The Associated Press called the race for Governor of Massachusetts shortly after polls closed, projecting Attorney General Maura Healey as the first elected woman Governor in state history.
Jane Swift was Governor of Massachusetts in 20o1, but she was not elected. Sswift became governor when Governor Paul Cellucci resigned.
With 15 of 62 precincts reporting in Worcester, Healey is leading 13,918 (75.42%) to Jeff Diehl’s 4,211 (22.82%). With 2% of votes in across the state, Healey leads 67.9% to 30.5%.
Healey and running mate Kim Driscoll, mayor of Salem, are among three races for governor across the nation with two women on the ballot. The other two are Arkansas Republicans Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Leslie Rutledge and in Ohio Democrats Nan Whaley and Cheryl Stephens.
Healey also began election day as one of two female candidates running with to become the first openly gay women elected governor of any state. The other is Democrat in Kotek in Oregon. Healey became the first openly gay attorney general in the United States when elected in 2014.
Since 1958, seven former Massachusetts attorneys general ran for governor. Healey is the first to be elected.
The only other races being called by 9:20 PM in Massachusetts are uncontested races.
Image Credit: Zgreenblatt, Maura Healey Official Campaign photo, CC BY-SA 3.0
