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After clearing field, Healey cruises to primary victory

Democratic candidate for Massachusetts governor Maura Healey speaks to a crowd at the IBEW headquarters in Dorchester after her primary win Tuesday. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)
Democratic candidate for Massachusetts governor Maura Healey speaks to a crowd at the IBEW headquarters in Dorchester after her primary win Tuesday. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Attorney General Maura Healey is the Democratic nominee for governor, cruising through an uncontested primary night after all of her opponents dropped out of the race earlier in the campaign season. The Associated Press called the race for Healey in less than an hour with few precincts reporting.

Speaking to supporters Tuesday night, Healey called herself an optimist, and was looking forward to getting things done as governor.

Healey is attempting to become the first woman elected governor, and the first openly gay governor in Massachusetts history.

Her path to the general opened wide early before she jumped in the race, when former state Sen. Ben Downing dropped his bid in December. Healey declared in January, a month before Harvard professor Danielle Allen departed the contest.

Her biggest primary challenge came from state Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz, a well-known progressive who started her campaign early but failed to catch on in the polls. Chang-Díaz bowed out of the race in June.

Rumors of a Healey bid for governor started almost as soon as she was elected attorney general. She's spent her time as the state's top law enforcement officer making national headlines, continually suing former President Trump and a host of other high-profile targets.

But the heavyweight battle state politicos had hoped for never got to the opening bell. In December, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker announced he would not run for a third term in office, before Healey ever made a formal announcement.

She will now face the winner of Tuesday's Republican primary between former state Rep. Geoff Diehl and businessman Chris Doughty.

Should Healey win the general election in November, she would become the first woman elected governor. Former Lt. Gov. Jane Swift, however, made history when she became the first woman to assume the role in 2001, after President Bush selected Gov. Paul Cellucci as ambassador to Canada. Swift served as governor in an acting capacity for two years, declining to run for a full term.

This article was originally published on September 06, 2022.

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