After losing his running mate, Minogue still likes early voting

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When Renee Minogue cast her ballot on the first day of early voting Saturday, her husband still had a running mate.

Most Massachusetts voters, though, will see a GOP ticket that technically no longer exists. The same day that in-person early voting kicked off, lieutenant governor candidate Shawn Oliver spent the night in the hospital and in jail after a late-night crash. Oliver ended his campaign Sunday and pleaded not guilty Monday to a drunken-driving charge.

“I am glad he's safe, but at this point, I called for him to suspend and terminate his campaign, and he will not be my lieutenant governor,” Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Minogue said Monday, talking to reporters in his hometown of Hamilton. “Maine and New Hampshire don't have one, and I'm going to move forward without him.”

Minogue — who paired up with Oliver through a process of elimination when the New Bedford city councilor ended up the sole LG candidate on the Republican primary ballot — says he’ll work without a number-two if elected.

That may be a different deal than whatever the Minogue-Oliver voters who bubbled in the oval before Sunday thought they’d be getting. But for Minogue himself, the upheaval hasn’t soured him on early voting. In fact, Minogue says he’s probably going to cast his own ballot before Election Day.

“Well, I think it's great because democracy is about people voting,” Minogue said of early voting. “And a lot of young people do not believe their vote counts as much. They're gaslighted. We're telling all of our people: if you're traveling, mail it in. If you are here, do not wait to November 3rd.”

More than half of the voters in this year’s primary, about 53%, waited until Election Day to cast their ballots. In the last election with a governor's race, in 2022, it was 55% in the general election.

So far, voter turnout for this state election is nearly 7%, with more than 46,000 votes cast early and in-person and more than 305,000 mail-in ballots returned, according to Secretary of State Bill Galvin's office.

In an election cycle that's seen candidates disqualified for fraudulent signatures, a secretary of state nominee making the ballot as a write-in, and now Oliver's exit, some of the voters who choose not to make their picks early could be relying on logic like Gov. Charlie Baker deployed a decade ago.

When Massachusetts first dipped its toes into in-person early voting for the 2016 presidential contest, Baker waited until November to hit the polling booth, saying, "My only fear about this, and to each his own, is stuff comes out in the last few weeks in an election."

"For me anyway, I'm going to wait until the end and see the whole show," Baker said at the time.

For Minogue, it's now effectively a one-man show.

How much does a lieutenant governor candidate — or the lack of one — factor into your vote? Let me know at [email protected].

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HAPPENING TODAY

9:00 | Education Secretary Zrike and Fitchburg Mayor Sam Squailia announce an expansion of career technical education during STEM Week | Montachusett Vocational Partnership Center, 270 Westminster St., Fitchburg

9:30 | Stonehill College celebrates the launch of its Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. The inaugural cohort has 58 students, which exceeds the college's enrollment goal of 40 | Stonehill College, Leo J. Meehan School of Business, 320 Washington St., Easton

10:00 | MBTA Advisory Board meets, featuring remarks from Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. She'll discuss "the need for coordinated transportation and housing policies that strengthen Boston and the communities that depend upon it," according to the meeting notice | Zoom

10:00 | Board of Higher Education meets | More Info and Zoom

10:00 | Congresswoman Pressley, Rep. Vargas and others hold a rally to oppose Question 3, which would wipe out party primaries in favor of all candidates appearing on a single primary ballot | In downtown Boston but no location provided. Media interested in covering the rally can RSVP to [email protected]

10:30 | Early Education and Care Commissioner Kershaw visits a Framingham Centre Nursery School program during STEM Week | Framingham Centre Nursery School, 24 Vernon St., Framingham

11:00 | Education Secretary Zrike visits an OpenSciEd classroom at Sky View Middle School during STEM Week | Sky View Middle School, 500 Kennedy Way, Leominster

12:30 | Senate President Spilka welcomes participants to the 50th anniversary Citizens' Legislative Seminar, which the Senate's Office of Education and Civic Engagement hosts twice a year | Senate Chamber

2:30 | Lt. Gov. Driscoll, Education Secretary Zrike, Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Jones, Health and Human Services Secretary Mahaniah and Economic Development Secretary Paley make a Workforce Investment Trust Fund announcement | Middlesex Community College Bedford Campus, Building 8, 591 Springs Road, Bedford

5:00 | Sen. Oliveira holds an "Octoberfest Fundraising Reception." The Ludlow Democrat is running unopposed this election cycle | Nathan Bill's Bar and Restaurant, 110 Island Pond Road, Springfield

6:00 | Mass. Democratic Party Chair Kerrigan, Boston Mayor Wu and House Ways and Means Chair Michlewitz co-host the party's annual Chinatown Banquet fundraiser | Empire Garden, 690 Washington St., Chinatown, Boston| Tickets

6:30 | Department of Conservation and Recreation presents a report with strategies to reduce flooding along Nantasket Avenue and Hull Shore Drive. Officials say the strategies are "early" ideas and not final decisions | More Info

6:30 | MassDOT holds virtual design public hearing for a proposed project that would reconstruct the Davis Path pedestrian bridge over the MBTA Green Line D-Branch in Brookline with a new ADA-accessible shared use facility | More Info and Register

7:00 | Candidate for governor Mike Minogue holds a rally at Samba Sushi & Steak | 1138 Worcester Road, Framingham

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ON BEACON HILL

TRADING JABS: Gov. Healey says the arrest of lieutenant candidate Shawn Oliver is a sign of "chaos" in rival Mike Minogue's campaign, while Minogue fired back that Healey "holds no one accountable." | MassLive

SMOKE SIGNALS: Former Rep. Marie St. Fleur, part-owner of Boston dispensary Primitiv, says cannabis supporters should "run scared" and not assume a win as they oppose Question 8 to eliminate retail marijuana sales, even though polls show voters against the question. Former NFL player Ricky Williams joined the opposition campaign for an event at Primitiv Monday. | State House News Service (gift link)

THANKS, RHODE ISLAND: For the first time in years, Massachusetts did not land at the absolute bottom in Ballotpedia's biennial election competitiveness rankings. This year's slightly more competitive legislative races earned the Bay State the second-to-last spot. | CommonWealth Beacon

NEWS NEXT DOOR

STATE OF THE SCHOOLS: In her second annual address assessing the state of the Boston Public Schools, Mayor Wu pushed back at critics, described a district "on the rise," and teased forthcoming five-year targets for improving test scores, attendance, school safety and more. | Boston Globe

PROSECUTOR POLITICS: Bristol County voters will choose between Democrat and Republican district attorney candidates for the first time in more than five decades. Seth Aitken, running for the open DA seat against Democratic state Rep. Chris Markey, is the first Republican to seek the office since 1974. | The Herald News

QUESTION TEN: In two North Shore House districts, voters will decide whether to ask their state rep to support a carbon fee on fossil fuels, which would be returned as direct payments to residents. The nonbinding ballot question represents a climate policy idea that's kicked around Beacon Hill for years. | ItemLive

CHECKING IN: The vacant Inn & Conference Center in downtown Lowell, owned by the UMass Building Authority, could become a 24-hour homeless shelter, but city manager Tom Golden says he thinks the building will end up on a different path. Once a DoubleTree hotel, the ICC has served as student housing for UMass Lowell and an emergency shelter for migrants. | The Sun

CANCER CARE SHIFT: The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center broke ground on a new cancer hospital at the former Joslin Diabetes site in Boston and the two hospitals started transferring patients as part of their new collaboration, marking a pair of milestones after Dana-Farber ended its relationship with Mass General Brigham. | Boston Business Journal

SPONSORED How to Choose the Right Contractor for Your Home Energy Project: Whether you’re planning a major upgrade or a smaller project, the right contractor can help you understand your options, navigate technical decisions, and ensure the work supports your long-term comfort and energy efficiency goals. | Learn more

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Evaluation and Monitoring Associate, Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation

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