Gov. Maura Healey is staring down reelection next year, and she got a bit of welcome news this past week when a poll found more than half of residents in Massachusetts approve of her work.

But the survey, conducted by MassINC Polling Group for the media outlet Commonwealth Beacon, drew a testy response from an advisor to Mike Kennealy, a Republican running for governor who was previously a cabinet secretary under former Gov. Charlie Baker.

MassINC Polling Group, a well-known firm based in downtown Boston, found that 20% of residents strongly approve of Healey’s job as governor, and another 35% “somewhat approve” of her work. That’s based on a survey of 1,000 residents between Aug. 11 and 18.

The survey also found that 15% of respondents “somewhat disapprove” of Healey’s work, and anothe

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