Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue is accusing Gov. Maura Healey's administration of trading a State Police contract for the troopers' union endorsement, touching off a bitter public feud just over a week before Election Day. The State Police Association of Massachusetts has fired back, calling the allegation categorically false and demanding Minogue apologize to the men and women who wear the badge.
Minogue speculated earlier this month that Healey had made a deal with state troopers trading the new union contract for their endorsement, raising the allegation on October 24. According to WGBH, Minogue claimed “Healey would receive the union's endorsement and SPAM would get an 18% wage increase over three years,” and he suggested the contract was being kept quiet until after voters cast their ballots. He went further, arguing that “exchanging a political endorsement for a taxpayer contract and withholding announcement until after election is illegal.”
The State Police Association of Massachusetts, which goes by the acronym SPAM, pushed back hard. As Boston.com reported, union leadership said Minogue “should correct his false allegations and apologize to the men and women of the Massachusetts State Police.” The union said its agreement was hashed out the old-fashioned way, through “mediation, fact-finding, and arbitration,” not backroom dealmaking.
A Contested Number at the Center of the Fight
Part of the dispute hinges on the size of the raise itself. Minogue's original post cited an 18 percent wage increase over three years, but the union says that figure is simply wrong — the same Boston.com report notes the union clarified its new contract includes an 11 percent raise over three years, not 18 percent. The union also said that figure is in line with what other public employee unions have recently negotiated, according to the station's report.
Union leadership called Minogue's corruption framing reckless, with its statement to Boston.com arguing that “accusing our members of corruption without evidence is reckless.” The dispute has since spilled into dueling demands for contrition, with the union president urging Minogue to apologize while Minogue countered that Healey is the one who should apologize, per WCVB.
Minogue Draws a Distinction Between Troopers and the Administration
Minogue has tried to separate his criticism of Healey from any criticism of the troopers themselves. He said his concerns about potential corruption tied to the contract and endorsement were not directed at the rank and file, telling WGBH that “our State Troopers deserve a fair contract, competitive compensation, and our full support and respect.” He also said he had heard concerns about the contract and endorsement directly from current and retired state troopers.
Rather than retract his claim, Minogue has doubled down on demanding transparency. He has called for an official, verifiable statement on whether Healey's administration or campaign connected the union's contract to its endorsement of her candidacy, and he wants public disclosure of communications, conversations, texts and emails between the governor's negotiating team and union representatives. Minogue has also argued the endorsement came 54 days before the election during a year of contract negotiations, and said the bargaining process should have wrapped up a year earlier.
Minogue said Healey owes the troopers an apology for allowing circumstances to arise that put their integrity and professionalism in question, framing it as a structural problem rather than a personal attack on any trooper. He warned that the situation should not happen again because it creates a cloud over any contract negotiated close to an election.
Healey Camp Calls the Claims Lies, Touts Police Support
Healey's campaign has not minced words in response. As CBS Boston reported, Healey dismissed the allegations outright, saying “that's just more lies and nonsense from Mike Minogue and his campaign.” She has instead pointed to the breadth of law enforcement support behind her campaign, telling WCVB she was proud to have backing from four police organizations.
Those endorsements came last month, when the State Police Association of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts State Police Commissioned Officers Association, the Massachusetts Coalition of Police and the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association all backed Healey for reelection. Per a statement posted to Healey's campaign website, the four unions represent thousands of law enforcement members across the state. The State Police Association of Massachusetts also posted its endorsement announcement on X, praising Healey for having “consistently stood with our Troopers, supported fair wages and training.”
The Boston Herald first reported Minogue's response to the union's demand for an apology, as the war of words shows no sign of cooling with Election Day approaching. Neither side has budged: the union insists its contract was won through standard bargaining channels, while Minogue continues pressing for records he says would settle the question once and for all.
