Governor of Massachusetts
| Massachusetts Governor | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $222,185 |
| 2025 FY Budget: | $6,673,602 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Massachusetts Constitution, Chapter 2, Section I, Article I |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder(s) | |
Governor of Massachusetts Maura Healey | |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | 2026 |
| Last election: | 2022 |
| Other Massachusetts Executive Offices | |
| Governor •Lieutenant Governor •Secretary of State •Attorney General •Treasurer •Auditor •Secretary of Education •Agriculture Commissioner •Insurance Commissioner •Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs •Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development •Public Utilities Commission | |
TheGovernor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch and the highest state office inMassachusetts. The governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is not subject to term limits.[1]
Like most other state officers, senators, and representatives, the governor was originally elected annually. In 1918 this was changed to a two-year term, and since 1966 the office of governor has carried a four-year term.
Massachusetts has a Democratictrifecta. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.
Massachusetts has a Democratictriplex. The Democratic Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.
Current officeholder
The current Governor of Massachusetts isMaura Healey (D). Healey assumed office in 2023.
Authority
Thestate Constitution addresses the office of the governor inChapter 2, the Executive Department.
Under Chapter 2, Section I, Article I:
There shall be a supreme executive magistrate, who shall be styled, The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; and whose title shall be -- His Excellency.[1] |
Qualifications
A candidate for the governorship must be a registered elector in the state and have been a resident for at least seven years before taking office.[1]
Elections
Massachusetts elects governors in the midterm elections, that is, even years that are not presidential election years. For Massachusetts, 2018, 2022, 2026, 2030, and 2034 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the first day of the political year is always the first Wednesday in the January following an election and the gubernatorial inauguration occurs at noon the first Thursday in January.
Under Article VII of the Amendments to the Constitution, once the Governor has taken the oath of office, no further oath or affirmation shall be required before he executes any his duties.[1]
Term limits
Massachusetts governors do not face any term limits.
Partisan composition
The chart below shows the partisan breakdown of Massachusetts governors from 1992 to 2013.
2022
General election
General election for Governor of Massachusetts
Maura Healey defeatedGeoff Diehl andKevin Reed in the general election for Governor of Massachusetts on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Maura Healey (D) | 63.7 | 1,584,403 |
 | Geoff Diehl (R) | 34.6 | 859,343 | |
 | Kevin Reed (L) | 1.6 | 39,244 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 2,806 | ||
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 2,485,796 | ||
 = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Dianna Ploss (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Governor of Massachusetts
Maura Healey defeatedSonia Chang-Diaz (Unofficially withdrew) in the Democratic primary for Governor of Massachusetts on September 6, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Maura Healey | 85.3 | 642,092 |
 | Sonia Chang-Diaz (Unofficially withdrew) | 14.4 | 108,574 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 1,972 | ||
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 752,638 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Benjamin Downing (D)
- Josh Caldwell (D)
- Scott Donohue (D)
- Danielle Allen (D)
- Orlando Silva (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Governor of Massachusetts
Geoff Diehl defeatedChris Doughty in the Republican primary for Governor of Massachusetts on September 6, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Geoff Diehl | 55.3 | 149,800 |
 | Chris Doughty | 44.4 | 120,418 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 769 | ||
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 270,987 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team. | ||||
Past elections
Vacancies
Details of vacancy appointments are addressed underArticle LV of the Amendments to the Massachusetts Constitution. When it was passed, Article LV annulled and replaced Article VI of Section III of Chapter II.
The established line of succession for any gubernatorial vacancy is:
- theMassachusetts Treasurer (alternate title for Receiver-General)
When the lieutenant governor takes over, his or her official title is 'Lieutenant Governor, Acting Governor'. Regardless of the officer who takes over as acting governor, that individual shall have all the powers and rights of the elected governor, if not the title.
If a governor-elect dies without taking office, the individual elected on the same ballot as the lieutenant governor shall take office and serve as the governor.
Any time a sitting Governor communicates in writing to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of House of Representatives that he or she is unable to discharge the office, that action shall be taken to consider the office of the governor vacant. At any time, the Chief Justice and a majority of the Associate Justices of theMassachusetts Supreme Court may deliver an opinion to the Senate and House that they have found the governor unfit to discharge the office; in such an instance, the governorship shall also be considered to be vacant.
Whether a governor declared himself or herself temporarily unfit or the courts found him or her unfit, the governor may deliver, to the legislature, a written statement that he or she is fit to return to office. Unless the Supreme Court contests that declaration, the governor shall return to office within four days. If the Supreme Court does challenge the governor's return to office,Article XCI of the Amendments to the Constitution lays out a process for hearing and a final decision.
Regardless of who initiated the decision about the governor's disability, if that disability continues for six months and if more than five months remain until the next biennial election, a special election shall be held for the remainder of the governor's term.
Duties
As one of America's oldest constitutions, many of the original duties assigned to the governor have been annulled or superseded by over two centuries of amendments. Under the organization of the Massachusetts Constitution, all amendments are listed separately inArticles of Amendment, Massachusetts Constitution, which itself runs to 120 discrete items.
Massachusetts' governor is the commander-in-chief of the state's militia, which he or she may assemble for training and parade as well as for actual military functions. Within legal parameters, the governor may also give periodic advice on the organization and regulation of the militia.
Regarding vetoes, if the governor communicates an objection to a bill and the legislature adjourns before he or she is able to deliver his objections, that bill shall not take effect or have any force of law. The governor may not veto a law passed by the voters, through the General Court may amend or repeal such a law.
Other duties and privileges of the office include:
- Making appointments, including notaries public and judicial officers. Additionally, if the legislature is in recess when an office they appoint becomes vacant, the governor may make a vacancy appointment. With consent of the legislature, the governor may also remove previously appointed notaries and judicial officers. Also, the governor may retire appointees for reasons of mental or physical health
- Decennially, working with legislators, reapportioning the number of Senators and Representatives each district shall have
- Granting all military commissions made by the state of Massachusetts
- Making recommendations concerning the general appropriations bills, supplementary budgets, and details and terms of loans taken on by the state to the legislature. The governor also has a line-item veto on the appropriations bill.
- Convening special sessions of the legislature
- Granting pardons, except in cases of impeachment where the individual has been tried in the House and convicted in the Senate
- Requiring legal opinions on important judicial matters from members of the Massachusetts Supreme Court
- Preparing and presenting, to the legislature, plans to reorganize the executive branch, including establishing and abolishing departments and offices
- Presenting a budget to the legislature each year, and compelling any board, commission, or office to provide information deemed necessary in preparing a budget
Divisions
Note:Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for information that describes the divisions (if any exist) of a state executive office. That information for the Governor of Massachusetts has not yet been added. After extensive research we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, pleaseemail us.
State budget
Role in state budget
The state operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:[2]
- Budget instructions are sent to state agencies inmid-November of the year preceding the start of the new fiscal year.
- Thegovernor submits his or her proposed budget to thestate legislature on thefourth Wednesday in January.
- The legislature typically adopts a budget inJune. A simple majority is required to pass a budget. The fiscal year beginsJuly 1.
Massachusetts is one of 44 states in which the governor hasline item veto authority.[2][3]
The governor is legally required to submit a balanced budget proposal. Likewise, the legislature is legally required to pass a balanced budget.[2]
Governor's office budget
The budget for the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, and the governor's council for the 2025 fiscal year was $6,673,602.[4]
Compensation
TheMassachusetts Constitution states that the governor should have a fixed and permanent salary, decided upon by the State Legislature, which would be revisited if the salary was deemed insufficient.[1] However in 1998, theMassachusetts State Legislators Compensation Amendment was passed, prohibiting state legislators from altering the base pay of the governor, and other state public officials. Since January 2001, compensation for public officials instead is adjusted (increased or decreased) every two years corresponding with changes in median household income for Massachusetts’s residents.[5]
In 2014, a seven-member Special Advisory Commission was created by Section 239 of the Articles of Amendment to the Constitution to review and compare the compensation of Massachusetts’s public officials to other states.[6][7]
2023
In 2023, the officer's salary was $222,185, according to theCouncil of State Governments.[8]
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $185,000, according to theCouncil of State Governments.[9]
2021
In 2021, the governor received a salary of $185,000, according to theCouncil of State Governments.[10]
2020
In 2020, the governor received a salary was $185,000, according to theCouncil of State Governments.[11]
2019
In 2019, the governor received a salary was $185,000, according to theCouncil of State Governments.[12]
2018
In 2018, the governor received a salary was $151,800, according to theCouncil of State Governments.[13]
2017
In 2017, the governor received a salary was $151,800, according to theCouncil of State Governments.[14]
2016
In 2016, the governor received a salary was $151,800, according to theCouncil of State Governments.[15]
2015
In 2015, the governor received a salary was $151,800, according to theCouncil of State Governments.[16]
2014
In 2014, the governor earned a salary of $151,800, according to theCouncil of State Governments.[17]
2013
In 2013, the governor's salary was $139,832.[18]
2010
In 2010, the governor was paid $140,535 a year, the 16th highest gubernatorial salary in America at the time.[19]
Historical officeholders
There have been 68 Governors of Massachusetts since 1789. Of the 68 officeholders, 33 were Republican, 16 were Democrat, six were Democratic-Republican, five were Federalists, five were Whig, two were Republican/Whig, one was American/Know-Nothing, one was Democrat/National, and one was Adams Republican.[20]
| List of officeholders from 1789-present | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Tenure | Party | ||
| 7 | John Hancock | 1789 - 1793 | Federalist | ||
| 8 | Samuel Adams | 1793 - 1797 | Democratic-Republican | ||
| 9 | Increase Sumner | 1797 - 1799 | Federalist | ||
| 10 | Caleb Strong | 1800 - 1807 | Federalist | ||
| 11 | James Sullivan | 1807 - 1808 | Democratic-Republican | ||
| 12 | Levi Lincoln | 1808 - 1809 | Democratic-Republican | ||
| 13 | Christopher Gore | 1809 - 1810 | Federalist | ||
| 14 | Elbridge Gerry | 1810 - 1812 | Democratic-Republican | ||
| 10 | Caleb Strong | 1812 - 1816 | Federalist | ||
| 15 | John Brooks | 1816 - 1823 | Federalist | ||
| 16 | William Eustis | 1823 - 1825 | Democratic-Republican | ||
| 17 | Marcus Morton | 1825 - 1825 | Democratic-Republican | ||
| 18 | Levi Lincoln | 1825 - 1833 | Adams Republican | ||
| 19 | John Davis | 1834 - 1835 |  Republican, Whig | ||
| 20 | Samuel Turell Armstrong | 1835 - 1836 | Whig | ||
| 21 | Edward Everett | 1836 - 1840 | Whig | ||
| 17 | Marcus Morton | 1840 - 1841 | Democratic-Republican | ||
| 19 | John Davis | 1841 - 1843 | Republican, Whig | ||
| 17 | Marcus Morton | 1843 - 1844 | Democratic-Republican | ||
| 22 | George Nixon Briggs | 1844 - 1851 | Whig | ||
| 23 | George Sewall Boutwell | 1851 - 1853 |  Democratic | ||
| 24 | John Henry Clifford | 1853 - 1854 | Whig | ||
| 25 | Emory Washburn | 1854 - 1855 | Whig | ||
| 26 | Henry Joseph Gardner | 1855 - 1858 | American /Know-Nothing | ||
| 27 | Nathaniel Prentice Banks | 1858 - 1861 | Republican | ||
| 28 | John Albion Andrew | 1861 - 1866 | Republican | ||
| 29 | Alexander Hamilton Bullock | 1866 - 1869 | Republican | ||
| 30 | William Claflin | 1869 - 1872 | Republican | ||
| 31 | William Barrett Washburn | 1872 - 1874 | Republican | ||
| 32 | Thomas Talbot | 1874 - 1875 | Republican | ||
| 33 | William Gaston | 1875 - 1876 | Democratic | ||
| 34 | Alexander Hamilton Rice | 1876 - 1879 | Republican | ||
| 32 | Thomas Talbot | 1879 - 1880 | Republican | ||
| 35 | John Davis Long | 1880 - 1883 | Republican | ||
| 36 | Benjamin Franklin Butler | 1883 - 1884 | Democratic, National | ||
| 37 | George Dexter Robinson | 1884 - 1887 | Republican | ||
| 38 | Oliver Ames | 1887 - 1890 | Republican | ||
| 39 | John Quincy Adams Brackett | 1890 - 1891 | Republican | ||
| 40 | William Eustis Russell | 1891 - 1894 | Democratic | ||
| 41 | Frederic Thomas Greenhalge | 1894 - 1896 | Republican | ||
| 42 | Roger Wolcott | 1896 - 1900 | Republican | ||
| 43 | Winthrop Murray Crane | 1900 - 1903 | Republican | ||
| 44 | John Lewis Bates | 1903 - 1905 | Republican | ||
| 45 | William Lewis Douglas | 1905 - 1906 | Democratic | ||
| 46 | Curtis Guild | 1906 - 1909 | Republican | ||
| 47 | Ebenezer Sumner Draper | 1909 - 1911 | Republican | ||
| 48 | Eugene Noble Foss | 1911 - 1914 | Democratic | ||
| 49 | David Ignatius Walsh | 1914 - 1916 | Democratic | ||
| 50 | Samuel Walker McCall | 1916 - 1919 | Republican | ||
| 51 | John Calvin Coolidge | 1919 - 1921 | Republican | ||
| 52 | Channing Harris Cox | 1921 - 1925 | Republican | ||
| 53 | Alvan Tufts Fuller | 1925 - 1929 | Republican | ||
| 54 | Frank G. Allen | 1929 - 1931 | Republican | ||
| 55 | Joseph Buell Ely | 1931 - 1935 | Democratic | ||
| 56 | James Michael Curley | 1935 - 1937 | Democratic | ||
| 57 | Charles Francis Hurley | 1937 - 1939 | Democratic | ||
| 58 | Leverett Saltonstall | 1939 - 1945 | Republican | ||
| 59 | Maurice Tobin | 1945 - 1947 | Democratic | ||
| 58 | Robert Fiske Bradford | 1947 - 1949 | Republican | ||
| 59 | Paul Andrew Dever | 1949 - 1953 | Democratic | ||
| 60 | Christian Archibald Herter | 1953 - 1957 | Republican | ||
| 61 | Foster John Furcolo | 1957 - 1961 | Democratic | ||
| 62 | John Anthony Volpe | 1961 - 1963 | Republican | ||
| 63 | Endicott Peabody | 1963 - 1965 | Democratic | ||
| 62 | John Anthony Volpe | 1965 - 1969 | Republican | ||
| 64 | Francis Williams Sargent | 1969 - 1975 | Republican | ||
| 65 | Michael Stanley Dukakis | 1975 - 1979 | Democratic | ||
| 66 | Edward Joseph King | 1979 - 1983 | Democratic | ||
| 65 | Michael Stanley Dukakis | 1983 - 1991 | Democratic | ||
| 67 | William Weld | 1991 - 1997 | Republican | ||
| 68 | Argeo Paul Cellucci | 1997 - 2001 | Republican | ||
| 69 | Jane Maria Swift | 2001 - 2003 | Republican | ||
| 70 | Mitt Romney | 2003 - 2007 | Republican | ||
| 71 | Deval Patrick | 2007-2015 | Democratic | ||
| 72 | Charles D. Baker | 2015-2023 | Republican | ||
| 73 | Maura Healey | 2023-present | Democratic | ||
History
Partisan balance 1992-2013
From 1992-2013, in Massachusetts there were Democratic governors in office for the last seven years while there were Republican governors in office for the first 15 years. During the last seven years of the study Massachusetts was under Democratictrifectas.
Across the country, there were 493 years of Democratic governors (44.82%) and 586 years of Republican governors (53.27%) from 1992 to 2013.
Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states had divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.
The chart below shows the partisan composition of theOffice of the Governor of Massachusetts, theMassachusetts State Senate and theMassachusetts House of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.
.PNG)
SQLI and partisanship
The chart below depicts the partisanship of the Massachusetts state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. Massachusetts had a period of divided government between 1992 and 2006 before electing a Democratic trifecta in 2007. Between the years 1992 and 2004, Massachusetts remained in the top-10 in the SQLI ranking, hitting its highest spot (3rd) in 2000 under divided government. The state had its lowest ranking (24th) in 2006, also under divided government. During the years 2005 and 2006, Massachusetts fell eleven spots in the SQLI ranking under divided government, which was its largest drop in the ranking during the period of the study. The state has never had a Republican trifecta.
- SQLI average with Democratic trifecta: 14.17
- SQLI average with Republican trifecta: N/A
- SQLI average with divided government: 7.20
State profile
| Demographic data for Massachusetts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 6,784,240 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 7,800 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 79.6% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 7.1% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 6% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.9% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 10.6% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 89.8% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 40.5% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $68,563 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 13.1% | 11.3% |
| Source:U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Clickhere for more information on the 2020 census andhere for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Massachusetts. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the censushere. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
Massachusettsvoted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More Massachusetts coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Massachusetts
- United States congressional delegations from Massachusetts
- Public policy in Massachusetts
- Endorsers in Massachusetts
- Massachusetts fact checks
- More...
Contact information
Governor Maura Healey's Office of Constituent Services
Massachusetts State House
24 Beacon St., Office of the Governor, Room 280
Boston, MA 02133
Phone: (617) 725-4005
Western Massachusetts Office
State Office Building
436 Dwight St., Suite 300
Springfield, MA 01103
Phone: (413) 784-1200
Washington, DC Office
Office of the Governor
444 N. Capitol St., Suite 208
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 624-3616
Phone (toll-free in Massachusetts): (888) 870-7770
Phone (TTY): (617) 727-3666
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑1.01.11.21.31.4Massachusetts Legislature, "Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑2.02.12.2National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2021," accessed January 24, 2023
- ↑National Conference of State Legislatures, "Separation of Powers: Executive Veto Powers," accessed January 26, 2024
- ↑Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "FY 2025 Enacted," accessed January 21, 2025
- ↑Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth "Setting Compensation of State Legislatures," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑Outside Section 239, "Special Advisory Commission: Compensation of MA Public Officials," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑University of Massachusetts Boston, "Special advisory commission on elected officials compensation," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 15, 2025
- ↑Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
- ↑Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 22, 2022
- ↑Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2020," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2019," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2018," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2017," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑Council of State Governments, "CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries," January 18, 2021
- ↑Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑National Governors Association, "Former Massachusetts Governors," accessed January 18, 2021
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