Healey leans into state’s history in the first TV ad of her reelection campaign

Politics admin July 3, 2026 0 Comments

Healey leans into state’s history in the first TV ad of her reelection campaign

Governor Maura Healey is leaning into the star-spangled spirit of the country’s 250th anniversary in the first television ad of her reelection campaign.

“Two hundred fifty years ago, Massachusetts stood up to a tyrant for freedom and fairness, and we’re still standing up for what’s right,” a male narrator says in the 30-second spot, set to the intro of “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” by the Dropkick Murphys.

Past the patriotic symbolism, the ad, set to air on broadcast networks Saturday, looks to highlight the pillars of the Arlington Democrat’s still relatively low-gear campaign: tackling the state’s affordability crisis and shielding Massachusetts residents from the the federal impacts onhealth care and abortion rights, albeit without mentioning President Trump by name.

“We stand together on what matters most: making Massachusetts more affordable; defending health care and abortion rights; protecting our people and communities,” Healey says in the 30-second spot, dubbed “Stand Up.”

“And I’ll stand up to anyone who gets in our way.”

The ad, which Healey’s campaign described as a five-figure buy, is the latest sign the race isentering a new phase.

Two other dark money groups began running ads last week promoting the governor’s efforts to lower healthcare costs and build more housing. One of the non-profit groups, Running Point MA, relied on some of the same clips now featured in Healey’s new campaign spot — a shot of the governor talking to two women in a grocery store, another of Healey shaking hands with a construction worker— to craft its own ad.

So-called social welfare organizations like Running Point aren’t bound by the same rules prohibiting coordination with candidates that super PACs are. Though such groups can’t get involved in political campaigns, they “may engage in some political activities, so long as that is not its primary activity,” according to IRS regulations.

Healey officially launched her reelection campaign in January with a video with some of the same clips and touting her efforts to take on Trump, who she accused of “raising costs, taking away our health care, and tearing families apart.”

Fighting the Republican president has been another central message of her reelection bid, and one that’sfamiliarfor the first-term Democrat: Healey rose to prominence as a high-profile Trump antagonist when she was attorney general.

Though she’s runningunopposed in the Democratic primary, two well-funded Republicans are vying for Healey’s job. One of the Republicans, Mike Minogue, has already spent millions on television advertising, pouring $14.5 million dollars of his own money into the race through the end of May.

Brian Shortsleeve, a former MBTA executive also vying for the GOP nomination, has put $1 million of his own cash into his campaign.