Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey became the first Republican to announce her gubernatorial candidacy amid hundreds of supporters and members of the media on yesterday, promising to reduce taxes and increase state education standards.
“I understand the needs and concerns of our local communities better than any candidate in this race because I’ve been there,” Healey said. “I’ve met with local leaders from every corner of the Commonwealth, not just once, but in good times and bad.”
Her announcement comes as no surprise: Healey said last year that she intended to run if Gov. Mitt Romney backed out of this year’s election, according to The Boston Globe.
Healey, 45, was elected lieutenant governor in 2002.
The Democratic Mayor of Gloucester John Bell endorsed Healey at the conference, saying Healey is always accessible to the public. He praised her efforts to raise money for the state’s ports and harbors and for caring about small towns as well as the large cities of Massachusetts.
“I’m not here as a Democrat or a Republican or an Independent,” Bell said. “I’m grateful for Kerry Healey and all that she’s done for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.”
Healey was introduced by Ron Bersani, the grandfather of Melanie Powell, a 13-year-old who was killed by a drunk driver. He thanked Healey for her work on Melanie’s Law, a law passed in October that cracks down on Massachusetts drunk drivers.
“Kerry Healey never wavered, never relented, never forgot how important Melanie’s Law was,” Bersani said.
The Lieutenant Governor began her speech by thanking her family and recognizing the absence of her father, who died last year. She talked continuously about her modest upbringing and about her mother, who supported the family on a teacher’s salary after her father had a heart attack and was no longer able to work.
Healey said that if elected, she would improve early childhood education, make college more affordable for students and extend the school day.
She underlined her concerned about the 14 percent drop-out rate in state schools and plans to raise the age of mandatory school attendance from age 16 to 18.
“To allow 16-year-olds to end their education is to sentence them to a life of disappointment, poverty or even jail,” Healey said.
Healey criticized the House’s spending and “tax-and-spend” proposals that raise taxes for residents, adding that upon election, she would immediately ask the legislature to lower income tax to 5 percent.
Healey cited the budget surplus and decreased unemployment rate during the Romney administration and drew upon her experience as the lieutenant governor to show that she is “up to the challenge.”
Healey said she plans to announce a running mate within the next month.
The Republican Party has controlled the governor’s seat since 1990, and for 16 years, the Republican gubernatorial candidates have followed a precedent of choosing running mates despite the fact that the governor and lieutenant governor run on separate ballots in Massachusetts.
The two democratic gubernatorial candidates, Attorney General Thomas Reilly and former President Bill Clinton aide Deval Patrick, have faced recent scandal despite successful Democratic caucuses.
Reilly, a Springfield native serving his second term as the Massachusetts Attorney General, is without a running mate. Last week, <<<<<<<
Patrick, who hails from Milton, served as the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights under Clinton. In an interview last week, he said he fell behind in income taxes more than 10 years ago and is hopeful that voters will not hold it against him.
“Discontent with the Republicans is not going to be enough for a Democratic candidate to win,” Deval told reporters last week.
Healey did not comment on her challengers but looked forward to what Republicans hope is a successful bid for the governor’s chair.
“In this campaign, we have a proud record to build upon, a clear agenda to take to the voters and nine months to make our case,” Healey said. “The opposition is strong, the stakes are high and we’re going to give it everything we have.”