A former military police officer who is now a defense attorney, James “Jay” McMahon is one of two Republicans seeking the party’s nomination to take on Massachusetts Attorney General, Maura Healey, a Democrat, in the 2018 election. McMahon has also said the opioid crisis would be his first priority as attorney general and called for better cooperation with federal law enforcement to stop the illegal trafficking of opiates and fentanyl across borders, to "be brutal" with street-level sellers of narcotics and for better treatment programs for addicts, including “involuntary commitment.”