Mike Minogue wins Republican primary for Massachusetts governor

Former medical device executive Mike Minogue won the Massachusetts gubernatorial primary Tuesday, defeating Brian Shortsleeve, a former executive at the MBTA, the state-run transit agency.

The winner will now face favored Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, who is running for a second term. Massachusetts has had continuous Democratic representation in Congress since 1996, but Republicans have had considerably more success in races for the governor’s mansion since the Reagan era.

Minogue emphasized his business credentials in campaign materials, citing his work at GE Healthcare before leading Danvers-based Abiomed.

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Combat veteran-turned-CEO Mike Minogue launched a Republican campaign for governor in Massachusetts (Mike Minogue campaign)

Minogue said that, while he was at Abiomed, the company developed the world’s smallest heart pump and doubled the size of its headquarters, increasing its in-state capabilities and creating jobs.

Minogue also drew attention on social media when Boston-based Canadian American investor Kevin O’Leary, better known as Shark Tank’s “Mr. Wonderful,” appeared in one of his videos and said he does not usually “show for politicians.”

“Massachusetts is ‘dead-money’ now. We need a guy like this to run the show,” O’Leary said in July.

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The Boston skyline (Getty Images)

According to The Boston Herald, Healey launched a last-minute ad attacking Minogue as “MAGA Mike,” which the newspaper said shows the executive “has Healey’s attention” and may help Shortsleeve.

Minogue won the state’s GOP convention endorsement with 70% of the vote, while Shortsleeve earned his ballot position with a fraction of a percentage point more than the required 15%, according to reports.

Minogue self-funded roughly $7 million of the more than $7.5 million he raised in the first quarter, hosted a fundraiser with Vice President JD Vance and has donated to Trump and the RNC. Shortsleeve raised about $646,500 in the first quarter of 2026.

Healey was formally renominated Tuesday after running unopposed. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, a fellow Democrat, also advances unopposed to the November election.

Republicans, however, have no candidates in about half of the state’s congressional districts or in the races for secretary of state and state auditor. A signature problem has forced lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Anne Manning Martin to run a write-in campaign.

The district in the Berkshires, the district covering much of the Massachusetts Turnpike corridor, and two exurban Boston-area districts to the north and west have no Republican candidates competing Tuesday, guaranteeing Democratic nominees will advance in those races ahead of November.

Massachusetts state government has not always been as reliably Democratic in modern times despite the conditions in this year’s contests.

Former Gov. Charlie Baker, a moderate Republican, preceded Healey from 2015 to 2023.

Former Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, served as Massachusetts governor from 2003 to 2007 and opted against re-election before launching an unsuccessful presidential bid against President Barack Obama.

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Gov. Maura Healey holds a news conference May 8, 2026, with pro-choice advocates. (Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Romney was preceded by several Republican governors. From 1997 through the end of Romney’s tenure, Republicans continuously held the governor’s office.

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Former libertarian presidential candidate Gov. William Weld, former Gov. Paul Cellucci and former Gov. Jane Swift were consecutive Republican governors. Swift was elevated to the office when Cellucci became then-President George W. Bush’s ambassador to Canada.

Weld was preceded by 1988 Democratic presidential nominee Gov. Michael Dukakis, and Democrats more often held the governor’s office in the preceding era.