Kim Driscoll and Shawn Oliver met for their only in-person matchup of the campaign on Tuesday, a half-hour debate that put the two lieutenant governor candidates on stage without their running mates and forced each to answer for positions their own ticket-mates have staked out. Driscoll, the Democratic incumbent running alongside Governor Maura Healey, and Oliver, the Republican nominee paired with gubernatorial candidate Michael Minogue, sparred over abortion, immigration enforcement, and how a Massachusetts governor should deal with the Trump administration.
Neither Healey nor Minogue appeared on stage for the debate, which was hosted by Jim Braude and Margery Eagan on GBH's Boston Public Radio, as The Boston Globe reported. That left Driscoll and Oliver to speak not just for themselves but for tickets that, in Oliver's case, came together only after a chaotic primary season scrambled the Republican field.
Oliver Describes Himself as Pro-Choice, Faces 2028 Referendum Questions
Oliver described himself as a pro-choice Republican during the debate, a notable departure from Minogue, who has called himself a born-again Catholic and said he is pro-life, according to the Globe's reporting. Minogue has said he would uphold the state's current abortion laws if elected and that, as of May, he cannot change the law himself. Oliver, for his part, faced questions about a potential 2028 ballot referendum to repeal it.
The law in question is an abortion-law expansion Healey signed in August, making Massachusetts the 10th state, along with Washington, D.C., to remove gestational limits on abortion, according to The 19th News. The measure replaced a previous 24-week cap that had required some patients with severe medical complications to travel out of state. The Globe notes the law allows women to receive an abortion later in pregnancy more easily, a framing that put Oliver in the position of defending a policy his own running mate opposes.
New Bedford Raids and Trump Ties Take Center Stage
Immigration enforcement also dominated the exchange. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted raids on the South Coast in September, and authorities arrested more than two dozen people in New Bedford, per the Globe's account. Separately, SeafoodSource reported that federal agents detained at least 12 people during a September 21 operation targeting workers at local seafood processing plants, with local advocacy groups saying several detainees had lived in New Bedford for years without criminal records. Governor Healey issued a formal demand for federal details on the operation following the raids.
Oliver, a New Bedford City Council member, was asked why he had not publicly commented on the raids. He also pointed to his own family history, noting that his parents and grandparents immigrated to the United States from Portugal. On working with Washington, Oliver said a governor needs an open dialogue with the White House, while Driscoll countered that Massachusetts needs leaders who stand up for its people, drawing on her experience as Salem's mayor before joining the state executive ticket.
The Trump connection cut both ways for the Republican ticket. Minogue has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to a committee backing Donald Trump's second White House bid, even as he has said he disagreed with Trump's cuts to National Institutes of Health funding and generally opposes the administration's tariffs on Canada, according to the Globe.
Legislative Audit Fight Resurfaces
The debate also touched on State Auditor Diana DiZoglio's push to audit the Legislature. Healey has publicly supported an audit, while Oliver argued that Healey and Driscoll have not been clear enough about supporting it.
An Awkward Path to the Same Ticket
Part of what made the debate notable was how unusual the Minogue-Oliver pairing is in the first place. Oliver originally ran in the Republican primary alongside Brian Shortsleeve, Minogue's former primary opponent. Anne Brensley withdrew from the race in May after failing to submit enough valid signatures, a shortfall she blamed on a signature-gathering firm, according to the New Bedford Light. She went on to win the Republican nomination for Secretary of State via write-in votes instead.
Minogue and Oliver became running mates only after each won their own separate primary. Oliver secured the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor with 91.6% of the vote after successfully challenging the petition signatures of his chief rival, Anne Manning Martin, who was disqualified as a result. Oliver did not appear with Minogue at an event held a week after Minogue won the primary to present his campaign platform. Pressed on the disconnect, Oliver said he and Minogue are in constant communication and united on affordability, accountability, opportunity, and community safety.
Minogue, an Army infantry officer with a background at Danvers-based Abiomed, has poured roughly $17 million of his own money into the race, according to GBH News. Campaign finance filings reviewed in October showed Minogue spent $6.1 million in September alone. Even so, a University of New Hampshire poll reported by GBH in October showed Healey leading Minogue by 16 percentage points heading into November.
The major-party tickets pair Healey and Driscoll against Minogue and Oliver.
