Democratic Attorney General Healey and Trump-backed Republican former state representative Diehl faced off on WCVB-Channel 5 in partnership with the Boston Globe, WBUR, and Univision. Republican Governor Charlie Baker is not seeking a third, four-year term.
Per recent Suffolk University polling, Healey is dominating the race with a 56-33 precent lead.
The same polling indicates that economic fears have grown among voters as the days tick down to the election.
With Massachusetts reporting a budget surplus in the billions – and billions going back to state residents in tax refunds – the candidates were asked if they would raise taxes or overturn tax cuts.
Diehl said he didn’t anticipate ever raising taxes.
“I came into the legislature in 2010, when, in 2008 and 2009, the mortgage meltdown caused a large problem with the state collecting enough revenue to be able to pay towns what they needed to for local aid, Chapter 70 school funds," he said. "That was one of the big reasons that I ran. So I understand what happens when the state ends up spending more than they should. And in this case, I understand that the state has that surplus. I think what they need to do is manage to hold on to the surplus beyond the $3 billion that's supposed to be returned, and make sure they've got that in the rainy-day fund for what could potentially be a major economic meltdown. Right now we're seeing a recession. We're seeing home values drop. We're seeing, again, major manufacturers leaving our state- Raytheon.”
“I'm not going to commit to particular pledges," said Healey. "I will commit to doing this- Recognizing right now we've got a serious issue with inflation. So many families and businesses are struggling with affordability. I'm very focused as well on Massachusetts' competitiveness, and I don't want to see employers or businesses going elsewhere. So I already talked to you a little bit about the things that I would do as an immediate priority. That includes tax reform, getting that surplus out the door. It also includes dealing with a high cost of housing. We have to wait to see in the future, and then I'll make that evaluation.”
The candidates butted heads over economic and energy policies.
“You were one of the drivers of inflation," Diehl told Healey. "You chose and supported President Biden. He's the one who created a war on energy. We were energy independent. You have created your own war on energy and Massachusetts. That is the major driver that's costing businesses more money, passing it on to consumers, and making it so expensive to run a business, to employ people, and to try to be competitive with other businesses nearby and globally. So please, don't tell me that you didn't block those pipelines. You absolutely blocked Kinder Morgan and Access Northeast, and you were happy to say it. It's on record during a debate with your opponent in the Democratic primary.”
“I did and I stood up for ratepayers, Geoff," Healey responded. "I blocked them from having us foot the bill to the tune of billions of dollars. That's what happened there. But look, I think most people out there listening tonight understand something about monetary policy, understand the role of the federal reserve, the decisions that Jerome Powell is making. You can lay all the blame on Biden. I appreciate that Biden has put forward the infrastructure act, he's actually taking steps to address inflation. I want to work and continue to support efforts to address inflation. Again, that's my top priority here as governor, is making life more affordable right now for families who are hurting across this state. Simple as that.”
Berkshire County made a cameo during a Diehl response to a question about funding municipalities.
“The mayor of Pittsfield mentioned to me something about also needing to have investments in some of the municipal buildings like police stations and fire departments, and said that there's really no funding formula other than the towns having to raise an appropriate that money," he said. "And one of the things that I thought might be an interesting option is the cannabis commission does generate a pretty decent amount of revenue right now. Maybe creating a dedicated stream from that commission to at least assist with, much like how the Mass school buildings building authority gets their money from the lottery, is one way to creatively help those cities and towns fund those municipal buildings, that help alleviate the cost of the property taxes in each of those towns.”
The candidates also sparred over education policy.
“My opponent wants to return to the days of Betsy DeVos, who my office had to sue time and time again for ripping off students," said Healey. "But this idea that you're going to let the free market and privatization govern education in the state is just not something that Massachusetts has ever been about.”
“As someone who went to a private college, I surprised you're not a fan of private colleges," responded Diehl. "However, Massachusetts actually has a history of starting with private institutions before Horace Mann ever created the public school system. So again, when you say that private schools aren't the solution, I disagree.”
You can hear the entire debate here:
The election is November 8th.
