Here’s how the GOP responded to Healey’s State of the Commonwealth

Local News

Republican leaders said Gov. Maura Healey blamed the Trump administration to deflect from problems she created in Massachusetts.

On Thursday night, Gov. Maura Healey delivered her annual State of the Commonwealth address. She focused heavily on affordability, painting a picture of an administration that has worked diligently to reduce costs and that would continue to do so in a second term. But 2026 is an election year, and it did not take long for notable Republicans to voice their displeasure with Healey’s comments. 

Rep. Kenneth Sweezey of Pembroke was tasked with giving the official response on behalf of the Massachusetts Republican Party. He characterized her speech as a collection of “half truths” that misrepresents her record. 

In addition to her focus on bringing costs down, Healey is also leaning into anti-Trump rhetoric that could help her win reelection. This is a tactic to disguise her local failings, Sweezey said. 

“For all of the shortcomings that we do have here in the Commonwealth, the governor just wanted to point her finger down at Washington, to yell the president’s name and blame the problems that she created on D.C.,” he said. 

The governor has glossed over the “immigration issue” in Massachusetts, he said. Sweezey advocated for further revisions to the state’s “right to shelter law” while drawing attention to stories about crime in state-run shelters and the alleged use of ‘unlawful’ no-bid contracts. 

 Sweezey also blamed Healey and Attorney General Andrea Campbell for “stonewalling” the public on the topic of auditing the Legislature.  

He finished by seeking to draw a line between the Trump administration and issues of local governance. 

“We must see that these problems are truly local,” he said. “Our local votes for select board, for state rep., for state senate, all the way up to the governor, cannot merely be used as a protest vote against the federal government.”

Healey is running for reelection, and three major Republican candidates are hoping to challenge her in a general election: Mike Kennealy, Brian Shortsleeve, and Mike Minogue. Kennealy and Shortsleeve are former Baker administration officials, while Minogue is a former biotechnology executive. Each offered responses to Healey Thursday evening. 

Shortsleeve, in a video posted to social media, said that Healey was responsible for keeping Massachusetts one of the most expensive states in the country. This cannot be blamed on Washington, D.C., he said. He decried the loss of businesses and private sector jobs while criticizing an increase in state spending. He vowed to “audit spending,” reduce taxes, and prioritize working families. 

“Massachusetts can be affordable again, but only if this is Maura Healey’s last State of the Commonwealth address,” Shortsleeve said. 

Kennealy called Healey’s address a “masterclass in political spin” in a release. He said that Healey was blaming the federal government to deflect from problems that cannot be ignored. Kennealy called Healey’s plan to decrease electric and gas bills a “payday loan scam,” said she did nothing to protect residents from cuts to SNAP benefits, and accused her of consistently proposing new taxes. 

“No matter how you feel about President Trump, blaming him for all of Massachusetts’ problems isn’t the answer — it’s not what real leaders do. Governor Healey’s attempt to deflect responsibility and turn this race into a referendum on federal politics is nothing more than dodging accountability,” Kennealy said in a statement. He also posted a video response Friday.  

Minogue issued a video response of his own, blaming her for the lack of the Legislature’s audit and for raising the cost of living. 

“All I hear about when I travel around the Commonwealth is how expensive everything has become for working people. One in three people are considering leaving Massachusetts due to the rising costs. Massachusetts deserves a governor who is a leader with common sense and compassion,” Minogue said.