With a comfortable lead over her Republican rival, Attorney General Maura Healey is well positioned to become the first elected woman governor in Massachusetts history, according to a Suffolk University/Boston Globe/NBC10 Boston/Telemundo poll of likely midterm voters.
With margins of 56% to 33%, Healey led challenger Geoff Diehl and Libertarian Kevin Reed (4%), with 6% of voters still undecided. The 23-point margin is slightly less than the 26-point margin in a September poll.
If elected, Healey would also carry an all-female ticket with her running mate for lieutenant governor, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll. She would also become the first openly gay candidate elected Massachusetts governor.
Among women voters surveyed, Healey crushed Diehl 65%-27%, and held leads in every region of the state and every age and race category, according to the poll.
A record five women could win constitutional offices out of a possible six, including Democratic nominees Andrea Campbell for attorney general, Diana DiZoglio for state auditor, and incumbent State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg. In their respective races, Democrats Campbell, DiZoglio, and Goldberg led their closest opponents by margins of between 15 and 27 points, according to the poll. If she prevails in November, Campbell would become the first Black woman elected to statewide office in Massachusetts.
In the race for state attorney general, Democrat Campbell (50%) has a 20-point lead over her Republican opponent, James McMahon (30%), with 19% undecided.
For secretary of state, Bill Galvin (52%) is far ahead of Republican Rayla Campbell (25%) and Green-Rainbow Party candidate Juan Sanchez (7%), with 14% undecided.
In the race for state auditor, Democrat DiZoglio (40%) has four opponents including Republican Anthony Amore (25%), Libertarian Daniel Riek (5%), Green-Rainbow Party candidate Gloria Caballero-Roca (3%), and Workers Party candidate Dominic Giannone (1%), with 24% undecided. In September, DiZoglio led by 18 points.
The presence of numerous third-party candidates for many offices creates the possibility that the Libertarian and Green-Rainbow designations could become official parties in Massachusetts this year. According to state law, any candidate who receives over 3% of the statewide vote automatically qualifies that candidate’s party to be officially recognized until the next statewide election.
Voters favor taxing those earning over $1 million
Question 1, the so-called “millionaire’s tax,” is supported by 58% of voters and opposed by 37%, with 4% undecided. The measure aims to tax individuals earning over $1 million an additional 4% on the portion of their incomes over $1 million. The 21-point advantage for the yes side is unchanged since voters were polled in September.
Question 4, which asks voters to weigh in on a new law enacted by the state legislature that grants undocumented residents the opportunity to apply for a learner’s permit or driver’s license provided they meet all other qualifications—including a road test, insurance, and proof of their identity and residency—has gained support over the past month. Currently, those in favor of keeping the law in place lead 56%-39%, far higher than the 49%-38% advantage recorded in September.
Methodology
The Suffolk University statewide survey of 500 residents was conducted October 13-16 and is based on live interviews of registered voters in Massachusetts who indicated they were very or somewhat likely to vote this November. Each area’s quota and demographic information—including party affiliation, gender, race, and age—were determined from midterm exit polls and 2020 census data. The 14 Massachusetts counties were grouped into four general regions. The margin of sampling error for results based on the total sample is +/-4.4 percentage points. Marginals and full cross-tabulation data are posted on the Suffolk University Political Research Center website. For more information, contact David Paleologos at 781-290-9310, [email protected].