The governor's race is a blowout, and Mike Minogue's closing stretch isn't helping.

Two polls this week tell the same story. A Globe/Suffolk survey has Gov. Maura Healey up 22 points, and a UMass Amherst/WCVB poll puts her lead at 25. Minogue sits at just 32 percent with almost no undecided voters left to win over, and that's after a $6.1 million ad blitz last month that barely moved the needle.

The past week hasn't been kind to him. His running mate, Shawn Oliver, was charged with OUI after allegedly driving into five parked cars in New Bedford and has suspended his campaign. But as Minogue surely knows, Oliver's name stays on the November ballot, and "suspended" doesn't make it disappear. Minogue has insisted Oliver will never serve as lieutenant governor, noting the state has gone without one before.

The odder wrinkle comes from GBH: the super PAC backing Minogue is spending on a video ad and mailers attacking Andrea James, the independent running to Healey's left and polling in the single digits. With the Republican trailing by more than 20, you'd expect fire aimed at the incumbent. Instead, his allies are punching at the long shot. What happens next is mostly a question of margin and turnout, and of what a lopsided top of the ticket means for down-ballot races and ballot questions.

You can judge Minogue yourself tonight: he sits down for a live interview with Boston 25's Kerry Kavanaugh at 6:30 p.m., a night after Healey did the same.

Full story at Boston Globe →  |  GBH News on the super PAC →

House strips the gas tax holiday from Healey's spending bill. The House is voting today on a $2.35 billion supplemental budget, a rewrite of the governor's catch-all closeout bill. Ways and Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz said leaders weren't comfortable diverting $120 million from transportation needs for a two-month gas tax suspension. Healey's resale ticket price cap and her proposed health care stabilization fund also didn't make the cut. Healey told Boston 25 she'll keep pushing the Legislature on the gas tax. WBUR →  |  Boston 25 →

Question 5 would make state tax refunds more likely. Under a 40-year-old law, taxpayers get refunds when revenue grows faster than wages, which has happened exactly twice. Question 5 would reset the baseline every year, likely meaning more refunds (Tufts researchers estimate $200 to $250 a year on average) and a tighter state budget. Spending has risen 3 to 6 percent lately, driven largely by health care. GBH News →

Question 6 would create a "Nature for All" fund. It's not a new tax. It would redirect a share of existing sales tax on recreation gear and golf spending into a conservation trust, likely $65 million to $100 million a year on top of the roughly $400 million the state already spends. GBH News →

Lawrence councilors vote no confidence in Mayor Brian DePeña. The 5-1 vote, with three councilors voting "present," came after a three-week buildup. DePeña, 61, faces 26 state and federal charges and says he's staying put. The council can't force him out, but the vote gives it leverage. Boston Globe →

Free community college is propping up state university enrollment. Public higher ed enrollment is up 2.2 percent, and state universities posted their first increase since 2013. Transfers to state universities jumped 16.6 percent, with community colleges the biggest source. Officials caution that degree completion remains a struggle. CommonWealth Beacon →

The state paid for an energy study and never released it. MassCEC paid EPRI $379,000 for a white paper, delivered in 2023, that reportedly pegged needed grid upgrades at $27 billion to $46 billion through 2050. Three years later, it's still not public, in an election season defined by energy costs. CommonWealth Beacon →

• Today: House lawmakers vote on the $2.35 billion supplemental budget. WBUR →
• Tonight, 6:30 p.m.: Minogue's live one-on-one with Boston 25, streaming at Boston25News.com. Boston 25 →
• Ongoing: Early voting continues across the state; Election Day is Nov. 3. Local clerks say they're ready and want voters to show up. GBH News →

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