Democratic Gov. Maura Healey and her Republican challenger Mike Minogue went after each other in a Thursday night debate on WBZ-TV, the first of the 2026 gubernatorial election, and as two massive crowds in support of each candidate clashed outside the Brighton television studios.

Healey took just nine seconds to mention President Trump, going on to refer to the president a total of 32 times throughout the debate. In a now consistent theme, Healey has stuck with pushing the narrative that Minogue is a “rubber stamp” for Trump and “MAGA Republicans.”

“You know, as I look at the situation right now that people are in, Donald Trump is driving costs up every single day with his tariffs, with his war which is raising the cost of everything from gas to groceries, and also he’s gutting funding, gutting healthcare and making life more expensive and more difficult for everyone,” Healey said in her opening monologue.

Minogue responded, “The question is: what can you do to help the people? Not, ‘who do we blame?’” as he spoke of his West Point education and military service and delved into his goal of mitigating what he calls “overt spending” on Beacon Hill.

Moderator and WBZ political analyst Jon Keller asked the candidates to hit on several key issues facing Massachusetts residents, including, and perhaps most important among voters, the issue of ever-increasing energy costs and general affordability in the state.

Minogue started off with an attack on Healey’s record as governor when it comes to soaring energy costs in Massachusetts, also hitting on the significant rate of outmigration among businesses and residents from the state and the subsequent low job growth that comes with it.

“We are last in the nation in private job growth, last in the nation since Governor Healey took over. That’s negative growth. I created more jobs at Abiomed than Gov. Healey indirectly. We are the last in the nation in permits per person, and we’re already second worst in the nation in debt per person,” Minogue said. “And because AG and Governor Healey stopped the gas pipelines, we are doomed to have the most expensive electricity that will impact people this winter at the highest rate ever.

“You can’t be last forever,” he added.

Healey countered with statistics highlighting what she calls “one of the fastest-growing GDPs in the country,” also reverting to blaming President Trump for “driving up the cost of everything.”

“I just want to be really clear here: my opponent is somebody who wrote a million-dollar check to Donald Trump. He saw what Donald Trump did in his first term and said, ‘I want more of that.’ He invited JD Vance to his house,” Healey responded. “My opponent is someone who supports Donald Trump’s agenda, which has been raising costs.”

Another flash point came on the topic of education, where Minogue and Healey sparred on the merits of the Federal Education Tax Scholarship program, one pushed by Minogue before and during his campaign for governor, that he says would give residents $1.7 billion through educational grants.

“A federal tax credit is not an education plan, Mike. Let’s tell the viewers what that plan is. There’s a federal tax credit that came forward as part of One Big Beautiful Bill, the same legislation that Trump signed that cut a trillion dollars from healthcare. Now, in that package, they included these federal tax credits,” Healey said in response to Minogue asking if she’d enroll. “I heard you claim credit for writing that the other day. By the way, that showed up in the playbook for Project 2025.”

Minogue hit her back.

“It’s now in the federal law,” he said, “and it has been around for a while. Other states, other Democrat governors from New York and from Colorado have said it. In fact, the Pennsylvania governor said today he’s open to it.”

Healey also highlighted her work in literacy, vocational education and free community college, while again, pivoting to Trump’s economic tariffs, the War in Iran, and his “dismantling of the Department of Education” for causing hardship on Massachusetts students. The governor also defended swipes by Minogue for the bloated state budget, increased now to $63 billion.

On the topic of character, Keller asked Minogue and Healey to mention a notable blunder each of them has made and how they recovered from it. Minogue admitted to his past mistakes as a business leader and as a parent, while Healey notably dodged mentioning any possible mistakes she can recall during her political career.

The Herald asked Healey about this as she exited the debate, and if this ties into the ever-increasing finger-pointing at Trump.

“Of course there are things that I, looking back, could have done differently. I think anybody who is a leader recognizes those instances. And I’ve tried to address those,” Healey told the Herald. “But gosh, you could look at my record and see any number of times when I’ve changed course or taken a different tack or taken a different look at something. Because I think that’s what leaders do.”

The pair also shared jabs on the topic of integrity, with Minogue calling out Healey for the sense of corruption surrounding her administration, specifically referring to the $2 billion Springfield courthouse contract awarded to two politically connected insiders, the hiring and arrest of former aide LaMar Cook, the recent legal settlement involving Transportation Secretary Phil Eng, and more.

Healey became visibly upset over Minogue’s comments and chastised him for “questioning my integrity.”

Minogue and Healey also went back and forth over ballot questions, local aid, support of the voter-approved legislative audit, ICE operations in Massachusetts, and more.

Minogue declined media questions as he exited the television studios.

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