Republicans reboot

From: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook - Wednesday Feb 01,2023 12:19 pm

Feb 01, 2023

CARNEVALE TAKES CONTROL — The bitter power struggle that paralyzed the state GOP has come to an end.

Republican State Committee members elected Amy Carnevale as their new leader on Tuesday, booting Jim Lyons from the top job after two turbulent terms that saw the party take a hard-right and pro-Donald Trump turn in a state where both are electorally unpopular. Carnevale defeated Lyons 37-34 in the second round of voting.

The transfer of power was surprisingly peaceful for a party so plagued by infighting that its meetings have in the past devolved into shouting matches. Lyons motioned for his supporters to smile once the votes were tallied and shook hands with Carnevale before the results were announced. The two were cordial to each other in their remarks.

Amy Carnevale

New MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale addresses state committee members on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, in Marlborough. | Lisa Kashinsky/POLITICO

But electing Carnevale doesn’t magically solve the MassGOP’s problems. Her slim margin of victory reflects the deep divisions she’ll have to navigate — and attempt to heal — as party chair.

Carnevale, a self-proclaimed Baker-Trump voter, is viewed by some as a bridge between the party’s moderates and conservatives. But the state GOP's divides are less ideological at this point than they are personal.

And Lyons’ allies are smarting from what they view as an all-out assault on his leadership from allies of former Gov. Charlie Baker. Todd Taylor, one of Lyons’ staunchest supporters, was shaking with emotion when he told Playbook after the vote that the party “has a deficiency in honesty, integrity and transparency” and that if Carnevale “wants to truly unite this party, than [she] is the one that is going to have to reach out and try to have some sort of accountability for what has been done.”

Carnevale has pledged to reach out to every state committee member. “I had quite a few members of the committee come over to me and congratulate me, including a number of individuals who supported Jim,” she later told reporters. “So that’s encouraging for me, and that’s where I’ll start.”

She also faces the difficult tasks of replenishing the party’s depleted coffers and trying to build up its bench. The GOP has no statewide officers. Its legislative ranks and voter registration numbers continue to dwindle. And Carnevale said Lyons has given no indication that he plans to drop his lawsuit against the party treasurer.

Carnevale won’t be going at it alone. The new chair said she has commitments from former Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, former Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson and former rival Jon Fetherston to help recruit candidates and donors. She plans to bring in an executive director. The Republican National Committee's recently reelected chair, Ronna McDaniel, offered Carnevale congratulations in a phone call last night.

But the real boon for Carnevale is that she’s presented with a clean break from the Baker-Lyons feud that cleaved the party, destroying its donor base and overshadowing its candidates.

“I talked about a new chapter for the party and I think [this] is the start of that,” Carnevale said.

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Tips? Scoops? Thoughts on the MassGOP's new direction? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com.

TODAY — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is on "Java with Jimmy" at 9 a.m. and speaks at City Hall’s Lunar New Year celebration at 1:30 p.m.

JOIN POLITICO ON 2/9 TO HEAR FROM AMERICA’S GOVERNORS: In a divided Congress, more legislative and policy enforcement will shift to the states, meaning governors will take a leading role in setting the agenda for the nation. Join POLITICO on Thursday, Feb. 9 at World Wide Technology's D.C. Innovation Center for The Fifty: America's Governors, where we will examine where innovations are taking shape and new regulatory red lines, the future of reproductive health, and how climate change is being addressed across a series of one-on-one interviews. REGISTER HERE.

PARTY POLITICS

— OUT WITH THE OLD: Former Chair Jim Lyons spoke to CommonWealth Magazine’s Bruce Mohl after his ouster about the party’s divisions.

— IN WITH THE NEW: The Boston Globe’s Emma Platoff and Matt Stout have what you need to know about new MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale, a lobbyist and longtime state committee member from Marblehead who worked in the White House and on Capitol Hill.

— DEMOCRATS RESPOND: Republicans' disarray helped Democrats take control of every statewide office on top of their legislative supermajorities. But Democrats don't appear daunted by the possible resurrection of their rival party.

“As the MassGOP has imploded over the last several years, we have been largely silent, allowing their demise to be mostly self-inflicted while we focused on electing Democrats, which we did,” MassDems Chair Gus Bickford said in a statement. “I hope that this vote by the Republican State Committee to elect a new Chair will bring a return to some level of civility and humanity to their Party. As has been said, we can disagree without being disagreeable.”

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— ALMOST THERE: Democratic state Rep.-elect Kristin Kassner is one major step closer to finally joining the Legislature. A special panel reviewing issues raised by GOP state Rep. Lenny Mirra in his one-vote recount loss to Kassner recommended that the Democrat be declared the winner and seated. The committee’s lone Republican, Minority Leader Brad Jones, objected.

Mirra, a five-term representative who continued to serve while the committee worked, told the Boston Globe’s Matt Stout that he would accept the House’s decision and drop his court challenge. Representatives are expected to vote on the panel's recommendation later today. The House also plans to hold its rules debate.

— “Galvin Turns Down 20 Percent Pay Bump,” by Sam Drysdale, State House News Service (paywall): “Secretary of State William Galvin is the only constitutional officer not accepting a 20 percent pay raise this year. The 20 percent increase stems from a controversial law passed in 2017 that ties officials' salaries to changes in state wages over the past eight quarters.”

— “Healey won’t file legislation subjecting her office to records law,” by Colman M. Herman, CommonWealth Magazine: “Gov. Maura Healey said on [Tuesday] that she will not introduce legislation that would make her office subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law. ‘I don’t think I need to file legislation,’ Healey told Jim Braude, co-host of GBH’s Boston Public Radio. ‘I think that I can just implement along the lines that I’ve articulated, you know, And that’s what I’m going to do.’”

— “Bill in Mass. State Senate looks to create Date Rape Drug Response and Intervention Task Force,” by Kiernan Dunlop, MassLive: “Bill SD.2411, filed by Bristol and Norfolk State Sen. Paul Feeney on Jan. 20, would establish ‘testing protocol and care for victims of date rape drugs,’ according to state documents.”

— STRIKING A BALANCE: As the Woburn teachers' strike heads into its third day, Gov. Maura Healey said on GBH's "Boston Public Radio" that she's "not comfortable taking a position" on legislation backed by the Massachusetts Teachers Association that would give most public employees, including educators, the right to strike. "I support educators. We want to make sure that our educators are treated well and fairly," Healey said. But "we've got to make sure that kids are in the classroom."

FROM THE HUB

— “‘It’s a matter of basic humanity.’ Healey says homeless people can stay in South Station on cold nights,” by Shirley Leung, Boston Globe: “For more than five years, homeless people have not been allowed to stay overnight at South Station, but Governor Maura Healey [said on GBH] she will now open up the state-owned transit hub during periods of extreme weather.”

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “Healey supports giving Boston a seat on the MBTA board,” by Katie Lannan, GBH News: “Governor Maura Healey backs a dedicated seat for Boston on the MBTA’s board of directors, a change Mayor Michelle Wu has wanted for years. The seven members of the board that oversees the T are mostly appointed by the governor, with one seat for the state transportation secretary and another filled by the MBTA Advisory Board and reserved for someone with municipal government experience. There's no guarantee that Boston, which accounts for the bulk of the T's core service area, has a direct voice in running the T in its current governance structure.”

— “Father of woman stuck under MBTA Green Line train retains lawyer, says accident was preventable,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “The father of a 20-year-old woman who suffered serious injuries after becoming stuck underneath a Green Line train said the tragedy could have been prevented and has retained a lawyer. … The MBTA Transit Police said in a Sunday statement that ‘this incident does not appear to be the result of any mechanical or MBTA employee failure,’ and issued more information on Tuesday that directs blame away from the agency.”

DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID.

FROM THE DELEGATION

— “Lawmakers urge state, federal officials to secure funds to replace Cape Cod bridges,” by Jeremy C. Fox, Boston Globe: “Senators Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren have joined with Representative William Keating to urge federal and state agencies to take swift, aggressive action in a third attempt to secure nearly $1.9 billion in federal funds to replace two aging bridges spanning the Cape Cod Canal.”

FROM THE 413

— “Northampton mayor won’t sign retail pot shop ordinance,” by Alexander MacDougall, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra will not sign an ordinance approved by the City Council earlier this month that limits the number of cannabis dispensaries in the city to 12, although the ordinance may still take effect this week as the mayor has also yet to veto it. The council passed the ordinance on Jan. 19 capping retail marijuana shops at a dozen. According to the city’s charter, the mayor has 10 days after an ordinance is presented to her to sign it. In this case, the ordinance reached her office on Jan. 23. That means that Sciarra has until Thursday to veto the bill.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Sports betting launches in Mass. at MGM Springfield, Encore Boston Harbor,” by Chris Van Buskirk and Alvin Buyinza, MassLive: “The Philadelphia Eagles to win the Super Bowl, Boston Celtics to win the NBA Finals, Boston Bruins to win the Stanley Cup, and the Kansas City Chiefs to win the Super Bowl. Those were some of the first legal in-person bets placed on sporting events inside Massachusetts casinos Tuesday morning as the state’s brand new sports wagering industry took its initial baby steps.”

Among the first to place bets: House Speaker Ron Mariano and former Patriots Ty Law and Julian Edelman.

— “Growing violence against health care workers prompts Mass. hospitals to adopt new codes of conduct,” by Priyanka Dayal McCluskey, WBUR: “Hospitals across Massachusetts have agreed to enforce new codes of conduct to help shield health care workers from the growing threat of violence and abuse from patients. The new policies will ban violence, as well as offensive, abusive and discriminatory language and behaviors. Any patient who violates the rules could be asked to leave and seek care elsewhere.”

— “Nantucket Public Schools Close After Ransomware Attack,” by Jason Graziadei, Nantucket Current: “Nantucket Public Schools will be closed for a second day on Wednesday following a ransomware attack that crippled the district's computer systems and impacted its security capabilities.”

2024 WATCH

— “It’s official: Nikki Haley running for president. Formal announcement Feb. 15,” by Schuyler Kropf, Post and Courier: “Cementing what has been in the works for months, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will formally announce she is running for president and will seek the Republican nomination for her party’s 2024 ticket, The Post and Courier has learned.”

— “Sununu says he’s considering a run for president. But that might not be his real plan,” by James Pindell, Boston Globe: “[Gov. Chris] Sununu’s premise when he speaks around the country is about Republicans winning elections, as he has in New Hampshire. So what would happen to his presidential campaign should he lose the primary in his home state? A University of New Hampshire poll released last week suggests that’s exactly what would happen.”

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

BOOK DEAL — Boston Globe columnist Scot Lehigh has inked a deal with Islandport Press fiction editor Genevieve Morgan for his debut novel to publish this July.Tweet.

TRANSITIONS — Maria Hardiman will be comms director for EEA Secretary Rebecca Tepper. Hardiman was the comms director for Maura Healey’s gubernatorial campaign.

— Former state assistant attorney general Rachel Shapiro has joined Morgan, Brown & Joy as an associate.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to ABC’s Ali Dukakis, former Gov. Deval Patrick photog Eric Haynes, former Boston city councilor Tim McCarthy, Kerry Akashian, Alexa Kissinger and Patricia LeBoeuf.

Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.

Follow us on Twitter