Mike Minogue wants to bring in an outside auditor to review state spending if he wins the governor’s race.
The Republican candidate for governor in Massachusetts said this during an appearance on CBS Boston's “Keller at Large” on Sunday this week.
“We are going to spend this year over $70 billion this year for about seven million people,” Minogue told Jon Keller.
Minogue said he'd want to hire an independent third party to look at state spending to find waste, fraud and corruption.
He also said he wants a closer look at health care spending in Massachusetts. Health care makes up a big share of state spending, especially MassHealth.
Audits and government spending are big parts of the former Abiomed CEO's platform.
His campaign platform says he wants to audit both the state budget and the Massachusetts legislature. He has also pointed to the 2024 ballot question that gave State Auditor Diana DiZoglio the power to audit the legislature. Voters approved that question with about 72% of the vote.
Minogue also talked about bringing more manufacturing jobs to Massachusetts.
He has argued that Massachusetts should make it easier for companies to build products in the state.
Minogue has manufacturing experience in Massachusetts. He was CEO of Abiomed for 19 years. It's a Danvers-based medical device company. The company expanded its research and manufacturing operations in Massachusetts during his tenure. Johnson & Johnson acquired the company for about $17 billion in 2022.
While speaking with Keller, the Republican said Governor Maura Healey is bad for the private sector.
“Maura Healey is the problem," he said. "She’s overspending, overtaxing and overregulating.”
On Healey, he later added, "If I did some of the things or had the mismanagement here, I would have been fired immediately.”
Minogue's approach to business also puts him at odds with the Trump administration. He said he doesn't like the administration's use of tariffs, which critics say have acted as a regressive consumption tax and raised costs on families.
“I oppose the tariffs that are impacting our industries," Minogue said. "But think about it: What is a tariff? It’s another tax.”
Minogue is running against former MBTA general manager Brian Shortsleeve in the GOP primary on Tuesday, September 1.
Whoever wins Tuesday’s GOP primary will face Healey in the general election on November 3.
You can watch Minogue's interview with Keller below:
