Keller: Republican party chair explains why they gained ground in Massachusetts
The opinions expressed below are Jon Keller's, not those of WBZ, CBS News or Paramount Global.
BOSTON - On election night, Massachusetts Democrats had plenty to celebrate. They kept control of Beacon Hill, and Senator Elizabeth Warren was easily re-elected.
But Mass. Republicans had cause for a celebration of their own.
Mass. Republicans celebrate election victories
Surprisingly, in a presidential election year that usually helps Democrats, the beleaguered state GOP didn't lose any ground. They even won an open state Senate seat held by Democrat Patricia Haddad for years.
WBZ-TV's Jon Keller asked the Massachusetts Republican Party Chair, Amy Carnevale, about why the party maintained its standing in the state.
"Number one, the economy, and number two, immigration, and we really saw those two issues as interlinked," she says.
"We're spending over a billion dollars at the state level every year on migrants, housing them, feeding them, impacting our municipalities at the education and first responders level. We really saw it as a message to the administration, both at the federal level and at the state level, that they need to rethink policies on migrants and the economy."
Carnevale is expecting the state's GOP support to grow after President-elect Donald Trump's improved reception in Mass.
"I think there's a trend there. I think that many blue-collar working Americans and working residents of Massachusetts are looking for a party that's responsive to their needs," she says. "And again that's a party that is paying attention to the economy, and also maybe a little more socially conservative than what we're seeing in the policies off of Beacon Hill."
Republicans welcome audit power
So, with top legislative leaders battling with DiZoglio over the implementation of her new audit power, does Carnevale think the auditor could switch parties down the road? And is that something she'd like to see?
"I think we're aligned with her and the Republican party and her efforts to audit the Legislature, and certainly we welcome her as a Republican if she's interested in coming over," says Carnevale. "I've had ongoing conversations with the auditor, mostly about the issue of the audit itself."
WBZ-TV reached out to DiZoglio who said: "I appreciate the opportunity to uplift democratic values while working together with everyone for good government, regardless of party affiliation," DiZoglio said in a statement.