Maura Healey
Summary
Maura Healey is the 73rd Governor of Massachusetts and the first woman elected governor of the state. Born February 8, 1971, she served as Massachusetts Attorney General from 2015 to 2023, where she led the state's challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act and gained national prominence through lawsuits against the Trump administration. She is one of the first two openly lesbian governors elected in the United States. Her administration has focused on housing affordability, climate action, and lower costs for residents.
Background
Healey was born in Bethesda, Maryland, and raised in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire, by a nurse mother and U.S. Public Health Service captain father. She earned undergraduate and law degrees and worked as civil rights attorney before joining Massachusetts Attorney General's office in 2007. Hired by then-AG Martha Coakley, she rose through the ranks, eventually overseeing 250 lawyers and staff. In 2014, she became first openly lesbian woman elected attorney general of a U.S. state. Reelected in 2018, she ran for governor in 2022 and won with 64% of vote.