Maura Healey claims historic victory to become Mass. governor

Maura Healey scored a decisive and historic victory Tuesday night, becoming the state's first elected female and first openly gay governor as well as the nation's first openly lesbian governor.

The Massachusetts attorney general overwhelmed her Republican opponent, former state Rep. Geoff Diehl, and put the governorship firmly back in Democratic hands after Republican Gov. Charlie Baker declined to run for a third term.

The race was called by The Associated Press almost immediately after the polls closed.

Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll will join Healey on Beacon Hill as lieutenant governor. Together, they are the nation's first all-women tandem to serve as governor and lieutenant governor.

Diehl garnered support from former President Trump and many fellow Republicans, but he struggled to win over moderates and conservative Democrats, whose votes are crucial for Republicans to win in a state as blue as Massachusetts. Healey, who had already won statewide office twice, held a huge advantage in fundraising and name recognition, and consistently held large leads in polls throughout the campaign.