The Mass Brief: Healey's energy pivot is the defining tension of her reelection bid

Good morning. Nine days until Election Day, and the governor's race is increasingly about two things: what's in your utility bill and what's in your spouse's Instagram grid. Let's get into it.

        October 25, 2026

    The Mass Brief: Healey's energy pivot is the defining tension of her reelection bid

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THE MASS BRIEF
Sunday, October 25, 2026

Good morning. Nine days until Election Day, and the governor's race is increasingly about two things: what's in your utility bill and what's in your spouse's Instagram grid. Let's get into it.

The Lead

Healey's energy pivot is the defining tension of her reelection bid

      Four years ago, Maura Healey promised to be the "most aggressive governor in the country on climate." Today, with electric and gas bills squeezing households, she's running on an "all-of-the-above" energy strategy, and some of the climate activists who cheered her in 2022 aren't happy about it. The Boston Globe captured the whiplash in a single October morning: she touted a clean energy project at an East Boston elementary school, then, less than an hour later, her office urged the Trump administration to speed up review of a gas pipeline expansion in Southeastern Massachusetts. This is the same pipeline fight she once stood against.

      The politics here are straightforward. Her Republican opponent, Michael Minogue, is hammering cost of living and pledging to expand natural gas supply and roll back some of the state's most ambitious climate mandates. Healey's shift looks designed to blunt that attack by showing voters she's focused on bills, not just benchmarks. The risk runs the other way: if she's seen as abandoning her climate credentials, she could lose enthusiasm on her left flank at the very moment she needs people to show up.

      What to watch: whether the pipeline position moves any votes, and what a second Healey term would mean for the state's emissions targets. The cost-versus-climate trade-off isn't going away after November, no matter who wins.

Full story at Boston Globe →

What Else You Should Know

Question 9 puts the state's gun law on the line. Voters will decide whether to keep the 2024 law requiring firearm serialization and registration and broadening the "assault-style" weapons ban. The question is on the ballot because opponents gathered enough signatures to force a referendum. A "yes" vote keeps the law; a "no" vote repeals it. WBUR notes the contrast with Idaho, where voters are choosing an official state gun. WBUR → | MassLive →

Question 8 would repeal recreational marijuana. The campaign against the repeal, led by Ryan Dominguez, and repeal advocate Bertha Madras squared off on WBZ's "Keller at Large." If you want to hear both sides before you vote, it's worth a watch. WBZ / CBS Boston →

The case that Healey saved public transit. A CommonWealth Beacon op-ed argues that while polls suggest voters struggle to name a Healey accomplishment, she reversed the downward spiral of the state's transit systems. The author concedes the gains are hard to feel in daily service, since so much remains to be done, but says the course correction matters for congestion and the regional economy. It's an opinion piece, but a useful counterpoint to the cost-of-living narrative. CommonWealth Beacon →

The liquor license logjam on Beacon Hill. Cities have been pushing to overhaul the decades-old system for awarding liquor licenses, but the effort is stuck, with a top lawmaker saying "not so fast." If you've ever wondered why it's so hard to open a restaurant in some Massachusetts cities, this is part of the answer. MassLive →

Chelsea eyes housing next to Market Basket. Conceptual plans for redeveloping the area around the grocery giant call for new multifamily housing, outdoor gathering spaces, decorative lighting, and pedestrian-friendly streets. Housing near groceries and transit is exactly the kind of development the state says it wants. MassLive →

Westborough's police chief is on leave. The town placed Chief Todd Minardi on administrative leave after Shrewsbury police responded to a service call involving him Friday night. Westborough is retaining an outside investigator, and Deputy Chief Steve Tompkins is running the department. No other details have been released. Boston 25 → | WCVB →

Worth Your Attention

Hit-and-run in Norwood: Police are seeking the public's help finding a gray or black SUV, possibly an older Honda Pilot with headlight damage, after two pedestrians were struck near Washington and Day streets Saturday evening. Tips to 781-762-1212. WCVB →
Election Day is November 3: Questions 8 and 9 are only part of the ballot, so look over the full slate before you head in.
Mill River Greenway work continues in Williamsburg: After 15 years of debate, construction is underway on the 2.4-mile path, with completion targeted for next June and the street occasionally closing. Daily Hampshire Gazette →

End-of-Session Tracker

⏳ Formal sessions ended July 31. Conferees were appointed in time, so talks run until the term ends Jan 5 — 72 days
Energy Affordability & Clean Power (H5175)
House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned
Economic Development (H5576)
House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned
Massachusetts Data Privacy Act (S2619)
House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned
Climate Resilience for Communities (S3064)
House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned
Student Learning & Mental Health (phone ban) (S2581)
House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned
Health Care Workplace Violence Prevention (H4767)
House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned
Ballot Question Campaign Finance Reporting (S2916)
House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned
Public Records & Government Transparency (H5469)
House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned
Primary Care (S3141)
House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned
Higher-Ed Infrastructure (BRIGHT Act) (H4769)
House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned
Pet Equity, Treatment & Safety (S3028)
House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned

Track all bills →

💰 Money Watch

Big Spending This Week

$34,858.43 Inc. Massachusetts First Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee paid Checkmate Strategies — Mailers [Independent Expenditure]
$27,886.74 Inc. Massachusetts First Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee paid Checkmate Strategies — Mailers [Independent Expenditure]
$9,900.00 Massachusetts Teachers Association Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee paid The New Media Firm Inc — Digital Advertising [Independent Expenditure]
$9,750.00 Massachusetts Teachers Association Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee paid The New Media Firm Inc — Digital Advertising [Independent Expenditure]
$9,400.00 Massachusetts Teachers Association Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee paid The New Media Firm Inc — Digital Advertising [Independent Expenditure]
$9,400.00 Massachusetts Teachers Association Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee paid The New Media Firm Inc — Digital Advertising [Independent Expenditure]
$6,971.68 Inc. Massachusetts First Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee paid Checkmate Strategies — Mailers [Independent Expenditure]
$5,000.00 Democratic State Committee paid Tocci, Lynda [Refunded Credit Card Contribution]

      Data from the
      MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

This Week on Beacon Hill

Monday, October 26, 9:00 AM
Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure (1 bills)
Topic: Late-referred Local Alcohol Petition
Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston
H5673: An Act to increase the number of all alcohol licenses for restaurants in the tow (Filed by Sean Garballey)
Wednesday, October 28, 12:30 PM
None
Topic: Massachusetts Permanent Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities Commission Meeting
Location: Virtual Hearing, Boston
Thursday, October 29, 4:00 PM
None
Topic: SPECIAL COMMISSION ON CABO VERDEAN CULTURAL CENTER
Location: Virtual Hearing, Boston

Full hearing schedule →

One More Thing

            Renee Minogue, wife of the GOP nominee, has gone from not knowing an Instagram story from a reel to running a full-fledged political influencer operation, mixing teenage soccer-cleat deodorizing tips with campaign montages. Meanwhile, First Lady Joanna Lydgate is quietly shaping the role, since the state Constitution doesn't mention one at all. Whichever household moves into the corner office, the spouses are now part of the campaign. Boston Globe on Renee Minogue → | Boston Globe on Joanna Lydgate →

That's the Mass Brief. See you tomorrow, and every morning.

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