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Businessman and GOP donor Michael Minogue jumps into Mass. governor's race
Another Republican has jumped into what's become a crowded field to challenge Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey in next year's race.
After months of speculation, Michael Minogue, a businessman and Republican megadonor, announced he was running on Wednesday.
Minogue is an Army veteran and a successful businessman in the medical device industry. He's also donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Republicans across the state and the nation, including President Trump.
In a campaign video, Minogue said Massachusetts families are being squeezed by high costs and ignored by politicians. He said he's running to be "a new kind of governor."
"Working people are being left behind and many are leaving," he said. "Our current one-party system isn't working."
Minogue graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1989 with a degree in engineering, and he went on to serve as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army during Operation Desert Storm, his campaign said. Following his military service, Minogue worked at General Electric HealthCare until he was tapped as chairman, president and CEO of Danvers-based Abiomed in April 2004.
He ran Abiomed until 2023. During that time, his campaign says, Minogue's company "created the field of heart recovery through the development of Impella, the world’s smallest heart pump" and "treated more than 250,000 patients, grew to $1.2B in annual sales, and became one of the fastest growing, and most profitable, medical device companies in the nation."
Minogue has also started two foundations: MedTechVets aims to help military veterans discover career opportunities in the medical device industry, and the Michael & Renee Minogue Foundation has donated more than $10 million since 2015 to support faith-based education, military veterans, health care innovation and causes for children, Minogue's campaign said.
The candidate's website says he would be guided by six principles: upholding the law and keeping communities safe; respecting taxpayers through transparency and audits; using common sense and compassion; avoiding overspending that leads to higher debt and increased taxes; putting America and Massachusetts before party politics; and listening, being kind and respectful to all. Having a sense of humor, the site says, is "extra credit."
Minogue joins at least two other Republicans — former Baker administration employees Mike Kennealy and Brian Shortsleeve — who hope to topple Healey next year.
MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale welcomed Minogue's decision to jump into the Republican gubernatorial primary field.
"His entrance gives Massachusetts voters yet another alternative to the failing policies and faltering economy of the Healey administration and one-party rule. Republicans are positioned to deliver what matters most to voters: a state government they can trust, one that priorities their families and not those in power," Carnevale said.
Minogue has been a prolific donor for Republican candidates and causes over recent years. He was a supporter of Gov. Charlie Baker and U.S. Senate candidate John Deaton, and he's donated thousands to the Republican State Committee, including a $5,000 donation this February, according to state campaign finance records. He's also given large sums to national Republicans, including more than $440,000 to the Republican National Committee in February, according to the Federal Elections Commission.
The Mass. Democratic Party and the Democratic Governors Association whacked Minogue Wednesday morning for his ties to President Donald Trump's administration. Both organizations pointed out that Minogue held a fundraiser in Gloucester last year for JD Vance and has donated nearly $1 million Republicans over the last year.
"We know Mike Minogue won't stand up to Donald Trump because he supports what Donald Trump, JD Vance, and Robert Kennedy are doing to our state and our country," Democratic Party Chair Steve Kerrigan said. "Minogue enabled Trump to take the White House and implement his agenda — increasing costs on everyone through tariffs, taking health care and food away from hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents, and denying people access to vaccines."
With reporting by WBUR's Anthony Brooks and State House News Service's Colin A. Young.