And then there were three.
Businessman Michael Minogue, an Army combat veteran and Republican donor, has entered the 2026 race for the GOP nomination for Massachusetts governor.
He joins former Baker administration officials Mike Kennealy and Brian Shortsleeve in the effort to unseat Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, who is seeking a second, four-year term in the corner office.
In a launch video posted to YouTube, the Gloucester resident criticized one-party rule on Beacon Hill, arguing that the state’s high cost of living has left too many residents “squeezed by higher costs [and] ignored by politicians who care more about themselves than the citizens they serve.
“Working people have been left behind and many are leaving,” the onetime biotech CEO and Gulf War veteran said.
Minogue’s name had circulated as a potential candidate since at least the spring. And he was believed to be seriously weighing a bid for the GOP nomination next year.
Campaign finance records show that Minogue has donated tens of thousands of dollars to state and national Republicans over the last few years, including the campaigns of former Florida Gov. Rick Scott and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.
In 2024, Minogue donated $100,000 to President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign and supported John Deaton, who tried to unseat U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
According to Fox News, which was first to report Minogue’s candidacy, his campaign will focus on “restoring affordability, accountability, and opportunity in Massachusetts.”
Minogue wants to “[lower] taxes, so families can keep more of their paycheck, growing the economy by retaining and recruiting businesses, and investing in education while giving parents more options for their students’ success,” the cable outlet reported.
While Kennealy and Shortsleeve each will face questions about their tenure with Baker, where they respectively served as his housing and MBTA czars, Minogue, too, may also have some explaining to do.
In 2018, his company, Danvers-based Abiomed, reached a $3.1 million settlement with the federal government on kickback allegations, The Boston Herald reported.
The company plied physicians with lavish meals at high-end restaurants to persuade them to use the company’s heart pumps, the newspaper reported.
The company also was forced to recall one of its heart pumps last year after 129 people were injured and at least 49 people died, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Whoever emerges from the GOP nomination derby will likely face an uphill climb against Healey, who is well-funded and remains broadly popular. However, she has faced criticisms for her management of the state’s expensive emergency shelter system.
