Less than half of Massachusetts residents approve of Healey’s performance, poll finds

Less than half of Massachusetts residents approve of Gov Maura Healey s performance as governor and far fewer say she deserves to be reelected in according to a survey distributed by the University of New Hampshire this week The two Republicans hoping to challenge Healey during the statewide general voting next year straightaway latched onto the results of the poll as proof that the Democrat s popularity is slipping more than halfway through her first term in office But Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Steve Kerrigan mentioned Healey will be reelected because she is focused on the issues that matter to the bulk voters in the state like lowering the cost of living building more housing improving transportation and guidance and standing up to Donald Trump What is undeniable is that Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly reject Donald Trump and his disastrous agenda Try as they might Mike Kennealy and Brian Shortsleeve cannot hide from their help for Trump s policies Voters will reject their brand of failed MAGA Republican politics Kerrigan stated in a message to the Herald The poll of Massachusetts residents conducted through an online survey exposed approved of Healey s job performance disapproved and were neutral or unsure Her approval rating was three percentage points lower than a UMass Amherst poll from February An overwhelming of Democrats think Healey is doing a good job while only of independents the largest group of voters in Massachusetts and of Republicans gave the governor a thumbs up according to the poll Brian Shortsleeve a venture capitalist and former MBTA official running for governor as a Republican announced the survey is devastating for Healey because it shows voters have clearly lost confidence in her I don t blame them he mentioned in a declaration She s driven up spending driven out jobs and made life more expensive for everyone except illegal immigrants I ve led turnarounds in business and in state regime and I m the Marine who can take Beacon Hill and fix Healey s mess A spokesperson for Mike Kennealy another Republican running for governor who previously served in Gov Charlie Baker s administration noted the University of New Hampshire survey validated their own internal polling from February that determined Healey had a approval rating Maura Healey is vulnerable and Mike Kennealy is the only Republican candidate that can defeat her the spokesperson Logan Trupiano declared in a comment A spokesperson for Healey did not respond to a Herald inquiry Friday Healey disclosed earlier this year that she plans to seek a second term as governor But only of Massachusetts residents think she deserves to be reelected while say she does not deserve a second term and don t know or have no opinion the UNH survey ascertained Massachusetts Republican Party Executive Director John Milligan disclosed the poll results show Healey is beatable next year The problems that she has that are dragging her approval ratings down are not going away anytime soon he explained the Herald Friday afternoon I wouldn t be surprised if we see them dip further which again is good news for us An incumbent underwater this far out from the general electoral contest there s blood in the water A majority of Democrats think voters should send Healey back to Beacon Hill s corner office but only of independents and of Republicans agree according to the poll Healey had strong popularity marks in other polls disclosed this year A Morning Consult survey from April exhibited Healey had a approval rating while a Fiscal Alliance Foundation poll from March discovered of likely voters either had a strong or somewhat favorable opinion of the governor An internal poll conducted by the Democratic Governors Association discovered Healey had a job approval rating according to a summary of the survey provided to the Herald Massachusetts residents listed familiar topics in the University of New Hampshire survey as the top issues facing the Bay State Twenty-one percent of survey respondents cited housing as the top issue facing the state with immigration and cost of living coming in second and third respectively according to the poll The survey also revealed that of those surveyed listed left leftish politicians as a major issue while listed corrupt incompetent authorities as a top predicament Respondents also expressed concern about U S Sen Ed Markey who is also up for reelection in More than half of the Massachusetts residents surveyed stated they are very or somewhat concerned about the -year-old s age Only think he deserves to be reelected while do not and don t know or have no opinion A majority of Democrats surveyed think voters should send Markey back to Washington but only of independents and of Republicans agree according to the poll Markey revealed last year he would seek a third term John Deaton who ran last year as a Republican against U S Sen Elizabeth Warren has announced he is considering challenging Markey next year But his decision comes with caveats including that he does not want to face a candidate backed by President Donald Trump in a primary voting process