Massachusetts Republicans considering change that could prevent a Trump delegate sweep in primary
BOSTON - For many years, the Massachusetts Republican presidential primary has been a winner-take-all affair. But that might be about to change.
In an interview Wednesday morning with WBZ-TV, state GOP Chair Amy Carnevale disclosed that the party is "seriously considering" a switch to proportional allocation of delegates. A party subcommittee has met to discuss the change once and may approve it at a forthcoming session.
This could prevent former President Donald Trump, the likely winner of the March 5, 2024 GOP primary here, from walking off with all 40 delegates to the national convention, even if he wins 50% or more of the vote.
Why the change now? Asked in our interview about Trump's impact on her party, Carnevale chose her words carefully, but did say "I do hear from Republican legislators that they really want to focus on issues of concern in Massachusetts, and having the drama associated with a former president is not helpful to those Republicans."
She might well have added that the state party's close association with Trump hasn't exactly helped the Mass. GOP here at home; Republicans had one of their worst showing at the polls in years last fall. If next year's primary results end up sending a significant number of non-Trump delegates to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, that could put a dent in the state party's image as a Trump organ. Conversely, a landslide for Trump that leaves crumbs for other candidates would be a show of continued dominance.
You can watch the entire interview with Carnevale on the Sunday morning edition of "Keller At Large" this Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on WBZ-TV and CBS News Boston.