career In 1986, Healey joined Abt Associates, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she performed policy research for the U.S. Department of Justice related to child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, gang violence, victim and witness intimidation and the prosecution of drug crimes. Following her time at Abt Associates, Healey served as an adjunct professor in criminal justice the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Her first foray into politics occurred in 1998, when she ran for state representative in the 6th Essex District – representing her hometown of Beverly, Massachusetts – challenging and losing to incumbent Democrat Michael P. Cahill. That same year, Healey was elected the Republican State Committee. She ran against Cahill unsuccessfully again in 2000. Despite losing her first two elections, Healey became popular among Republicans and was elected chairwoman of the Massachusetts Republican State Committee in 2001, the second woman to head the Massachusetts GOP. Soon after beginning her term as chairwoman, the Massachusetts GOP began courting Mitt Romney – then the president and CEO of the 2002 Winter Olympics – to take over acting-governor Jane Swift's position as the Republican candidate in the upcoming gubernatorial election. After Swift exited the race, Romney endorsed Healey in her primary race for lieutenant governor against former U.S. Senate candidate and former party chairman Jim Rappaport, ultimately winning by a thirty-point margin. The Romney-Healey team was successful, and Healey was elected lieutenant governor on November 5, 2002. Lieutenant Governor Kerry Murphy Healey was sworn into office as the lieutenant governor of Massachusetts on January 2, 2003. She, along with Governor Mitt Romney, opted not to take a salary during their respective four-year terms. Healey served as the governor's liaison to cities and the Republican party. Upon taking office, Romney and Healey focused on erasing an estimated $600 million budget gap for fiscal year 2003. The state also faced an estimated $2 billion to $3 billion shortfall for fiscal year 2004. In mid-January 2003, the Massachusetts State Legislature approved expanded budget-cutting powers for the Romney Administration. As Romney's second-in-command, Healey was the liaison between the local government and the state house, working to reduce the burden of cuts to state aid to municipal governments. Healey was credited with creating a package of legislative proposals, called the Municipal Relief Act, that reduced expensive and burdensome state mandates, easing the pain of cuts to state aid by about $75 million. The administration closed the