Maura Healey

In October 2013, Healey announced her intention to run for attorney general. Coakley was retiring from the office to run for Governor. On September 9, 2014, Healey won the Democratic primary by 126,420 votes, defeating former State Senator Warren Tolman by 62.4% to 37.6%[12]

Healey's campaign was endorsed by State Senators Stan Rosenberg, Dan Wolf, Jamie Eldridge and America's largest resource for pro-choice women in politics, EMILY's List.[13][14] Her campaign was also endorsed by Northeast District Attorney David Sullivan, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, Fitchburg Mayor Lisa Wong, and Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz.[15][16] Organizations that have endorsed the campaign include the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts, MassEquality, and the Victory Fund.[17][18][19] Healey penned an op-ed in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette on upholding the Massachusetts buffer zone law, which she worked on at the Attorney General's Office.[5] She also authored an op-ed in The Boston Globe outlining her plan to combat student loan predators.[20][21][22]

She faced Republican nominee John Miller, an attorney, in the general election, and defeated him by 62.5% to 37.5%. Upon taking office, she became the first openly gay state attorney general in the United States.[23][24]

Healey's plan to reduce gun violence seeks to address what she perceives as the root causes of violence. The plan includes enhancing the background check system to include information regarding recent restraining orders, pending indictments, any relations to domestic violence, parole and probation information. The plan also seeks to better track stolen and missing guns. Healey advocates for the incorporation of fingerprint trigger locks and firearm micro-stamping on all guns sold in Massachusetts.[25][26]

Healey's plan for criminal justice reform includes ending mandatory sentences for non-violent drug offenders and focusing on treatment rather than incarceration.[27]

Healey also plans to combat prescription drug abuse and the heroin epidemic in Massachusetts by implementing a "lock-in" program. The program will be carried out in pharmacies as a way to identify and track prescription drug abusers and/or distributors. Her plan also includes deployment of new resources to drug trafficking hotspots, improvement of treatment accessibility and expanding access to Narcan.[28]

Healey's women's rights platform focuses on sex education, expanding access to abortion services in Massachusetts and ensuring that every woman in Massachusetts has access to abortion regardless of where she lives, her occupation or her income.[29]

On July 20, 2016, Healey announced her intention to ban the sale or transfer of most semi-automatic rifles inside the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Healey actively considered firearms stores non essential.[30]

On January 31, 2017, Healey announced that her office was joining a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's Executive Order 13769,[31][32] commonly known as a "Muslim ban." [33][34] Healey condemned the order as being "motivated by anti-Muslim sentiment and Islamophobia, not by a desire to further national security." [31] The order was eventually struck down in federal court on similar grounds.[35]

On March 9, 2017, Healey announced that her office was joining a lawsuit challenging President Trump's Executive Order 13780.[36][37] Healey stated that the new order, a revised version of the one that had previously been struck down, "remains a discriminatory and unconstitutional attempt to make good on [Trump's] campaign promise to implement a Muslim ban." [36] The order has since been blocked in various federal courts on similar grounds.[37][38]

On May 11, 2017, following President Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey, Healey led efforts calling for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Russia's meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Her office sent a letter to that effect, signed by twenty Attorneys General from across the nation, to Deputy U.S. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.[39] On March 17, Rosenstein appointed a special counsel, choosing former FBI director Robert Mueller for the post.[40]

On November 6, 2018, Healy was re-elected as Massachusetts Attorney General. Healey defeated Republican challenger James McMahon with 69.9% of the vote. [1]

In response to violent protests associated with the death of George Floyd, Healey noted "America is Burning. That's how forests grow.[41]