BOSTON – In her first public remarks since Vice President Kamala Harris lost the presidential election, Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday said she will support a peaceful transfer of power and acknowledged that voters across Massachusetts and the country have mixed feelings about Donald Trump’s comeback.

Under the future Trump administration, Healey signaled she will keep pursuing priorities like driving down housing costs, securing the growth of the offshore wind industry, preserving Massachusetts’s public education ranking, and defending people’s rights and freedoms.

“Whoever you are, whoever you voted for, know that we’re going to continue to work together and move forward,” Healey told reporters. “I am a governor and the LG is a lieutenant governor for everyone, and we will work with anyone to make life better for residents in our state. In moments like this, I also think it’s important to remind everyone that this great country of ours is bigger than any one person alone. We all have a role to play in building the kind of community, state and country that we want to be, and that we want for our children.”

Reflecting on anger and division across the United States, Healey said “Massachusetts is a place, and will be a place, where we care about each other, and we look after one another.” The governor also noted that the “arc of history is long” and said that Massachusetts can show where the country is headed.

Harris secured 61.4% of the vote in Massachusetts, compared to Trump’s 36.4%. AP results show Harris garnered 2,057,345 votes, with Trump at 1,221,650 votes.

Healey, joined by Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, appeared somber in the corner office suite Wednesday afternoon, her mood having shifted from the energized photos she shared online Tuesday. Driscoll didn’t offer any remarks.

The Legislature’s top Democrats, House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka, were not made available to speak to reporters Wednesday. In statements, they spoke about the importance of state government in protecting Massachusetts’s core values without directly mentioning Trump by name.

“We have faced an anti-democratic presidency before, and we responded by doubling down on defending reproductive freedom, protecting the health care of all our residents regardless of gender or gender identity, strengthening voter protections, and creating comprehensive climate policy to protect our state — and our nation — from the devastating effects of climate change,” Spilka said. “The Massachusetts State Senate stands ready to fight for the fundamental values our Commonwealth holds dear once again.”

Pointing to unspecified past instances of “federal mismanagement,” Mariano suggested a “heightened” role for the House.

“Time and time again, the Massachusetts House has endeavored to step up in the face of federal mismanagement, voting to expand rights that were otherwise being threatened, and always serving as a driving force behind forward-thinking solutions to our most pressing challenges,” Mariano said. “That is a role that will now be of heightened importance due to yesterday’s incredibly disappointing election results and the potential for decreased federal support.”

Healey spent Election Day and recent days in New Hampshire to rally support for Democrat Joyce Craig, who lost her gubernatorial bid to Republican Kelly Ayotte. The former attorney general of New Hampshire, Ayotte repeatedly ridiculed Massachusetts policies on the campaign trail, and outgoing Gov. Chris Sununu said Tuesday that Craig faltered by linking her bid to the Bay State, The Boston Globe reported.

Ayotte secured 53% of the vote, with Craig trailing at about 45%, according to AP results Wednesday afternoon with 96% of precincts reporting. Republicans also touted victories in Vermont, where GOP officials predicted the party would gain 17 seats in the House of Representatives and effectively eliminate Democrats’ supermajority, according to Vermont Public Radio.

The Massachusetts GOP criticized Healey for campaign trips throughout Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, a state that pitches itself as an alternative to Massachusetts. Party Chair Amy Carnevale, who pointed out Healey failed to sway Bay Staters to vote against Question 2 eliminating MCAS as a high school graduation requirement, said Healey has “little to show for her time away.”

“Instead of focusing on the pressing issues of the commonwealth, she chose to campaign in Pennsylvania, supporting Kamala Harris, who ultimately lost her presidential bid,” Carnevale said of Healey in a statement. “She also headed to New Hampshire, deploying tired and inappropriate attacks against Kelly Ayotte, who subsequently secured a victory as governor.”

Healey, asked Wednesday whether she should have spent more time campaigning in Massachusetts, said, “No.”

“We knew New Hampshire was going to be close. The reason I was in New Hampshire is because, you know, my mom and dad still live there,” Healey said. “I grew up there, I played sports there, went to school there, worked there, I got a lot of friends (there). I care a lot about that state, and you know, we have a very close relationship, I mean literally as border states.”

Healey, asked where Democrats went wrong Wednesday, invoked messaging around the economy while praising the Biden-Harris administration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I know what the Biden-Harris administration did for Massachusetts,” said Healey, as she referenced federal funding for infrastructure, transportation, housing and climate resilience. “Ultimately these are all investments in jobs and a growing economy.”

Ensuring people understand the impact of those investments, and getting the “right policymakers” in Washington and here, must be a “continuing effort and work of everybody in office,” Healey said. She also rattled off economic accomplishments in Massachusetts, such as cutting taxes, making child care more affordable, and boosting housing affordability through the recent housing bond bill.