PITTSFIELD — In a state where the entire Legislature and all statewide offices are held by Democrats, Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Kennealy says he’s ready to work across the aisle — and with the federal government, too.
During an editorial board meeting with The Eagle, part of a two-day swing through Western Massachusetts, Kennealy — who served as secretary of Housing and Economic Development under Gov. Charlie Baker — said housing has been the major issue during his visits to communities as the campaign begins in earnest.
Massachusetts will hold an election for governor and lieutenant governor on Nov. 3, 2026. A primary election date has yet to be officially set by the Legislature, according to Debra O’Malley, a spokesperson for Secretary of State William F. Galvin.
Kennealy pointed to a key reform during Baker’s administration that lowered the threshold for local approval of housing projects from two-thirds to a simple majority as a long-term solution to the state’s lack of housing supply.
“The only way to solve the housing crisis is to produce more housing,” he said, “and the only way to do that at the state level is to work with the cities and towns to help them produce the housing they want.”
Kennealy, a former venture capitalist who also led the turnaround of the Lawrence Public Schools, is running against Brian Shortsleeve, who led the MBTA under Baker, for the Republican nomination.
Kennealy criticized Gov. Maura Healey and Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell for filing multiple lawsuits challenging President Donald Trump’s executive orders rather than being a “reliable partner.” But he was less specific about how he’d handle Trump’s demands if he were governor.
He also criticized Healey for her handling of the immigrant shelter crisis, and both Healey and Campbell for taking a hard line on cities and towns that have yet to comply with a state law intended to spur new housing in areas served by the MBTA.
Kennealy said he warned the incoming administration during the transition from Baker to Healey that Massachusetts, the only state with a “right to shelter” law, could face a crisis as a result.
“We now have spent $3 billion on that. And I gotta tell you, I went through eight budget cycles in state government. I never felt like there was $3 billion lying around,” he said.
Kennealy believes the tightening of the border and reform of the right to shelter law could help ease the demand for spending and services.
“But make no mistake, the first lesson for me in crisis management and crisis leadership has been to address our root causes early and aggressively,” he said, “and that didn’t happen here.”
As for specifics about how he’d respond to Trump’s federal directives if elected governor, Kennealy was less specific.
Offered a scenario in which Massachusetts residents were protesting in multiple cities — much like Los Angeles residents protested Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids earlier this year — Kennealy would not say whether he’d resist a federal deployment of the Massachusetts National Guard or a declaration of martial law, other than to stress that as governor, he’d remain in charge of the guard.
Earlier this year, Trump deployed 4,000 National Guard troops and sent them and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles to respond to protests over ICE raids in the city. Gov. Gavin Newsom has sued the Trump administration, claiming that action was illegal.
When pressed on the issue, Kennealy said he could not answer questions about “hypothetical” situations.
While some voters “will never be able to divorce what happens at the national level from what happens at the state level,” Kennealy said he’s “convinced there’s a strong majority of people that will do that, because they’ve done it before.”
“There were four years when Donald Trump was president and Charlie Baker was governor. I don’t think the voters painted [Baker] with a broad brush about what a Republican politician is,” he said. “And I think the voters here are pretty darn smart, and they will figure out who has the best resume and the best track record to lead the state, and who has an independent mindset. Meaning I will always do, in my judgment, what is best for Massachusetts. Period, full stop.”