Michael Minogue, the largely self-financed Republican nominee for Massachusetts governor, spent more than $6.1 million last month in his bid to unseat Governor Maura Healey, a record sum for a gubernatorial candidate.
Minogue’s September spending — fueled by millions of dollars in advertising costs, according to a filing he submitted Friday — is roughly double what Healey or former Governor Charlie Baker has reported spending in a single month across their runs for governor, according to a Globe review of campaign finance filings.
The gubernatorial candidate that’s come closest to his spending spree was Kerry Healey, the GOP’s 2006 gubernatorial nominee who dropped more than $4.4 million in October of that year against eventual winner, Deval Patrick, according to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance.
Healey, meanwhile, raised just over $623,000 last month but also pulled $2.9 million from a savings account to bolster her war chest, according to campaign spokesperson Kerry Lyons. Lyons did not immediately disclose how much Healey spent in September. She had yet to file a full report Friday.
Minogue’s spending in September, though, does not appear to be the most ever for a statewide candidate. Shannon Liss-Riordan spent $6.4 million in August 2022 in her unsuccessful bid for attorney general, records show.
Minogue’s wealth and willingness to spend it helped lift him to the GOP nomination and into the general election, where he’s both trying to introduce himself to a wider set of voters as a first-time candidate and press his case for ousting Healey, a well-funded and first-term Democrat who’s led by wide margins in available public polling.
Jim Conroy — Baker’s former campaign manager who also advised Michael Kennealy, one of Minogue’s one-time primary opponents — said Minogue’s decision to spend large sums last month is part of the “sprint” in a state with one of the country’s latest primaries.
“And if you have the resources to do it, September and October are when voters are making up their mind,” he said. Voters consume entertainment in vastly different ways today, Conroy said, but TV ads are still a lifeblood of campaigns. “Broadcast TV is the biggest mover.”
Minogue is a former medical industry executive who made a small fortune when the business he ran, Danvers-based Abiomed, was sold to Johnson & Johnson in 2022. He has used his vast wealth to self-finance his run for governor, pouring at least $15.8 million into his campaign in roughly a year.
In his pitch to voters, Minogue has pledged to cut taxes, remove clean energy-related fees from utility bills, and even try to reintroduce flavored nicotine pouches to store shelves in Massachusetts.
And he’s used his personal coffers to flood local TV channels with ads since last year — from spots boasting of Democrats backing his campaign to one featuring actors in a donut shop and another calling for relief from high gas prices to primetime hits during Patriots’ games.
In his latest filing, Minogue reported spending $4.9 million with AxMedia, a company that facilitates media buys for political candidates.
Minogue also reported raising $1.8 million last month, though it’s unclear how much of that was from his own money. He reported having $1.5 million in his campaign account at the end of September.
Elizabeth Hopkins, a spokesperson for Minogue, did not respond to questions on Friday about how much of Minogue’s own money he put into his campaign last month.
In a statement, Minogue instead attacked Healey, saying the governor “wants to focus on everything except the people across Massachusetts who are struggling with the rising cost of housing, energy, taxes, healthcare, and everyday life.”
“Voters want a governor who will lower costs, put people ahead of politics, solve problems, and deliver results,” he said.
Wendy Wakeman, a local Republican political strategist, said campaigns often spend big in September as they ink advertising contracts with television stations in October.
“We’ve got 30 days left in the election,” she said. “We are in the home stretch, and if you haven’t spent most of your cash in September ... when are you going to spend it?”
Minogue, a first-time candidate for public office, spent millions of dollars in campaign cash over the summer, including $2.9 million in August ahead of the Sept. 1 primary, when he easily topped fellow GOP candidate Brian Shortsleeve.
But the Hamilton Republican still faces an uphill battle ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
A MassINC/Commonwealth Beacon poll of likely voters in November’s general election, released this week, found that 54 percent said they would back or lean toward backing Healey, while 32 percent said the same of Minogue.
The survey also found Healey held comfortable approval ratings, with 52 percent of likely voters holding a favorable view of the governor. It was more mixed for Minogue: more either viewed him unfavorably (33 percent) or were undecided about him (27 percent) than the 21 percent who said they had a favorable view of him.
Lyons, the spokesperson for Healey’s campaign, cast Minogue’s record spending as an attempt “to buy this election.”
Healey has consistently sought to tie Minogue to Trump, for whom Minogue helped raise money in 2024. He also gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to a committee backing Trump’s successful 2024 run. Healey also made talking about Trump a center point of her reelection strategy, framing herself as a necessary bulwark to the Republican administration’s agenda.
Shawn Oliver, Minogue’s Republican running mate, reported raising just under $4,000 and spending $9,000 last month, state records show. Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll raised $349,000 last month and had $2.9 million cash on hand at the end of September, according to the Healey campaign.
Chris Van Buskirk can be reached at chris.vanb@globe.com. Follow him on X @byChrisVan