By Matthew K. Roy
BEVERLY — Kerry Healey's return to politics appeared imminent for a few minutes yesterday.
The former lieutenant governor from Beverly was seriously considering a run for Congress against Democrat John Tierney, according to Bill Hudak, her would-be opponent in a Republican primary.
"You heard it here first," Hudak said at the beginning of a meeting with The Salem News' editorial board.
The source for Hudak's scoop was Sen. Scott Brown.
The senator relayed the information during a phone conversation with Hudak on Monday, Hudak said.
"(Brown) said that he had heard that she was thinking of running and that she had done some polling and it looked favorable," Hudak said.
Healey would pose a serious threat to Tierney. She was a statewide officeholder and candidate, having lost to Deval Patrick in the race for governor in 2006, with widespread name recognition. And she could also tap into her substantial personal wealth to fund a campaign.
But she is not running.
"Kerry will not be a candidate for Congress in 2010," Tim O'Brien, her campaign manager in 2006, said when reached on the phone yesterday afternoon.
Many people have urged her to run, O'Brien said. "But it's not something that she is interested in doing."
Hudak wasn't alone in his speculation. The Red Mass Group, a Republican blog, briefly reported that Healey was poised to "jump into the race."
"I'm hearing this from two reliable parties from very different sides of the party, and think it's about as solid as it gets," a poster called South Shore Republican wrote.
The news surprised the Republican State Committee.
"We're not sure where these rumors are coming from," Communications Director Tarah Donoghue said.
Brown's office would not vouch for Hudak's account.
"I can't confirm that," Colin Reed, Brown's spokesman, said.
It's not the first time Brown's camp has distanced itself from a Hudak claim.
The day after Brown's election in January, Hudak announced that the senator-elect had endorsed his candidacy.
But he subsequently apologized to Brown and retracted a press release touting the endorsement because it included comments that were not made or approved by Brown or his campaign.
Hudak said he "jumped the gun" based on several conversations with Brown in which the Wrentham Republican pledged to provide support for him after the election.
A lawyer from Boxford, Hudak, 52, said his campaign would not have been deterred if Healey had entered the race.
He was, however, relieved when told she was not running.
"She would have been a formidable opponent," he said.
