New polling from UMass Amherst finds Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey well ahead of her potential competition for next year’s election, including all three Republican challengers.
Tatishe Nteta, director of the UMass Amherst Poll, said Healey is one of the most popular politicians in the state.
"If individuals were placing bets, the bet is on Maura Healey to be reelected," he said. "There is a potential Achilles heel, and that Achilles heel is the issue of housing."
Nteta said more than half of respondents gave Healy low marks for dealing with the shortage of affordable housing and high rents.
But he said she has strong support for standing up against President Donald Trump, especially around immigration enforcement.
Among Republican candidates, the poll found that Mike Kennealy has almost 40% of the Republican vote, which puts him ahead of both Mike Minogue and Brian Shortsleeve.
But Healey currently leads them all by about 20 percentage points.
Nteta cautions, however, things could change in a year, "whether that is individuals jumping into the race, individuals leaving the race [or] scandals."
Poll respondents also gave Massachusetts low marks for its economy — with 44% describing Massachusetts' economy as either “excellent” or “good,” which pollsters say is the lowest number since June 2022.
Nteta said that sentiment does not appear to be hurting the popularity of prominent Democrats, including Healey, or Senators Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren — at least not for now.
