Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey led Republican Mike Minogue by 22 percentage points in a September survey that also found inflation and the cost of living were voters' most frequently named election priorities.
The CommonWealth Beacon/MassINC Polling Group poll put Healey at 54% and Minogue at 32% when respondents leaning toward a candidate were included. Independent Andrea James had 4%, while 6% remained undecided.
The online survey covered 800 likely voters September 14-22. Its published methodology reports a credibility interval of 4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
Minogue faces a familiarity problem alongside the polling deficit. Sixteen percent of respondents said they had never heard of him, and 27% had heard of him but had not decided whether they viewed him favorably. CommonWealth Beacon reported September 29 that the former Abiomed executive had contributed more than $15 million to his campaign.
Affordability concerns do not translate into approval of every part of Healey's record. The outlet reported that about six in 10 respondents identified the overall cost of living as an area where she had been least successful, and nearly half said the same about housing costs.
The Senate contest showed a similar partisan gap in the same survey. Democratic Sen. Ed Markey received 54% support, including leaners, compared with 28% for Republican John Deaton. Both sets of results describe preferences during the survey period, with voters still able to change their choices before November.
Sources:
https://commonwealthbeacon.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Topline-2026-09-CWB-Ballot-Questions.pdf