She has unfinished business.
Democratic state Auditor Diana DiZoglio said Tuesday she’ll seek another term as the state’s top fiscal watchdog, vowing to continue to pursue her audit of the state Legislature.
In a letter to supporters, the Methuen pol said that when she ran for a first term four years ago, “I made a simple promise: to audit state government without fear or favor, and to always put the public interest first,” DiZoglio wrote, according to Politico, which was first to report the news.
“Since taking office, my team and I have done exactly that—launching audits, demanding accountability, and standing up for taxpayers even when it hasn’t been easy. … I’m ready to keep up this fight as I launch my campaign for reelection,” DiZoglio, a former state lawmaker, wrote.
In the two years since the audit law went on the books, DiZoglio has clashed repeatedly with Democratic legislative leaders who have raised separation of powers concerns.
And she’s widened the circle of debate over the audit to include Gov. Maura Healey, state Attorney General Andrea J. Campbell, and even the same statewide judiciary that could eventually decide the fate of the original ballot question that passed with nearly 72% support in 2024.
That matters because, last week, DiZoglio filed suit in the Supreme Judicial Court to try to force the Legislature to open its books. She also asked the high court to appoint a special assistant attorney general to represent her in the case, citing Campbell’s resistance.
- Read More: 72% of Mass. voters said ‘yes’ to an audit — and Beacon Hill still said ‘no.’ What’s next?
The audit debate has gotten increasingly partisan, with Republican candidates for governor and U.S. Senate — rightfully sensing an opportunity to pummel Democrats — jumping on board.
GOP gubernatorial hopeful Mike Minogue, a former medical device executive, has offered to foot the bill for DiZoglio’s legal team. GOP hopeful Mike Kennealy took to Facebook last week to call for the audit.
GOP U.S. Senate candidate John Deaton, joined by a group of Massachusetts residents, also filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Judicial Court seeking to force lawmakers to open their books.
“As someone who grew up among and still fights for working families, parents and vulnerable residents, an audit would ensure taxpayer dollars actually reach the people who need them most,” Deaton, an attorney, said in an email.
Massachusetts Republicans, meanwhile, are still looking for a challenger.
“Grassroots Republicans across the state strongly support the audit of the Legislature, but agree that the need to expose corruption on Beacon Hill is not enough,” state Republican Chairperson Amy Carnevale said in a statement to Politico. “The Republican Party expects to field a challenger to give voters a choice in November.”
Despite her tensions with her own party, DiZoglio told reporters last week that she still calls herself a Democrat and believes she has a home in the party.
“I don’t agree with my party establishment on everything, namely this,” she said, referring to the audit debate. “I’ve obviously been a Democrat for years and years and served my time in the Legislature. Certainly, I have a very long voting record that demonstrates my positions on various issues. I am disappointed right now in some of our (leaders). It really allows for people to lose trust in their leaders, and I think it hurts our shared values as Democrats.”
