Well, what do you know. There really is a Republican party in Massachusetts. Earlier this week, Mike Kennealy, a former private equity manager and former housing and economic development secretary under Gov. Charlie Baker, declared his candidacy for governor, the first Republican to officially challenge Gov. Maura Healey. And he may not be the last. The Herald reported yesterday that Republican “mega donor” Michael Minogue spoke with MassGOP officials about possibly running for governor. And, as reported by SHNS at WBUR, other potential GOP candidates include Worcester County Sheriff Lew Evangelidis, former MBTA Chief Administrator Brian Shortsleeve, former U.S. Senate candidate John Deaton, and state Sen. Peter Durant.

This isn’t exactly an A list of gubernatorial candidates. Come to think of it, do state Republicans have a theoretical A list of any kind for any office in Massachusetts? Democrats hold all statewide constitutional offices in Massachusetts, all 11 Congressional seats, and huge legislative majorities on Beacon Hill. Still, the GOP’s list of real and potential gubernatorial contenders ain’t that bad. As far as B lists go, it’s a B +. Maybe I’m being a little generous. But remember that Mitt Romney, a former private equity honcho, never held elected office until he won the governorship in ’02. And Baker’s big claim to fame prior to becoming governor in 2015 was serving as a star cabinet member under former Govs. Bill Weld and Paul Cellucci (setting aside his monumental three years as a Swampscott selectman)… 

As things stand now, I don’t think any Republican is going to knock off Healey in ‘26. But at the least the party is showing some signs of life. Not a lot. But the EKG bleeps are there. … WGBH has more on Kennealy here, btw. And for all you biz types out there, he formerly worked in PE at TA Associates and Spectrum Equity.