BOSTON – The Republican Party in Massachusetts has been struggling in the state for years, but after this Election Day, they’re celebrating some of the gains they’ve made across the Bay State.
GOP makes gains
Politico’s Kelly Garrity, author of the daily Massachusetts Playbook, says Massachusetts Republicans are “very excited” about the vote, which saw their long-struggling party flip several seats in the House of Representatives and win an open Senate seat in Southeastern Massachusetts that was busy. by the Democrats for decades.
These gains – combined with an unusually strong 40% from Republican Senate candidate John Deaton in a loss to Senator Elizabeth Warren and the rebuke to the Democratic-dominated Legislature of Question 1, which called for broader surveillance powers over the House and Senate, give the local Republican party something to “benefit from” as they head into 2026, a re-election year for Gov. Maura Healey, Garrity said.
“I think the governor has had a lot of challenges in her first term that are beyond her control,” she said. “Obviously the cost of housing is very high in Massachusetts. And the economy – it seems, nationally – is very important to voters. There’s also the migrant crisis, again an issue that’s largely outside the governor’s control, but whether or not voters do, I think at this point it’s largely expected that she will.”
Rockier times ahead?
After a period in which the legislature’s approval ratings in the polls were relatively healthy, better times may be ahead. “I think after this… the end of the legislative session, when there are still a lot of bills sitting on Beacon Hill, this has definitely gotten some people’s attention,” Garrity said. “They’re still waiting for an economic development bill to pass. And I think, especially when it comes to question one, the question for voters was, ‘Do you want more transparency?’ or that’s what it seemed to be to the voters. And I think that was a pretty easy yes for most people.”
Garrity also discussed the Massachusetts Teachers Association’s landslide victory on Question 2, which removed a passing score on the MCAS as a requirement for high school graduation statewide. “Voters overwhelmingly decided to vote yes on that too, despite opposition from all the major power players on Beacon Hill,” she notes.
Jon Keller
