Gov. Maura Healey won a second four-year term on Tuesday, Nov. 3, defeating Republican Michael Minogue in a race that appeared on ballots in both Needham and Dedham. The Associated Press declared Healey the winner at 8:01 p.m. EST, one minute after Massachusetts polls closed.

Dedham's town clerk posted unofficial local results at 8:34 p.m. Needham voters worked through a three-page ballot that also included a local Proposition 2½ override question for a new Pollard Middle School on Harris Avenue, according to the town's specimen ballot.

Healey, a Democrat, will continue to serve alongside Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll. She previously served two terms as attorney general before winning the governor's office in 2022.

With about a third of votes counted as of 10:52 p.m., unofficial AP results showed Healey with more than 64 percent of the vote to Minogue's 32 percent, boston.com reported, citing AP data. Independent candidate Andrea James received about 3 percent. Those numbers will change as more ballots are counted.

What the candidates said

Healey told supporters she has an obligation "to get up every day and to drive change with urgency and action," WBUR reported.

"I'm gonna work my hardest every single day for the things that matter in your lives," she said, according to WBUR.

Minogue congratulated Healey at his own event. "An election determines who holds the office. It does not determine what we believe in, what we stand for, and how much we care about the commonwealth," he said, according to WBUR.

How the race played out

Affordability and the candidates' relationships with President Donald Trump shaped the contest. Housing costs are a pressing concern in Needham and Dedham, where both towns are subject to the MBTA Communities Act requiring multifamily zoning districts. Healey backed the 2024 Affordable Homes Act, a $5.16 billion housing bond bill, according to the Needham Observer.

Healey emphasized efforts to reduce housing and energy costs while criticizing Trump's tariffs. Minogue, a former CEO of Danvers-based medical device company Abiomed, argued Massachusetts needs an outsider to address spending and the cost of living, GBH News reported.

Minogue put $19.5 million of his own money into the race, a record for a statewide candidate in Massachusetts, according to WBUR. Healey and her allies linked Minogue to Trump throughout the campaign. Minogue donated about $1 million to Trump and other Republicans, the Boston Globe reported. Trump did not publicly endorse Minogue, the Globe reported.

In the closing stretch, Minogue referred to himself as a registered independent for 19 years rather than the Republican nominee, the Globe reported.

Running mate's arrest rattled GOP ticket

Minogue's running mate, New Bedford City Councilor Shawn Oliver, suspended his campaign Oct. 18 after police arrested him following a crash involving five parked vehicles. He pleaded not guilty to operating under the influence and other charges. Oliver's name stayed on the ballot because the deadline to remove a candidate had passed weeks earlier.

"He will not be my lieutenant governor. Period," Minogue told reporters, the Globe reported Oct. 20.

What comes next

Healey faces high costs and surging energy bills in her second term, the Globe reported. She will also manage the state's response to the Trump administration for the president's final two years in office. Certified results will be available through the secretary of state's Massachusetts Election Statistics database.