Maura Healey, Massachusetts governor-elect, discusses historic victory

On election night in Massachusetts, Maura Healey made history as the state's first female elected governor.

Alongside Tina Kotek, who was elected governor of Oregon, they are the first two openly gay governors in the country.

Healey, who previously served as the state’s attorney general, joined GMA3 to talk about what her victory represents, what made her campaign so successful and the lessons she learned playing point guard during her college basketball career.

GMA3: Welcome back to GMA3. Oh, look who we got here on GMA3 now. There she is now, governor-elect of that great state, Maura Healey. Thank you so much for being here. Welcome to the program. It's been a few days now. What has it been like day after day after day now this week as it starts to set in a little more of the history you just made?

MAURA HEALEY: Well, good afternoon and it's great to be with you. Happy Veterans Day to all out there. It's been an incredibly exciting couple of days. It was a fantastic election night because not only was I fortunate enough to be elected, but we also elected so many women up and down the ballot here in Massachusetts.

And the day after, I was able to go out and spend time with young girls in an after-school program and to walk into the room and see their faces lit up because seeing is believing. And I think for these girls, they were able to see somebody who looked like them. And it's just been really, really exciting, as I hear from young people, young women, young girls, obviously folks from our LGBTQ community. It's been really great.

GMA3: And governor-elect, not only are you a trailblazer, but you've broken quite the streak before your run. Six attorneys general attempted to run and tried to be the governor of your great state. They all failed. You overcame the so-called attorneys general curse. How did you do it?

HEALEY: Well, you know, I give credit to the team in my office. We worked hard over the last eight years, taking on some of the big fights. We went after Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family for the devastation they caused. And, you know, there were so many cases and investigations where I think people understood that I was about standing up for people in the state.

I also ran a campaign that was about delivering for people and not dividing. And I think at a time when so many people are tired of the noise and the vitriol, we ran a really positive campaign. I'm a former basketball player and a point guard, and, in that spirit, it was very much a campaign about teamwork, about working together to move our state forward. And I think people really, really resonated with that.

GMA3: You took it away from me, I was going to make a basketball reference, but you beat me to it there. Well, I want to add, you mentioned the women there in the state of Massachusetts. Now, five out of the six statewide offices, women were elected. What is it that you all have figured out? It’s not just a matter of this being necessarily historic to see this many women, but what do you think it is that's happening there? Is it a matter of candidates, quality candidates, voters? What have you all figured out there?

HEALEY: Well, I think it's all of the above. These are incredibly talented, competent, experienced women who were elected. I'm also really thrilled that I will be succeeded as attorney general by Andrea Campbell, who is now the first Black woman ever elected statewide in Massachusetts. She'll be the next attorney general.

I think it was really a reflection of the candidates who we are, what we say we're going to do, what we're about. I also think in this moment here in Massachusetts, the voters were really clear. I was running against a person who was Trump's campaign manager in Massachusetts, chaired his campaign. He wanted to return Trumpism to Massachusetts. And the voters just rejected that.

The voters rejected my opponent, who was also an election denier. The voters also were really clear about protecting reproductive justice and women's access to abortion. And you saw that also reflected in the vote here. And I think the votes across this country.

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GMA3: Republicans, as you know, have held the governor's seat in your state for most of the last 40 years. So what do you think it will mean for Massachusetts to have a Democrat now in the top job?

HEALEY: Well, I'm really excited for this opportunity. There's a lot of challenges ahead. There's a lot of work we need to do here in this state. But I can tell you that my team and I, and my teammate Kim Driscoll together were the first all-female ticket elected in the country. And we just want to get after it and get things done.

So I'm looking forward to working with our legislature. I'm looking forward to working with folks across administration, across government, and also outside of government. So that's the spirit in which I enter this.

I had a great working relationship with the current governor who's a Republican, Charlie Baker. We're working [for] a hard and smooth and seamless transition, and I just can't wait to get to work.

GMA3: How do those skills as a point guard translate to you being a governor? I look at folks, they'll know you were a really good ball player at Harvard, I believe co-captain. You all were conference champs, I believe, at some point when you were there as well. But in all seriousness, what is it as a point guard or as a teammate or as a basketball player that has helped you in your political career?

HEALEY: Well, you know, T.J., the greatest statistic for a point guard is the assist. It's not about the point scored. It's about moving the ball, making sure that everybody gets a look, working together truly as a team. You're also the floor leader. And, you know, I think that sports athletics have really helped me.

They've taught me a lot about resilience and hard work and certainly teamwork. And in this day and age where the problems that we're confronting right now as a state, as a country, are really great you need to be able to harness all the resources, bring people together, get them essentially playing together and playing well together. And that's what I'm going to try to do.

GMA3: We certainly have appreciated hearing your enthusiasm, your optimism, and talking about uniting the people of your state. Massachusetts Governor-elect Maura Healey, congratulations and thank you for being on the show.

HEALEY: Great to be with you.