Healey Up 19 in Final Poll as 1.1 Million Mass. Voters Already Cast Ballots

Massachusetts voters go to the polls today, Tuesday, Nov. 3, to settle the Healey Minogue governor race, with Democratic Gov. Maura Healey leading Republican Mike Minogue by 19 points in the final public poll and more than 1.1 million ballots already cast early or by mail, Secretary of State William Galvin said Monday. In Boston, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 275 precincts.

55%-36% final UNH poll · 1.1M+ early and mail ballots · $18.3M Minogue’s own money · 9 statewide ballot questions

The final University of New Hampshire survey, released Nov. 1 and based on 905 likely voters, found Healey at 55% and Minogue at 36%, with 9% listed as other, according to poll listings compiled by 270toWin. A UMass Lowell poll released Oct. 29 had Healey ahead 57% to 29%. Besides governor, the ballot includes U.S. Sen. Ed Markey’s race against Republican John Deaton, Galvin’s own reelection race against Republican Anne Brensley, and nine statewide ballot questions.

Closing arguments from Healey and Minogue

Healey made her final pitch at a get-out-the-vote rally at a Lynn middle school on Saturday, in front of about 100 people, many of them union members and local officials, WBUR reported. She framed her record as a response to the Trump administration. “When Donald Trump does all the things, takes away healthcare, we find a way to cover it. When he takes away vaccines, we find a way to provide them,” she said. “When he defunds education, we make community college free.” WBUR noted that she did not mention Minogue by name at the event.

Minogue rallied supporters at a Braintree restaurant on Sunday night, where he called Healey a “lifelong bureaucrat lawyer” and focused on the cost of living. “The problem is a lot of people can’t afford it, and it’s because of Maura Healey’s failed leadership on electricity, on housing, on healthcare, and on childcare,” he said, according to WBUR. “And those issues have nothing to do with national politics.” For more on his platform, see our profile of Mike Minogue’s record and policies.

Both candidates recently campaigned in Fall River, and Minogue also stopped in Boston’s North End and in parts of Dorchester, WBUR reported. Asked whether Healey would serve a full second term if she wins, a campaign spokesperson told WBUR by text that “the Governor will absolutely fulfill her next term.”

What the polls and money show

Healey has led in all 10 public general-election polls listed by 270toWin since May. Her share has stayed between 51% and 59%, while Minogue’s has ranged from 29% to 38%. Her lead has never been smaller than 16 points (UNH, Sept. 24) and reached 28 points in UMass Lowell’s late-October survey (TBR calculations from the poll listings). 270toWin’s average of the four most recent polls puts Healey at 57.0% and Minogue at 33.3%, a gap of about 24 points.

The final UNH poll shows a slightly wider lead for Healey than UNH’s late-September survey: his share fell two points, from 38% to 36%, while Healey’s rose one point, from 54% to 55%. That moved her lead from 16 to 19 points (TBR calculation).

Money tells a different story. Minogue has put $18.3 million of his own money into his campaign at last count, WBUR reported. “Which means when I get elected, nobody owns me,” he told supporters in Braintree. Healey’s campaign started 2026 with $2.6 million, has raised $4 million from donors and spent $5.3 million this year, according to WBUR. By TBR calculation, Minogue’s self-funding alone is about 4.6 times what Healey raised from donors in 2026.

Turnout: what Galvin is watching

Galvin, speaking at the State House on Monday, called the early vote of more than 1.1 million a “dramatic” increase over past years, GBH News reported. He did not give a firm turnout forecast and said some signals, such as searches for polling places, are down. “I think if we can get 1.5 million people to come out tomorrow statewide — which we can, and it’s going to be great weather — then we will make at least what we got in ’22,” he said. “Will we get to the 2.7 (million) we had in ’18? I have a hard time seeing that.”

By TBR calculation, 1.1 million early ballots plus 1.5 million on Election Day would total about 2.6 million votes. Galvin also said federal observers will be in Boston and Lowell, which he described as fairly routine. “No one is going to interfere,” he said.

How to vote today

Mail-in ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. today, including at drop boxes such as the one at Boston City Hall, according to the city’s Election Department. Boston ballots this year have three cards, which must be fed into the machine one at a time. Our Boston Election Day voting guide covers polling places and early-vote totals, you can compare the candidates side by side, and our tracker will post Massachusetts election results after polls close.

Sources

• WBUR: Healey, Minogue make their closing arguments in Mass. governor’s race
• GBH News: Mass. Secretary of State urges voters to turn out
• 270toWin: 2026 Massachusetts governor polls
• City of Boston: Final voting reminders for the Nov. 3 State Election
• City of Boston Election Department