WBUR on Maura Healy’s Run for Governor — And What Progressives Think

Anthony Brooks, “Maura Healey could be the next governor. Her ties to Mass. begin with a surprising backstory,” WBUR, June 9, 2022.

But a number of progressives say Healey is too conservative on some issues, including criminal justice. For example, they point out that Healey pushed to expand the state’s wire tapping law; she supported no-knock warrants and facial recognition software in some circumstances.

Jonathan Cohn, policy director for the group Progressive Massachusetts, is among those critics. The group has endorsed Chang-Díaz for governor, and Cohn says Healey sides with law enforcement too often and is too comfortable working within the current criminal justice system — instead of fighting to reshape it.

“If inequities are baked into a system and you’re accepting the system as it is, you’ll never fully address them,” Cohn said. “Because she’s largely operating as a law enforcement official.”