Gov. Maura Healey is making it clear that she wants to be at the forefront of remaking the Democratic Party after a crushing defeat in November handed President Donald Trump a second term in the White House.
In two national interviews this month, Healey threw not-so-subtle jabs at top Democrats in Washington, criticized her own party for having a “brand problem,” and again threw shade at President Joe Biden for not stepping out of the presidential race early enough to give Kamala Harris a shot at winning.
During an interview Wednesday with late night comedy host Seth Meyers, Healey argued Democratic messaging did not resonate with voters during the 2024 election.
“The reason the Democrats lost is because the feeling, I think, was we weren’t with people, we weren’t empathizing with people, we weren’t recognizing everyday needs. Now is the time to run headlong into that, talk about these things, educate and show them to how we are going to actually deliver,” she said.
The one-on-one sit downs with prominent media outlets come as Trump tries to drastically slash the size of the federal government, cut federal funding that states like Massachusetts rely on, and end diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
The first-term Arlington Democrat appears to be positioning herself as one of the main voices on what the Democratic Party needs to do to counter Trump and build itself back up after November’s defeat.
Healey has spent much of her first term in the Beacon Hill’s executive office building her national profile — some think because she wants to run for national office in 2028.
Regardless of any ambitions for higher office, Healey is not hiding her desire to be at the front of any efforts to rebuild the Democratic Party in the new political landscape Trump has forged over the past several months.
In an interview with The New York Times last weekend, Healey said Democrats need to rework their image into one that convinces voters that they are delivering for everyday Americans.
“There’s definitely a brand problem. There’s a big brand problem,” she told the Times. “I don’t pretend to speak for the party, but I can tell you, as a Democratic leader, what I’m going to do. I’m going to focus on driving what I believe is a Democratic message. Let’s take this moment and redefine the brand.”
Healey’s critique of the party’s profile lines up with frustrations she has aired about Congressional Democratic leadership’s handling of Trump.
In the sitdown with Meyers, Healey said Democratic leaders in Congress are not taking an aggressive enough approach to dealing with Trump, a situation that is “frustrating … because I think it’s important for people to speak up.”
“People in leadership, members of Congress, get out to your districts, stand alongside folks in your districts and listen to them about what they’re experiencing, and also educate them about, like, what these cuts mean, what this guy (Elon) Musk is doing with DOGE,” she said, referring to the billionaire’s Department of Government Efficiency.
It is a point she also floated to the Times, telling the outlet that “we need leadership that is aggressive, that is proactive, that is speaking to everyday Americans.”
“I think part of what got the Democratic Party in trouble this last election is the fact that there was a perception that leaders within the Democratic Party were not actually seeing and feeling people’s pain,” she said. “I think it lived out to a certain extent among Democratic leadership, that they just didn’t have their finger on the pulse. They’re talking about issues that weren’t bread and butter, core economic issues that resonate.”
Healey’s remarks were not the first time she has taken shots at Democratic leaders in Congress.
In a private call earlier this year with other governors and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Healey pressed the New York lawmaker to slow walk votes on Trump’s nominees and create more public opposition to the president, the Times reported in January.
But the two national interviews were notable because of the platform they gave Healey to air to a broad audience her views on a party that is floundering to mount a unified and effective defense to Trump’s initiatives.
Back at home, Healey is running for reelection as governor of Massachusetts and she told reporters Thursday that she would “of course” serve out a full term if reelected.
So what was the strategy behind the two national interviews this month?
“I was just asked to do an interview, and … when reporters ask, I try to accommodate. So I was happy to do the interview and talk about what’s really happening and real world impact on people in Massachusetts,” she said at the State House.