BOSTON — The GOP primary is still over a year away, but with Massachusetts buckling under soaring utility bills, a multi-billion-dollar migrant crisis, and a governor more interested in MSNBC hits than managing the state — Republicans smell blood.
And for the first time in recent memory, the Republican primary isn’t just a placeholder. It’s a political showdown. Two contenders. Two strategies. One mission: end Maura Healey’s reign on Beacon Hill.
Mass Daily News’ political correspondent, BAMW, spoke with both candidates — Mike Kennealy and Brian Shortsleeve — in separate interviews. What followed was a revealing look at two very different pitches for leadership: one more corporate, one more combat-ready, both aiming straight at the same target.
Mike Kennealy: From Boardroom to Beacon Hill
As Governor Healey works the MSNBC circuit, Mike Kennealy is focused on fixing what’s broken here at home.
In his interview with Mass Daily News' political correspondent BAMW, Kennealy pitched himself as the serious, sleeves-rolled-up alternative. A private equity veteran, former Cabinet Secretary, school turnaround specialist, and non-profit leader, he’s banking on competence over flash — and the signal seems to be getting through.
“I’m not a career politician chasing headlines or national attention,” he said. “I’m a leader with real executive experience… ready to take the bull by the horns.”
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He’s already picked up support from Republican firebrand and migrant shelter whistleblower Jon Fetherston, who’s been one of the loudest voices exposing the migrant crisis in Massachusetts. Fetherston says Kennealy is the only candidate who can "beat Maura Healey in 2026”—and take on the Democratic machine pouring billions into the crisis.
It must be noted that Kennealy didn’t vote for Donald Trump in 2024 — a fact that’s quietly raised eyebrows in some GOP circles. But in Massachusetts, it could be political gold. This is a state that twice elected Charlie Baker by landslides — a Republican who kept his distance from Washington brawls and walked away as the most popular governor in the country.
Still, Kennealy doesn’t pull punches when it comes to Maura Healey.
He blamed her for soaring energy bills and a state economy in decline, accusing her of pushing a “climate agenda” instead of a real energy strategy. He pledged to appoint a cost-cutting energy czar on day one.
On immigration, he said the 2017 Lunn decision turned Massachusetts into a “de facto sanctuary state,” cutting off cooperation with ICE. He promised to reverse that trend and give law enforcement back the tools to remove criminal illegal immigrants from shelters and city streets.
On guns, he called for repealing Chapter 135, protecting legal ownership, and enforcing existing laws to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals.
And when it came to the migrant crisis — now costing Massachusetts billions — Kennealy revealed he personally warned Healey about what was coming.
“During Governor Healey’s transition, I sat down with her and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll and warned them directly about the seriousness of a pending migrant crisis.”
Instead, he said, she politicized it. “She pandered to the far-left wing of her party… and allowed Massachusetts taxpayers to be stuck with the bill.”
Kennealy’s approach is less about noise, more about results. While Governor Healey sharpens her national image, he’s focused on the one office that matters — and the state that desperately needs a reset.
“The Democratic supermajority has failed this state,” he said. “I’m ready to lead the charge.”
Brian Shortsleeve: The Marine With a Mission
In his Q&A, Brian Shortsleeve doesn’t mince words: “Massachusetts is on the wrong track,” he said. “My three sons shouldn’t have to leave as economic refugees. I’m a Marine on a mission for Massachusetts.”
A former U.S. Marine, venture capitalist, and turnaround specialist at the MBTA, Shortsleeve is pitching bold action on Beacon Hill. He’s sounding alarms about a state he says is being driven into the ground by mismanagement, mandates, and a migrant crisis costing taxpayers billions.
He called out Governor Healey for creating what he describes as a “migrant magnet”—pointing to $14,000-per-month shelter costs and exploding state budgets. His plan? End sanctuary policies, expand 287(g) cooperation with ICE, and, if necessary, take legal action to reverse what he sees as reckless policies.
On energy, Shortsleeve is ready to rip through red tape. He wants to bring in new natural gas pipelines, roll back Healey’s climate mandates, and slash utility fees that have left Massachusetts with some of the highest energy costs in the nation.
Transparency is another cornerstone. “Audit, baby, audit,” he said, backing a full legislative audit and pledging to end public records exemptions for Beacon Hill insiders. “We need to know where the money’s going.”
He’s already picked up key support, including State Rep. Marc Lombardo, and is gaining traction with fiscal conservatives and Republican voters who want a leader that gets results.
Two Visions, One Target
This isn’t background noise anymore. It’s the sound of a party waking up.
Brian Shortsleeve is firing off like a heat-seeking missile—on a mission to gut the sanctuary state policies, slash energy costs, and hammer Beacon Hill into shape. Mike Kennealy is moving with precision, laying out a full-spectrum plan to steady the ship and pull Massachusetts out of the political storm.
Both say Maura Healey’s administration is failing. Both want to flip the state. And both just gave the clearest picture yet of how they’d do it.
The GOP hasn’t had this kind of primary in years. Two contenders. Zero filler.
The stage is set. The stakes are high. And the clock is ticking.
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