Minogue defeats GOP rival Shortsleeve, setting up clash with Healey

Mike Minogue defeated Brian Shortsleeve Tuesday, securing the Republican nomination for governor of Massachusetts. Minogue will now face Gov. Maura Healey in the general election. 

“Hard-working families are falling behind while the political establishment keeps taking care of itself. They’ve built a system that spends more, taxes more, and asks working people to carry more, while their friends and insiders get the breaks.” Minogue said Tuesday. “Tonight, we sent a message: those days are over.”

Unofficial results from the Associated Press showed Minogue with around 76 percent of the vote, with around 20 percent of votes having been counted, shortly after 9:30 p.m.

Minogue, a former biotech executive and political newcomer, launched his campaign nearly a year ago with promises of being a “new kind of governor.” As a candidate, he promised to increase transparency on Beacon Hill, cut taxes, bring business to Massachusetts, and crack down on undocumented immigrants. Minogue has said he wants to cancel what he calls “unfunded mandates” like the MBTA Communities Act, cut red tape for developers, prevent Massachusetts from becoming a “sanctuary state” for immigrants, and support an audit of the Legislature. 

He is an Army veteran who found tremendous success in the medical device industry. Minogue led Abiomed, a company known for heart pumps and other medical devices, for close to two decades. Johnson & Johnson purchased the company in 2022 for close to $17 billion, and Minogue sold his shares in the company.  

Minogue has been a major donor to President Donald Trump, and hosted a fundraiser for Vice President JD Vance in Massachusetts in 2024. 

Minogue became the frontrunner in the race in April, when he won 70 percent of the delegates at the Massachusetts Republican party’s convention. One rival, Mike Kennealy, dropped out after failing to reach the threshold to appear on the primary ballot. 

Shortsleeve narrowly surpassed the threshold, then resisted pressure from some members of the party to follow Kennealy’s lead. 

Shortsleeve is a Marine veteran and venture capitalist who served as the chief administrator of the MBTA under former Gov. Charlie Baker.

“We ran a tough campaign. We ran hard. We fought for what we believed in. And I wouldn’t change that for a second,” Shortsleeve told supporters Tuesday night after conceding.

He offered his support for Minogue.

“The primary is over. Now it is time to come together,” Shortsleeve said, as written in prepared remarks shared by his campaign. “We want a Massachusetts where families can afford to stay and raise their children. Where businesses can grow and create jobs. Where taxpayers know their money is being respected. And where common sense matters again on Beacon Hill. We will never get that under Governor Maura Healey, but we will get it with Mike Minogue in the corner office.”

Speaking to supporters Tuesday night, Healey criticized Minogue for donating to Trump and hosting the fundraiser for Vance. 

“That was before the last election, which means Mike Minogue took a look at what Donald Trump did in his first term and said ‘sign me up, I want more of that,’” Healey said. 

Healey also blasted Minogue for apparently donating to Prager University, a conservative media organization that critics say is responsible for spreading far-right propaganda. The organization, which is not an accredited academic institution, has also been accused of sanitizing American history. 

“It’s a right-wing propaganda machine that promotes racist and anti-gay views, denies climate change, and spread extremism and misinformation,” Healey said.