Minogue doubles down on claims against Healey and Mass. State Police union

Mike Minogue continued to make claims of a quid pro quo against his opponent, Gov. Maura Healey, on Tuesday.

The Republican nominee for governor suggested, without documented evidence, that the State Police Association of Massachusetts endorsed Healey in exchange for a contract.

The Democratic governor and the police union have strongly denied Minogue's allegation.

"Issue an official statement, under penalty of perjury, confirming whether anyone in her administration or campaign discussed or implied a connection between the contract and the endorsement," Minogue said Tuesday.

Healey responded to that request.

"The statement that's needed is an apology from Mike Minogue to members of law enforcement saying 'I'm sorry that I insulted you,'" she said.

Brendan Murphy, president of the State Police Association of Massachusetts, called Minogue's claim "categorically false."

"Mr. Minogue is free to disagree with our endorsement," Murphy said in a statement. He should correct his false allegations and apologize to the men and women of the Massachusetts State Police for questioning their integrity and using the contract they earned in an attempt to score political points."

Minogue was asked during his press conference if he had any evidence to back up the claim.

"I think if you look at the contract and the timing of it, it has been dragged on so that it leverages. I don't think the government should ever let a contract like this with taxpayer dollars to drag on, and I'm calling on Gov. Healey, that the perception is already there," said Minogue.

The back-and-forth comes amid falling poll numbers for Minogue. Several surveys show him trailing Healey by double digits.

"There's lies, and damn lies, and polling," said Minogue after voting early last week.

Pollsters, including those at the MassINC Polling Group who conducted one of the polls, stand by their formulas.

"All these pollsters, in terms of what they're seeing in the race, and also of kind of how they're modeling what electorate is going to turn out as, are really kind of seeing the same thing," said Rich Parr with the MassINC Polling Group.

Minogue says internal polling shows a closer race, suggesting that undecided voters could factor into the results.

"An internal poll, or a poll that's partisan in some nature, may have some ulterior motive," said Parr, "in terms of what they're trying to show and the reasons why it's being released."

Several different indicators show election season is reaching a boiling point in Massachusetts.

"I don't think it's unusual that candidates are going to throw policy issues, are going to throw things maybe they had in oppo research, that they didn't want to open with," said political analyst Erin O'Brien.

Election Day is Nov. 3, and early voting wraps up this Friday.