Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey is getting involved in politics in her native New Hampshire, but only to a point.
The Cambridge Democrat, who grew up in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire, endorsed Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig's candidacy for governor of the Granite State last week after Chris Sununu announced that he would not seek another term.
Healey's endorsement came one hour after Craig jumped into the race and was capped off with an emphatic "Let's goooo!!!"
But Healey, who earlier this year said she was "ready to be a cheerleader" for Massachusetts, was far less eager to respond to another Granite State candidate who brought Massachusetts into the conversation.
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Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte took jabs at the Bay State last week in a statement alluding to her own candidacy and again this week in her formal announcement. "Like many Granite Staters, I fear that we are one election away from turning into Massachusetts," Ayotte said.
Asked about Ayotte's comments, Healey said Monday that she would "let the Republican primary opponents duke it out" and bristled at the notion of responding to the way Massachusetts was invoked.
"The Republican primary doesn't interest me. I'm focused on what's happening here in Massachusetts, getting the budget, getting a tax package that makes sense and, you know, working to make life better for residents in our state," Healey said. "So the Republican primary opponents will have a process that they'll go through, I guess." In response to Sununu's announcement, Ayotte said that New Hampshire's next governor "must be a tough and tested conservative who will fight to ensure that New Hampshire remains safe, prosperous, and free."
