Results of the midterm elections in Mass. established historic victories on Nov. 8, including Maura Healey in the race for governor, Andrea Campbell for attorney general, Kim Driscoll for lieutenant governor, Deb Goldberg for treasurer and Diana DiZoglio for auditor, a quintet set to make waves in the state.
Healey is the state’s first woman elected to the governor’s office and the country’s first openly lesbian governor. After serving as attorney general since 2014, Healey has promised the people of the commonwealth that she will tackle the climate crisis, reform the criminal justice system and fight for LGBTQ+ rights. In her victory speech, she encouraged young women and LGBTQ+ youth across the state to draw inspiration from the win.
“Tonight I want to say something to every little girl and every young LGBTQ person out there: I hope tonight shows you that you can be whatever — whoever — you want to be,” she said. “I stand before you tonight proud to be the first woman and the first gay person ever elected governor.”
Healey’s competitor, Republican Geoff Diehl, conceded late Tuesday night.
“The people of the commonwealth have spoken. I respect their choice. And I ask everyone who supported me and Leah [Cole Allen] to give [Healey] the same opportunity that I would have asked for if the shoe were on the other foot,” Diehl said at his event.
Among Healey’s campaign promises, the governor-elect also addressed reproductive freedom, promising to protect providers and patients who perform and receive reproductive or gender-affirming care, mandating that health insurers cover reproductive and gender-affirming care and opposing the Hyde Amendment. Healey reiterated this promise in her victory speech the night of Nov. 8.
“As long as I’m governor, women will always have the freedom to control their own bodies,” Healey said in the speech. “Our state will provide access to safe, legal abortion. We will protect women, we will protect patients and we will protect providers in Massachusetts.”
Upon declaration of the win, which was called by the AP at 8:02 p.m. on Nov. 8, Suffolk University students expressed their excitement at the outcome and what it signifies for the values of Massachusetts.
“I’m excited to have, hopefully once more of the districts are reporting, the first lesbian governor in the United States, in Massachusetts, because we were also the first to legalize gay marriage. I think it’s a great step towards showing [that] people in MA are committed to furthering the U.S.,” Suffolk junior Skylar Rungren said.
In another historic win, Andrea Campbell claimed the victory for Massachusetts’s newest attorney general, making her the first Black woman elected to a statewide office, winning over contender Jay McMahon.
After earning her law degree from UCLA Law School, Campbell was elected to serve on Boston City Council, representing District 4, in 2015. She was elected City Council President in 2018, becoming the first Black woman to hold the position.
In a speech to her supporters on election night, Campbell dedicated the victory to marginalized communities in the commonwealth.
“For those who have felt unseen this victory is for you. For those who have felt marginalized, this victory is for you. For those who have felt left out, left behind and undervalued, this victory is for you,” she said in the speech.
As attorney general, Campbell has promised to push for common sense gun legislation, fight for environmental justice, ensure equal access to quality education and other issues.
Kim Driscoll clinched a victory for lieutenant governor of the commonwealth after punching the ticket with Healey following the primaries.
Driscoll, the mayor of Salem, completes the team with Governor-Elect Healey to become the first female duo the state has seen in the positions. In a speech at Healey’s event in the Copley Plaza Hotel, Driscoll stated that this was not her first time paving the way for women in Massachusetts.
“As you can see, I didn’t wait my turn. In fact, I was elected as the first woman to lead Salem in its nearly 400-year history. We built a strong team and have been working hard every day since then,” Driscoll said in the speech.
Completing the newly-elected women taking over leadership in the commonwealth, Diana DiZoglio earned the majority of votes for auditor. To a crowd of her supporters on election night, DiZoglio expressed her excitement at getting to work with the people of Massachusetts.
Secretary of State Bill Galvin won re-election, claiming his eighth term in the position, making him the longest-serving incumbent in the position, with the previous tenure being 28 years.
West Smith and Paige Barlow contributed to the reporting of this article.
