Photo: Getty Images
MARLBOROUGH, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Leadership at the top of the state Republican party has been shaken up. Party Chair Jim Lyons was ousted and denied a third term at a Republican State Committee meeting on Tuesday night.
In his place, state committee members voted 37-34 to make Amy Carnevale the new chair. The K&L Gates lobbyist is from Marblehead, and has been active in state and national party politics for years.
Lyons, the chair since 2019, had drawn headlines for his public opposition to former Republican Governor Charlie Baker. He was a staunch supporter of former president Donald Trump.
The state Republican party has seen a downturn in recent years, with its representation dropping to just 29 seats in the state legislature this past November, and Democratic Gov. Maura Healey crushed her Republican opponent Geoff Diehl by a 30-point margin.
Carnevale's politics are more conservative than former Gov. Charlie Baker and she's a big supporter of former President Trump, but said in a speech before the election that she wants to "professionalize" the state party according to the Boston Globe. Carnevale doesn't seem to have the acrimony for Baker that her predecessor had: she has made some modest contributions to former Governor Baker's campaigns in the past.
WBZ's Jim MacKay (@JimMacKayOnAir) has more:
Follow WBZ NewsRadio: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | iHeartmedia App