BOSTON — The Boston Globe editorial board on Tuesday endorsed Republican Elizabeth Dionne for Massachusetts treasurer, backing her over Democratic incumbent Deborah Goldberg, who has held the office for 12 years.

In the editorial, the board said Goldberg has managed the office capably but has made missteps that raise questions about her judgment, and that a well-qualified challenger makes a case for bringing in fresh eyes. The board called Dionne one of the strongest Republican candidates on the November ballot.

The board pointed to Goldberg's handling of the Cannabis Control Commission as her biggest failure. Goldberg appointed and then fired Shannon O'Brien as the commission's chair, a move the editorial said cost more than $1 million in tax dollars and led to years of litigation before a court ordered O'Brien reinstated. The editorial noted that Goldberg still maintains she was right.

Dionne is a corporate attorney and a former chair of the Belmont select board. She has also chaired the town's Community Preservation Committee, served as secretary of its Finance Committee and is a Town Meeting member, according to the editorial.

The board said Dionne describes herself as a centrist Republican. She unenrolled from the party in 2020 over disapproval of some of President Donald Trump's actions and rejoined in November 2025 to run for treasurer, the editorial said.

Dionne has pledged to audit the treasurer's office, look for spending efficiencies and bring more employees back to the office from hybrid schedules. On the state lottery, she told the board she would cut administrative costs such as office rentals, travel and overstaffing instead of pushing to grow lottery sales, and would press lawmakers to increase local aid. She also said she would review how the Massachusetts School Building Authority distributes money and whether vocational schools could be prioritized.

The editorial also credited Goldberg with accomplishments, including a state-sponsored retirement plan for nonprofit workers and the BabySteps college savings program, which she told the board has signed up 70,000 families since 2020. The board noted that Goldberg was a strong advocate for allowing the lottery to sell games online, which lawmakers approved in 2024.

The board addressed attacks on Dionne from a political action committee funded by labor unions and the Democratic Treasurers Association over her 2005 leadership of a religious liberty advocacy group formed by members of the Mormon Church that opposed abortion and same-sex marriage. Dionne told the board her views have changed and that she now supports abortion rights and same-sex marriage.

The editorial faulted Goldberg for declining a GBH debate. The candidates' only scheduled matchup is a 12-minute debate on WBZ-TV set to air Nov. 1, two days before Election Day.

The board acknowledged that Republicans face an uphill climb in statewide races in Massachusetts. "Voters should give her a chance," the editorial said.