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After months of infighting that followed a brutal election for the party, the Massachusetts Republican State Committee has a new chair.
Amy Carnevale, a lobbyist from Marblehead and longtime committeewoman, defeated incumbent Jim Lyons, 37-34, on a second ballot Tuesday night, denying the outgoing party leader a third term.
In her first remarks to the committee as chair, Carnevale thanked Lyons for his four years of service, saying that “he’s worked incredibly hard.”
She also asked her fellow members for their support, saying that they need to work together to rebuild the state’s beleaguered Republican Party.
“We have a lot to do, clearly, and it’s going to take all of us,” Carnevale said. “Together, we want to move forward and support our candidates, and build a more effective party for the future.”
Lyons did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but did concede the race to Carnevale, according to a committee member present for the vote.
Carnevale had the edge over Lyons in a first ballot, 34-33, but did not have the necessary 37 votes to win outright.
Elizabeth Childs was eliminated on the first ballot after garnering just five votes, setting up the head-to-head matchup most MassGOP insiders expected in the weeks leading up to the election.
Three other candidates for chair dropped out before Tuesday’s election began. Ron Vining withdrew about half an hour before it began; Christopher Lyon did so the night before, saying he did not see a path forward to victory; and Committee Vice Chair Jay Fleitman left the race last week.
In a statement on Twitter, MassGOP congratulated Carnevale and wished her luck, saying that she is a “very capable leader, who will work to unite” the party.
Calls for new leadership in the MassGOP began almost immediately after Republicans took a beating up and down the ballot in the November general election, failing to win a single statewide race.
The field of potential candidates quickly grew, but Carnevale emerged as a frontrunner in the weeks that followed.
Throughout her campaign, Carnevale framed herself as a contender who could appeal to both factions of the party — a more conservative wing led by Donald Trump supporter Jim Lyons and a moderate one headed by former Gov. Charlie Baker — and get Republicans elected.
Carnevale was a Trump delegate in 2016 and 2020.
She maintained that she would be focused on rebuilding the image of the party, pointing to “costly litigation” and constant turmoil that it was entrenched in.
Lyons sued party treasurer Patrick Crowley for control of the party’s bank account in February.
And less than two weeks before the election, Crowley emailed committee members, saying Lyons had potentially violated state law by working with the leader of a political action committee to allegedly investigate Democratic Gov. Maura Healey’s personal life during the gubernatorial campaign.
Crowley told members the party was on the hook for a $52,467 payment for those “opposition research” services.
Days later, Crowley said Lyons also spent $800 in party resources to investigate the residency of a fellow committee member, and used his own money to investigate the personal life of another member.
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