Lucas: Maura Healey set to far exceed previous women Massachusetts governor candidates

Whereas Lawyer Common Maura Healey may develop into the primary lady elected governor of Massachusetts, she just isn’t the primary to attempt.

Neither is she the primary Healey to hunt the excessive workplace.

Whereas she is anticipated to be overwhelmingly endorsed for governor at this weekend’s Democratic Get together conference, there was one Healey operating earlier than her, though of a unique social gathering.

That prior Healey (no relation) was former Republican Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, who sought to succeed her boss Gov. Mitt Romney in 2006 when Romney didn’t search reelection.

Romney had different issues on his thoughts, like operating for president, which he did in 2016.

Kerry Healey, the 2006 GOP nominee for governor, sadly ran right into a buzz noticed within the type of Democrat newcomer Deval Patrick, who sought to develop into the primary Black governor.

Patrick succeeded, decisively defeating Healey in closely Democrat and progressive Massachusetts, gathering 1,234,784 votes to 784,342 for Healey.

Whereas the identify is similar, don’t search for Maura Healey to comply with in Kerry Healey’s footsteps.

Maura Healey isn’t any Republican. Removed from it.

And he or she might not even have any major opposition if her lone Democrat opponent, state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz of Boston, fails to win the mandatory 15 p.c of the delegate vote to look on the September major poll.

Healey will more than likely not solely fare higher than Kerry Healey, however she may additionally exceed the expectations of two different girls, each Democrats, who ran for governor and did not win.

One was then-state Treasurer Shannon O’Brien, who after profitable a major, was the Democrat nominee for governor in 2002, solely to be defeated by Republican Romney’s 1,091,988 votes to 985,981 for O’Brien.

The opposite was then-Lawyer Common Martha Coakley, the Democratic Get together nominee in 2014, who was overwhelmed by Republican Charlie Baker in a detailed contest with Baker getting 1,044,573 votes to 1,004,408 for Coakley.

So, girls so far have gone zero for 3 within the race for governor. However it might be totally different this time round.

Not solely will Maura Healey be topped on the Democratic Get together conference, however she will even emerge because the heavy favourite to win the election — barring the unpredictable Donald Trump issue.

Not solely has she emerged because the chief of the progressive motion in Massachusetts, however she can be flush with marketing campaign funds and has the endorsement of virtually all the important thing Democrat leaders round.

So, exterior of who the Democrats will endorse within the three-way race for the lawyer normal endorsement — Andrea Campbell, Quentin Palfrey and Shannon Liss-Riordan — one other key combat will probably be over the social gathering endorsement for lieutenant governor.

Healey has not endorsed any candidate for lieutenant governor, so the problem of who will probably be her operating mate will probably be up within the air, regardless of who wins the endorsement settled within the September major among the many 15 percenters.

The opposite lieutenant governor candidates are Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, state Sen. Adam Hinds of Pittsfield, state Rep. Tami Gouveia of Acton and Babson Faculty enterprise lecturer Bret Bero.

In that case, state Sen. Eric Lesser of Longmeadow seems to be in the very best place to win. He has raised nicely over $1 million, brings a western stability to the ticket, is aware of the Massachusetts Legislature and has the help of former Obama White Home aide David Axelrod and different Obama administration officers.

In a heat letter of help to conference delegates, Axelrod described Lesser as “good, in a position and passionate.”

“Within the Obama-Patrick custom, Eric believes in politics as a car to result in actual, significant change that touches lives, and he lived that trigger.

“Eric has all the time made me proud. I’ve little question he can be an incredible asset to the following governor and the folks of Massachusetts,” Axelrod wrote.

Peter Lucas is a veteran Massachusetts political reporter and columnist.