Keller: New Mass. GOP chairwoman Amy Carnevale plans to focus on electability, not ideology
BOSTON – The Massachusetts Republican Party voted to make a leadership change earlier this month, ousting chairman Jim Lyons and making Amy Carnevale head of the party. So what changes does Carnevale plan to bring to the party that suffered a host of setbacks in November?
Carnevale joined WBZ-TV political analyst Jon Keller and discussed her goals as she takes over a divided Massachusetts GOP.
"I think a Massachusetts Republican is somebody who is fiscally conservative and really wants to lead our state in a way that is focused on fiscal values and in opposition to Democrats who sometimes have more progressive values," Carnevale said. "Frankly, we're a small enough party that I say we welcome anybody who wants to attach that Republican label to their name. We're less than nine percent. So I say, welcome to our party. If you consider yourself a Republican, I consider you part of our party."
When asked how she would describe her political beliefs, Carnevale said she began as a "Reagan Republican." She added that to find success in a heavily Democratic state, members of her party must focus less on labels.
"We need to moderate our image a bit when we think about Republicans who are electable frankly. I am someone who supported Donald Trump at the national level. But I also strongly supported Charlie Baker here in Massachusetts. I think you can do both. Republicans need to reflect their constituency, whether that be at the national level, the state level, or the local level," Carnevale said. "We need to get our party back focused on winning elections. That is going to be my focus as chair of the party. We need to support candidates that are electable."
Keller @ Large: Part 2