Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Massachusetts
Fewer than half of Mass. residents approve of Gov. Maura Healey, new poll shows
Local News
The poll showed that 49 percent of residents approve of Healey’s performance, while 45 percent don’t.
Fewer than half of Massachusetts residents approve of Governor Maura Healey, and more people polled think she “does not deserve to be re-elected” than do, according to a new survey from University of New Hampshire.
Researchers polled 907 Massachusetts residents, a majority of whom are registered as unenrolled voters, according to the poll’s methodology.
The poll showed that 49 percent of residents approve of Healey’s performance, while 45 percent don’t. That approval rating is down from 54 percent earlier this year, but up from a low of 42 percent in November.
A spokesperson for Healey deferred to the Massachusetts Democratic Party, which categorized the UNH poll as an “outlier.”
“Governor Healey will be re-elected because she is focused on the issues that matter most to voters in Massachusetts, lowering the cost of living, building more housing, improving transportation and education, and standing up to Donald Trump,” said MassDems Chair Steve Kerrigan. “What is undeniable is that Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly reject Donald Trump and his disastrous agenda.”
The poll also showed just one-third of voters approve of President Donald Trump, his handling of the economy, and his handling of foreign affairs. A majority of people polled also thought that Trump accepting the plane from Qatar was “inappropriate” and the U.S. isn’t supporting Ukraine enough.
Healey is facing two Republican challengers: Brian Shortsleeve, the former head of the MBTA, and Mike Kennealy, a Lexington Republican who served in former Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration.
Both candidates reacted to news of the polling numbers on X, with Shortsleeve writing “her numbers are devastating. Do you think it is the migrant crisis, utility bills, or out of control spending?”
MassGOP emailed supporters with one overall message: “Healey is “beatable” in 2026,” Executive Director John Milligan said.
“The UNH poll confirms what we all knew: Maura Healey is vulnerable and she does not deserve to be reelected. I am the only candidate who can defeat Maura Healey. Massachusetts is ready for change and I’m ready to deliver,” Kennealy said on X.
MassDems pointed to a University of Massachusetts poll from February that shows that Healey “maintains support” and a Democratic Governors Association that shows record high ratings in May.
“Try as they might, Mike Kennealy and Brian Shortsleeve cannot hide from their support for Trump’s policies,” Kerrigan said. “Voters will reject their brand of failed MAGA Republican politics.”
Twenty-one percent of the respondents named the most important problem facing the state as housing, with 12 percent mentioning immigration and cost of living, according to UNH’s poll. The poll also showed that more than half of residents are also concerned about Sen. Ed Markey’s age. The senator is running for reelection next year at age 79.
