Mike Minogue’s childhood friend has put $1 million into the super PAC supporting Minogue for governor, and in the race’s final days that PAC is sending mail to registered Democrats about independent Andrea James. “Governor Healey is a do-nothing liberal. Her opponent, Andrea James, is a do-everything socialist. James is the Massachusetts Mamdani,” says one of the PAC’s video ads, WBUR and the State House News Service reported. On the other side, a super PAC funded almost entirely by the Democratic Governors Association has spent more than $800,000 against Minogue, $500,000 of it in the past two weeks, according to its filings.
We pulled both PACs’ reports from the Office of Campaign and Political Finance. Here is who is paying, what they are buying, and why Massachusetts law lets a single donor give $1 million when Minogue’s own campaign can take only $1,000 a year from him.
Massachusetts First: the pro-Minogue PAC
The figures below are our tally of the Massachusetts First Independent Expenditure PAC’s OCPF reports, from its 2025 year-end report through a report covering October 28, 2026, counting amended reports once.
- Raised: about $2.41 million since October 2025.
- The largest donor: Robert Neuner, the PAC’s chairman, $1,000,000, in four checks: $100,000 in October 2025, $400,000 in March 2026, and $250,000 each on September 11 and October 2. Neuner grew up with Minogue in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, founded Boost Oxygen and now lives in Darien, Connecticut, he told the News Service.
- Other large donors: David Weber, $200,000; Arthur Demoulas, the former Market Basket president, $100,000; Lewis Jacobs, $96,000; Paul Fireman, the former Reebok CEO, $75,000; and Jennifer and Matthew Daniels, $120,000 together.
- Spent: about $1.63 million. The largest payee is Red Eagle Media, about $1.16 million for digital media placement. Checkmate Strategies received about $250,000 for mailers, and Clear Channel Outdoor about $100,000 for billboards.
- The last week: The PAC reported $135,000 in spending for October 28 alone.
Why it is mailing about Andrea James
One mailer sent to households with registered Democrats lists James’s positions, including “End all state cooperation with ICE,” “Implement rent control and tax the rich,” and “Provide free childcare and healthcare,” WBUR reported. A UMass Lowell political scientist, John Cluverius, told WBUR the university’s poll “absolutely” backs up speculation that the aim is to split the Democratic vote.
Neuner denied that. “It’s not splitting the vote,” he told the News Service. “It’s just that people need to make informed decisions at the ballot, and I think this makes a better distinction that Mike’s the best candidate. It’s not, there’s no hidden agenda here.”
Commonwealth for Tomorrow: the DGA-funded PAC
- Raised: $860,000, by our tally of its OCPF reports. The Democratic Governors Association gave $835,000, in checks of $85,000 on October 2, $500,000 on October 13 and $250,000 on October 21. The UFCW Working Families Advocacy Project gave $25,000.
- Spent: $833,500. Of that, $750,000 went to Versus Media Group for digital media buys of $250,000 each on October 17, October 21 and October 27. The rest went to polling by Impact Research and research services.
- The message: Its mid-October buy paid for videos referring to “MAGA mega-donor Mike Minogue,” WBUR reported.
“The national Democrat Governors Association is now spending thirty to sixty thousand dollars a day on social media to prop her up and attack me. They know it’s close,” Minogue told reporters Wednesday, according to WBUR.
Where the race stands
A UMass Lowell poll released Wednesday night had Healey at 57 percent, Minogue at 29 percent and James at 4 percent, WBUR reported. It found Healey’s job approval at 60 percent. Among voters who backed Kamala Harris in 2024, 87 percent said they would vote for Healey, 5 percent for Minogue and 3 percent for James.
The law: why $1 million is allowed
- The $1,000 limit. Under G.L. c. 55, § 7A(a)(1), an individual’s contributions to “any 1 candidate and that candidate’s committee shall not exceed the sum of $1,000 in a calendar year.”
- Independent expenditures. That limit does not reach spending a group does on its own. G.L. c. 55, § 1 defines an independent expenditure as one made “to expressly advocate the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate,” provided it is “made or incurred without cooperation or consultation with any candidate.” Super PACs are not allowed to coordinate with campaigns, and the candidates are not behind these ads, WBUR noted. A super PAC “can accept individual contributions without those fundraising restrictions,” WBUR reported.
- Disclosure on a 24-hour clock. Under G.L. c. 55, § 18A(b), any independent expenditure over $250 made “after the tenth day, but more than 24 hours before the date of any election” must be reported “within 24 hours” after the ads or mailers are used. That is why both PACs are filing almost daily this week.
Frequently asked questions
Who is funding the super PAC supporting Mike Minogue?
The Massachusetts First Independent Expenditure PAC’s largest donor is its chairman, Robert Neuner, Minogue’s childhood friend, who has given $1 million. Other donors include David Weber, Arthur Demoulas and Paul Fireman, according to OCPF filings.
Who is funding the super PAC opposing Minogue?
Commonwealth for Tomorrow Independent Expenditure PAC has raised $860,000, including $835,000 from the Democratic Governors Association, according to OCPF filings.
Can a super PAC coordinate with Healey or Minogue?
No. Under Massachusetts law, an independent expenditure must be made without cooperation or consultation with any candidate.
How much can I give directly to a candidate for governor?
$1,000 per calendar year, under G.L. c. 55, § 7A.
Sources: Office of Campaign and Political Finance reports of the Massachusetts First Independent Expenditure PAC (CPF ID 81148) and the Commonwealth for Tomorrow Independent Expenditure PAC (CPF ID 81161), retrieved October 30, 2026; totals are our tally of itemized receipts and expenditures. WBUR, with reporting from the State House News Service, October 30, 2026. G.L. c. 55, §§ 1, 7A and 18A read at malegislature.gov. General information, not legal advice.