Amy Carnevale says she won't seek a third two-year term as chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party, ending a four-year run that began with the party deep in debt and ends with Republicans reeling from another lopsided election. The announcement opens up a leadership contest that the state party's 80-member Republican State Committee is expected to settle in early January.
Carnevale was first elected to lead the Mass. GOP in 2023, according to a report from The Boston Globe, after defeating incumbent Jim Lyons. She won reelection by a wide margin last year. Carnevale is a longtime lobbyist and state committee member who said, of her time at the helm, that serving as chair for the past four years has been one of the greatest honors of her life.
A Party Once Drowning in Debt
When Carnevale took over, the Massachusetts GOP had nearly $1 million in debt, and the party was out of compliance with both the Federal Elections Commission and the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance. In February 2023, Carnevale said the party had as much as $602,152 in unpaid vendor invoices, and told WBUR that many of those invoices appeared unsubstantiated. She also warned at the time that fines could still come from OCPF over investigations into possible campaign-finance violations dating to Jim Lyons's tenure.
Under Carnevale, the party reached a variety of legal settlements and resolved all but one outstanding legal matter, the Globe reports. Her tenure is credited with stabilizing the party's finances for a stretch, though the Globe notes that by this past summer the Massachusetts GOP was once again staring down hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.
Mixed Record at the Ballot Box
The party's electoral results during Carnevale's tenure were a mixed bag. The MassGOP helped flip multiple Massachusetts seats and defended every seat held by a Republican incumbent in 2024, while also increasing support for President Donald Trump in nearly every county that year. The 2025 election cycle included a competitive GOP primary for governor.
But Tuesday's election results were grim for Massachusetts Republicans. Democrats netted at least three seats in the state House, and every sitting statewide elected official cruised to reelection, according to the Globe. The Boston Herald reports that the MassGOP's one bright spot was Jesse St. Gelais flipping the 8th Bristol House seat, while several congressional incumbents — including Pressley, Neal and McGovern — again faced no Republican challenger at all. The same report, citing 2024 results, notes Elizabeth Warren won reelection to the U.S. Senate with 59.8% of the vote over Republican John Deaton's 40%, and that Kamala Harris carried 61.3% of the Massachusetts presidential vote to Trump's 36%.
Dionne Jumps Into the Race, Pledges No Salary
Elizabeth Dionne, a former candidate for state treasurer, announced her candidacy for Massachusetts Republican Party chair, calling Tuesday night's results devastating and arguing Republicans must organize to check the Democratic supermajority on Beacon Hill, according to the Boston Herald. Dionne said her priorities would include recruiting and retaining party members, identifying credible candidates, running effective campaigns, and rebuilding the party's donor base, alongside fundraising, clearer messaging and strategic campaign planning.
Dionne also pledged to donate her labor for the full two years of her term if elected, and called on all other candidates in the race to make the same no-salary commitment. The Herald's report notes that, per Federal Elections Commission records, Carnevale's role currently pays $3,411 every two weeks.
Dionne isn't the only name in the race. Gene Parini, who chairs the Sandwich Republican Town Committee, announced plans in September to run for state party chair as well, the Globe reports. With the 80-member state committee not expected to vote until early January, the Massachusetts GOP now faces weeks of jockeying over who should lead it after a punishing election night and years of financial turbulence.
