Mike Kennealy, a former non-public fairness supervisor who spent 4 years as state housing and financial improvement secretary underneath Gov. Charlie Baker, declared his candidacy for Massachusetts governor on Monday and stated the state is “heading within the mistaken route.”
Leaping into the ring in opposition to Gov. Maura Healey, who plans to hunt reelection in 2026, Kennealy launched a launch video Monday morning. He pointed to rising bills, training, the emergency household shelter disaster and outmigration as key areas the place the Bay State is struggling.
Watch the total announcement beneath:
“The political class on Beacon Hill is extra involved with their future than with ours. Our beacon on a hill has turn into a beacon within the rearview mirror,” Kennealy stated within the video. “The individuals of Massachusetts count on and deserve higher.”
Though the press launch asserting Kennealy’s marketing campaign launch made no point out of his social gathering affiliation, a spokesperson confirmed he’s operating as a Republican.
Different Republicans talked about as potential candidates for governor embody Worcester County Sheriff Lew Evangelidis, former MBTA Chief Administrator Brian Shortsleeve, former U.S. Senate candidate John Deaton, and Sen. Peter Durant, who stated final month he would make his resolution “comparatively shortly.”
Kennealy spent almost 20 years working in non-public fairness earlier than becoming a member of the general public sector in 2013 as a part of the management crew that labored on turning round Lawrence Public Faculties, based on his marketing campaign.
He grew to become an assistant secretary underneath Baker, and rose to the Cupboard-level function of housing and financial improvement secretary in December 2018. Healey, who succeeded Baker, later break up that job into two separate positions of housing secretary and financial improvement secretary.
Kennealy stayed in that job for the rest of Baker’s tenure by means of 2022, serving to to steer the state’s response to the financial upheaval inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Following his time on Beacon Hill, Kennealy labored as senior advisor and chief technique officer on the Boys and Ladies Membership of Boston.
His marketing campaign seems poised to highlight affordability points, a gradual theme on Beacon Hill for Healey and the Home and Senate Democratic supermajorities. Kennealy named “a state we will all afford” as his high precedence, adopted by “an amazing future for everybody” and “authorities we will consider in.”
Healey in February introduced her intention to hunt reelection, saying she believes “there is a heck of much more to do.”
Massachusetts voters through the years have elected a succession of Republican governors whereas preferring to maintain Democrat supermajorities within the Home and Senate, in addition to an all-Democrat congressional delegation.
