Maura Healey is more well positioned to win the 2022 governor’s race than any candidate in an open seat Massachusetts governor’s race in at least half a century. Nonetheless, Healey is apologizing for an analogy she used at the end of a 2020 Chamber of Commerce speech that is being used against her by Bay State Republicans. CommonWealth Magazine’s Bruce Mohl described Healey’s remarks as follows:
Why would Healey risk upsetting her progressive base by yielding to the provocation of MassGOP Chairman Jim Lyons, a Trump toady with less credibility than just about anyone in Massachusetts politics?
Actually, the cold political calculation is simple. While it looks to some like she is letting a racist wingnut score a rhetorical win, she is actually trying to court moderate, low-information, general election voters, Charlie Baker supporters in particular. Lyons’ effort to paint Healey as a “radical” who “condone[s] mob tactics” is comically absurd and is very unlikely to resonate with average Massachusetts voters. Unfortunately, while average general election voters are not stupid, they are also not attentive to day-to-day politics. They aren’t likely to fall for Lyons’ mendacity, but they are also almost certainly not familiar enough with him to dismiss him as the crank he is. For this reason, the smart political play is not to hammer the crackpots, but to diffuse their desperate efforts to inject noise into a race they cannot win without massive voter confusion.
GOP mischaracterizing of Black Lives Matter protests are horrendously dishonest, but because guys like Lyons cannot be shamed or embarrassed by being regularly exposed as liars and fools, in part because average voters do not follow day-to-day politics attentively, it is a waste of time and effort for Democratic candidates to give his ilk the treatment they so richly deserve. On the other hand, using this noise to subtly nudge voters that, but for the lunacy of the GOP nominee, might have pulled the lever for a Republican, could be useful.
While it looks like Healey is on a clear glide path to election, it pays to remember that even here in bright blue Massachusetts racism, sexism, and homophobia are very real problems. And, Healey has one more handicap. She’s the AG.
Maura Healey would not only be the first women and the first gay person elected Massachusetts governor, she would also be the first Attorney General in 72 years to win a gubernatorial election. Being the Attorney-General is very different than being governor. Decisions made by AGs are often easy to criticize in gubernatorial campaigns. If you don’t believe me, just ask Martha Coakley, Tom Reilly, Scott Harshbarger, and Frank Bellotti. No one who had served as AG has been elected governor in Massachusetts since Paul Dever did it in 1950.
While Healey’s apology for using an analogy that could be misconstrued is probably unnecessary, it’s a prudent political play. She may catch some minor flack from progressives, but that too will help make culturally conservative white voters more comfortable with her candidacy.