You won’t find Massachusetts’ Governor Maura Healey around the State House this week. Governor Healey, famously nomadic since she began her term in 2023, has apparently hit the road, her destination known only to her. Healey’s last recorded action in her official capacity was approving the $60.9 billion state budget for Fiscal Fear 2026, only last Friday. She also made sure to grace Boston’s iconic Fourth of July fireworks display at the Esplanade, her eyes set on the Charles River, prior to vanishing into the darkness, entrusting the administration of the state to Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll for a week’s duration.
The speed at which Governor Healey handled the state budget caught the attention of the State House News Service. They noted that she demonstrated a swift management of the budget proposal that hasn’t been seen from a Massachusetts governor in over a quarter of a century. Being a meticulous leader, Governor Healey made sure to trim approximately $130 million before putting together her essentials in a suitcase and symbolically handing over the keys to the State House to her Lieutenant Governor, Driscoll, before taking her leave.
When asked about the Governor’s whereabouts, her office only shared that she is currently on a week-long break with her family. As such, it can be inferred that her partner, Joanna Lydgate, who is often affectionately mentioned in the press as ‘First Lady’ or ‘First Partner’, could be accompanying her. It is also highly probable that Lydgate’s children are with them.
In her initial year of holding office, Governor Healey faced censure from her detractors and media outlets for her numerous trips, which led her team to declare their decision to stop giving advance information regarding her travels due to potential security risks. However, in time, the policy underwent changes to allow post-trip information about Healey’s travels to be accessible to the public.
As per the hierarchical setup of the state’s government, in case Lt. Gov. Driscoll also opts to leave the state, the next in line, Secretary of State William Galvin, would assume the acting governor’s role. Interestingly, such a situation has already unfolded once early in the term, when both Governor Healey and Lt. Gov. Driscoll were out of the state, simultaneously.