trump cuts
- WBUR: Phil Eng on running the MBTA and MassDOT at the same time
- InvestingLive: Fed’s Collins backs another rate hike by year-end, flags three inflation pressures
- Mortgage Professional America: Boston Fed president signals upside inflation risks after backing the September rate increase
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