If you want to know which direction the wind is blowing, look at a flag.
If you want to understand the political winds in Massachusetts, check out the delays in getting to yes on a new state flag design, underscored by Governor Maura Healey’s reluctance to talk about it.
Mike Kennealy and Brian Shortsleeve, the two Republican candidates seeking to become their party’s nominee for governor, want to keep the flag as is, with a colonist’s arm wielding a sword over a Native American. Let’s call their eager embrace of the status quo a response to the winds of the “woke right.” So far, the “woke left” has been left to Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka, who recently said efforts to change the design show that “the current flag does not fully represent Massachusetts values and priorities and that there are a lot of folks that want to change it to be more inclusive.”
As usual, Healey is surfing the gentler wind currents in the middle. While she supports the commission that’s considering change, she appears to be in no hurry to see it happen, or to weigh in on old flag versus new. As governor, she said, she has more important issues to resolve. And while Healey has a point about priorities, she is also dodging a potential wedge issue in the 2026 governor’s race.
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Given the relentless attacks on democratic norms that are happening under President Trump, the design of the state flag does seem like a relatively minor concern. But for Kennealy and Shortsleeve, taking a stand is an easy way to satisfy the MAGA primary voter base that energizes what remains of the Massachusetts GOP. Still, the fact that a proposed redesign has been dragging on for several years is also a sign that Democrats who run the state have discerned no great appetite for change and no easy answer for what change would be acceptable.
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The current state flag shows a Native American holding a bow and arrow, standing beneath a raised sword held by a disembodied arm. Around it is a Latin motto that roughly translates to: “By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty.”
Members of the Indigenous community have long decried a flag emblem they consider racist and offensive. The murder of George Floyd in 2020 by a Minneapolis police officer spurred legislative action on Beacon Hill and ultimately led former Republican governor Charlie Baker to sign a law in January 2021 establishing a commission to study and recommend a new state flag and seal. However, that panel could not reach consensus, so a new panel was established. A subsequent design contest winnowed down more than 1,000 responses to three designs for a new flag and three for a new seal. They are not official finalists but are supposed to inspire public feedback at a series of hearings.
In search of an issue other than Trump to rev up voter passions, the Republican gubernatorial candidates have wrapped themselves in the old flag. As Shortsleeve told the Boston Herald, “We have a great flag. It’s a flag I love, it’s a flag that represents our heritage.” Kennealy also told the Herald: “Even beyond the fact that most Massachusetts voters don’t want to change the flag, and that doing so would erase history, I cannot understand why the state would choose to spend millions of dollars replacing every flag, motto, and seal.”
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When Healey was asked about it, she laughed. “The state flag and seal? Look. I don’t mean to laugh. But of everything that’s going on right now — I support that there was a legislative commission to look at this,” she said at a press conference. “The Legislature passed a law, a commission to look at this. So, I think it’s a — sure, have a look at it, and I’m sure there’ll be discussion, you know, over the ensuing time and years.”
That response is a bit disingenuous, given that, in July 2024, Healey signed a budget amendment allocating $100,000 to establish a new panel to take up the flag redesign matter. The mass.gov website announcing the proposed selections for a new state seal, flag, and motto also includes this quote from Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler, who cochairs the commission: “This process is an opportunity to educate, to listen, and to reflect on who we are as a Commonwealth. The public’s voice is essential, and will ensure that the final seal, flag, and motto represent the values, diversity, and lived experiences of all Massachusetts residents — past, present, and future.”
According to the website, recommendations for a new design, including timelines, cost estimates, and educational efforts, will also be submitted to the governor, “who may introduce legislation to officially adopt the new state symbols.”
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Whether that happens and when will depend on which way the wind is blowing. It may not be blowing to the left as much as people think in the blue state of Massachusetts.
Joan Vennochi is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at joan.vennochi@globe.com. Follow her @joan_vennochi.