Gov. Maura Healey's State of the Commonwealth address as prepared for delivery on Jan. 22, 2026, at the State House.

 

Good evening, Massachusetts! Senate President Spilka, Speaker Mariano, who I know is watching from home, Leader Tarr, Leader Jones, and everyone in the Legislature: Thank you for our work together. 

 

We also have empty seats in the Chamber tonight, members of this body who we lost this year. Senator Edward Kennedy and Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante: Great public servants who served with passion and dedication and will be deeply missed. 

 

Thank you to our Constitutional officers, members of the judiciary, and Governor's Councilors. Thank you to the former governors joining us tonight, Governor Bill Weld and Governor Mike Dukakis. Mayor Wu, and all our mayors and local officials: You'll always have a partner in the Healey-Driscoll administration. 

 

And speaking of Driscoll, let's hear it for our lieutenant governor. Kim, you're the best teammate in government and on the pickleball court, too. 

 

Let's hear it for our friends from labor and all the workers who keep Massachusetts running every single day. Let's hear it for members of the business community, the innovators, researchers, and entrepreneurs who are creating those jobs. Thank you to our faith community who offer support and guidance in a time when people are feeling a lot of anxiety, fear, and uncertainty. Joanna, and our families, thank you for your love and support. Members of our military, veterans and Gold Star Families: everything we have, we owe to you. Thank you. 

 

This year, America celebrates a milestone: 250 years since our founding. Massachusetts, that story began here. That's because people of Massachusetts put everything on the line to fight for what they believed in. Farmers, carpenters, shopkeepers, tavern owners — they stood up with fear and uncertainty, but also with courage and resolve. They set in motion a Revolution that gave us our country and changed the world.