Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey officially launched her campaign to run for governor Thursday morning.

“Massachusetts, I know the years of the pandemic have been really hard, but I see a state that is coming together with courage, grit and caring to great things,” Healey said in her campaign video.

The Northeastern University School of Law alumna enters the race with more than $3.6 million in campaign funding. Political analysts said she is currently the front runner with a large war chest and long resumé having won two statewide races for attorney general.

Healey, the “people’s lawyer,” cited her background as an athlete and attorney general. She further highlighted her popular cases in court taking on major pharmaceutical companies and loan sharks. 

“My team protected students and homeowners from predatory lenders, took on ExxonMobil for lying about climate change, and Purdue Pharma and the Sacklers for fueling the opioid epidemic,” Healey said. 

Her top priorities include strengthening the economy with job training, making childcare affordable, modernizing schools and continuing to tackle climate change.

Healey was the first openly gay state attorney general in the country. She will be the first woman and first openly gay person elected as Massachusetts governor if she wins. 

Gov. Charlie Baker announced in Dec. 2021 that he will not seek re-election after his third term. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, who has been part of Baker’s administration since 2015, also declared that she will not run for governor in his place. 

“We have a great deal of work to do to put the pandemic behind us, keep our kids in school, and keep our communities and economy moving forward,” they wrote in a joint statement. “That work cannot and should not be about politics and the next election. If we were to run, it would be a distraction that would potentially get in the way of many of the things we should be working on for everyone in Massachusetts. We want to focus on recovery, not on the grudge matches political campaigns can devolve into.”

Democratic state Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz, Harvard University professor Danielle Allen and Republican former state representative Geoff Diehl are also in the race for governor. Chang-Díaz and Allen announced their candidacies in June 2021 and Diehl in July 2021. 

Massachusetts residents who are United States citizens and above 18 years old can vote in the primary statewide election Sept. 20, and in the general election Nov. 8.