HEALEY BOOSTING HER NAME
Crowds like her anti-Trump talk
Attorney General Maura Healey continues to ramp up her statewide profile with standing-room-only events while bolstering her campaign account in a political end run that could give her a head start if she makes a late entrance into the governor’s race — even as she keeps insisting she won’t.
And she has President Trump to thank for her political rock star status.
Healey has crisscrossed the state promoting her liberal agenda since Trump was elected, holding town halls in packed venues from Springfield to New Bedford that are ostensibly about her AG duties — but look more like campaign events. Her message is consistent and effective in blue Massachusetts — she will fight President Trump and she urges others to join her.
“I’m dismayed that we have a president that is looking to impose a travel ban on the basis of religion,” Healey told a crowd in New Bedford at a town hall last week. “The time for action is now.”
The AG’s anti-Trump message has resonated with Massachusetts liberals as they scramble for a way to act on their frustration, said state Rep. Steven Ultrino (D-Malden).
“People really like her message. They like her passion, they trust in her that she’ll do what she says she’ll do — frankly, that’s what a lot of people like to hear,” said Ultrino, who attended Healey’s Malden town hall last month.
Ultrino said the 500-person crowd was far larger than a normal town hall would draw.
“She had people from almost every background there. Even when we had a controversial vote in City Hall, we’ve never had this many people show up,” he said.
Democratic consultant Scott Ferson, who is not involved in the gubernatorial race, said, “The way a Democrat beats Gov. Charlie Baker is to be a Democrat — they need to tell voters that we can’t just ignore the current president, we need to combat him. She’s the only one doing that.”
Trump’s travel ban blocked citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Sudan and Yemen from the country for three months, and it suspended refugee admissions for 120 days. Healey joined a lawsuit opposing the ban, and has filed other lawsuits in response to Trump’s policies.
Healey, who currently is running unopposed for reelection to the AG office, has plenty of time to decide whether to take on Baker. In the meantime, she can campaign for the corner office all she likes while arguing she is fighting Donald Trump.