Mass. GOP Chair Amy Carnevale Will Not Seek a Third Term

Amy Carnevale will not seek a third two-year term as the leader of the Massachusetts Republican Party, the Boston Globe reported Monday.

The decision leaves the state’s Republican organization facing an uncertain leadership transition following a difficult election cycle. Carnevale, who was first elected to lead the party in 2023, announced her intention to step aside in a letter to members of the Republican State Committee.

“Serving as Chair for the past four years has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” Carnevale said in her letter. She noted that while she anticipated significant work upon taking office, she could not have foreseen the extent of the challenges or the fundamental changes the organization would undergo.

The Massachusetts GOP has long struggled to maintain a foothold in a state where Democrats hold supermajorities in both legislative chambers and dominate nearly all levels of government. Aside from the governor’s office, Republicans have not held statewide office in Massachusetts for decades.

MassGOP chair Amy Carnevale announces plans to step down

Recent election results have placed additional pressure on the party’s infrastructure. In the most recent contests, Democrats gained at least three seats in the state House, and all sitting statewide officials successfully defended their seats. The gubernatorial race saw Governor Maura Healey defeat GOP nominee Michael Minogue by approximately 27 percentage points, even after Minogue invested a record $19.5 million of his own funds into the campaign.

Carnevale’s tenure was marked by efforts to stabilize a party that, upon her arrival in 2023, was struggling with significant debt and internal legal disputes. While she helped the party reach various legal settlements and successfully flipped a state Senate seat during her first year, the organization faced new hurdles this year. By the summer, the party was facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and several high-profile setbacks.

These challenges included a signature fraud scandal involving three statewide candidates, which resulted in two being removed from the ballot. The party's lieutenant governor nominee withdrew from the race following an arrest for driving under the influence shortly before Election Day.

The vacancy has already sparked interest from several party members. Elizabeth Dionne, the party’s nominee for state treasurer who lost her recent race to incumbent Democrat Deborah Goldberg by more than 30 percentage points, announced she will run for the chair position.

Dionne characterized the recent election results as “devastating” and argued that the party must focus on providing a “true choice” rather than allowing a “coronation” of Democratic leadership on Beacon Hill.

Gene Parini, the Republican Town Committee chair for Sandwich, also announced his intention to run for the leadership role in September. The 80-seat state committee is expected to select the next chair in early January.

The upcoming leadership contest arrives as the party prepares for changing national politics. With President Trump approaching the end of his second term, the GOP will be without its current standard-bearer on the ballot for the 2028 presidential election. This timing forces Massachusetts Republicans to plan for a future that includes both a new national era and an uphill battle in the 2028 cycle.

Internal friction also defined the recent primary season. Despite the state Republican convention endorsing Minogue in April, Brian Shortsleeve continued his campaign through the primary, eventually losing to Minogue by more than 50 percentage points. Carnevale noted in her Monday letter that the primary process “resulted in unexpected and significant strains” for the organization.

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