Maura Healey Holds Commanding Lead for Governor, Inflation Worries Bay Staters

Black hand placing ballot in box in front of Massachusetts state seal

UMass Lowell’s Center for Public Opinion conducted a survey from June 7 to 15, 2022, of 1,000 likely Massachusetts voters about November's gubernatorial race, the effects of growing inflation on Bay State voters, ongoing concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, and offers a concerning look toward the fall 2022 national elections that focuses on democratic stability.  

Key Findings

  • Democrat Attorney General Maura Healey holds nearly a 30-point lead among likely voters over her closest Republican opponent. Healey leads Republican favorite, Geoff Diehl, 61% to 30%, with 1% saying they will vote for another candidate and 8% undecided. 
  • With inflation rates in excess of 8%, Massachusetts likely voters are expressing widespread concern about rising prices heading into a midterm election year, often separated by partisan responses.
  • Presently, just 17% of Bay State likely voters trust the federal government to do what’s right all the time or most of the time, while 83% trust the government less (only some of the time/hardly ever).
  • Overall, Massachusetts likely voters report high satisfaction with the state government response (72%) to the pandemic.