Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Kennealy has selected Peabody City Councilor and law enforcement veteran Anne Manning Martin as his running mate in the 2026 election.

On top of her 34 years experience in law enforcement, Manning Martin has spent the past 19 years on the Peabody City Council and eight years on the city’s school committee. Manning Martin is running on a platform of being a “tough, no-nonsense leader who refuses to back down,” with a focus on government transparency, fiscal discipline, and common sense.

“I’ve spent my career in law enforcement and local government holding people accountable. I don’t back down, and I don’t look the other way. The people of Massachusetts deserve leaders who will fight for them – not protect a broken system,” Manning Martin said.

“Governor Healey’s policies have driven families and businesses out of our state, undermined local control, made our communities less safe, weaponized the MBTA Communities Act, and sent utility bills through the roof. Massachusetts is now losing jobs and residents because Beacon Hill has lost touch with reality,” she said.

Kennealy, who launched his campaign for governor back in April, highlighted Manning Martin’s decades of police experience while describing her as a “fiscal watchdog” and “fierce advocate for local control.”

“Anne Manning Martin is exactly the kind of partner Massachusetts needs. She’s tough. She’s battle-tested. And she doesn’t tolerate nonsense. She has spent over 30 years protecting her community in law enforcement and 27 years defending taxpayers on the Peabody City Council and School Committee. She understands what Governor Healey’s failed policies are doing because she hears it directly from the people she serves,” Kennealy said.

“Anne is a fiscal watchdog, a fierce advocate for local control, and a relentless defender of public safety. I’m proud to have her on this ticket, and I look forward to campaigning, and governing, alongside her in the Corner Office,” he said.

According to the campaign, the Kennealy-Manning Martin ticket will put a focus on “restoring integrity, affordability, defending local control, and bringing disciplined, results-oriented leadership back to Massachusetts.” The campaign is also highlighting her experience in local politics, adding that Manning Martin will bring the “same backbone and street-level accountability” to the State House.

Manning Martin is no stranger to battling Beacon Hill’s most powerful elected officials, suing then-Gov. Deval Patrick in 2013 in U.S. District Court for discrimination after losing her deputy superintendent position at the Department of Correction’s Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in Jamaica Plain after taking a six-week unpaid medical leave to treat uterine cancer.

“Mike Kennealy and I are running to restore common sense, public safety, and fiscal discipline. We are ready to fight, and win, for the people of this Commonwealth,” Manning Martin said.

Kennealy and Manning Martin are facing off against Republican challenges Mike Minogue and Brian Shortsleeve in the September primary.