Maura Healey Has Taken Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars From Lobbyists

Printed from: https://newbostonpost.com/2022/05/20/maura-healey-has-taken-hundreds-of-thousands-of-dollars-from-lobbyists/

Should politicians take money from lobbyists?

Massachusetts attorney general Maura Healey is among the politicians that do. Healey took more than $200,000 from lobbyists from 2013 to 2021, research conducted by NewBostonPost found.

Lobbyists represent businesses, trade associations, or social policy advocacy organizations. They try to persuade government officials to approve or reject proposed laws and regulations on behalf of their clients. All lobbyists in Massachusetts must register with the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office.

NewBostonPost compiled data from the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth’s web site and found that between 2013 and 2021, Healey received 1205 donations from lobbyists totaling $206,252.50. That’s 2.3 percent of the $8,947,076.64 donations she received in that stretch, according to the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance. Most of those donations came in $200 increments. The average from lobbyists was $171.16 per donation. 

Since there is no way to offer a direct link to Healey’s lobbyist contributions from the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s web site, NewBostonPost took the data from the site and made it available for public view via a Google spreadsheet.

Here is a breakdown of how much Healey received from lobbyists each year:

 

  • 2021: 187 donations for $33,025.00

  • 2020: 125 donations for $22,012.50

  • 2019: 164 donations for $29,490.00

  • 2018: 144 donations for $24,740.00

  • 2017: 134 donations for $22,375.00

  • 2016: 132 donations for $22,850.00

  • 2015: 129 donations for $22,575.00

  • 2014: 178 donations for $26,835.00

  • 2013: 13 donations for $1,900.00

 

Some notable lobbyists that have donated to her include:  former Massachusetts Republican governor Bill Weld ($800 from 2015 to 2021), former Massachusetts Democratic attorney general Martha Coakley ($400 from 2016 to 2018), former Suffolk County Democratic district attorney Daniel Conley ($600 from 2019 to 2021), and former Massachussets state representative and state senator Anthony Petrucelli (D-East Boston) ($800 from 2016 to 2020), among others.

The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s web site has not yet made public how much money Healey has taken from lobbyists in the first few months of 2022. Healey has never said that she wouldn’t take money from lobbyists.

Healey has also taken money from political action committees, known as PACs, over the years, as NewBostonPost has previously reported. Some industries that gave her money:  alcohol, banks, lobbyists, fossil fuels, and law enforcement.

Healey had $4,939,564.48 in her campaign account as of the start of this month, according to the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance.

Healey is one of two Democrats seeking her party’s nomination for governor this year. The other is state Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz (D-Jamaica Plain), who is running to the left of Healey. And on the Republican side, there are two gubernatorial candidates:  former state representative Geoff Diehl (R-Whitman) and Wrentham businessman Chris Doughty. 

The 2022 Massachusetts gubernatorial race is likely Democratic, according to Sabato’s Crystal Ball.

Healey’s campaign could not be reached for comment on the matter this week.

 

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