Massachusetts Republicans celebrate gains made across the state and look forward to 2026
BOSTON - The Republican Party in Massachusetts has struggled in the state for years but after this Election Day, they're celebrating some gains they made throughout the Bay State.
GOP makes gains
Kelly Garrity of Politico, author of the daily Massachusetts Playbook, says Massachusetts Republicans are "very excited" about the vote, in which their long-struggling party flipped several seats in the House and won an open Senate seat in Southeastern Massachusetts that had been held by Democrats for decades.
Those gains - combined with an unusually strong 40% showing by GOP Senate nominee John Deaton in a loss to Sen. Elizabeth Warren and the rebuke to the Democrat-dominated Legislature of Question 1, which called for broader audit powers over the House and Senate, give the local GOP something to "seize on" as they head into 2026, a re-election year for Gov. Maura Healey, said Garrity.
"I think the Governor has had a lot of challenges that are out of her control her first term," she says. "Obviously, cost of housing is very high in Massachusetts. And the economy - it seems, nationwide - is really important to voters. There's also the migrant crisis, again another problem that is largely out of the governor's control, but whether or not voters will be willing to take that out on the incumbent. The governor hasn't said if she does intend to run again; I think it's largely expected at this point that she will."
Rockier times ahead?
After a stretch where the Legislature's approval ratings have been relatively healthy in polls, rockier times may be ahead. "I think after this .... the end of the legislative session, when there's a lot of bills still tied up in Beacon Hill, I think that definitely caught some people's attention," says Garrity. "They're still waiting on an economic development bill to pass. And I do think that, especially when it comes to question one, the question for voters was, 'Do you want more transparency?' or that's what it appeared to be for voters. And I think that, for most people, was a pretty easy yes."
Garrity also discussed the landslide victory for the Massachusetts Teachers Association on Question 2, dropping a passing score on the MCAS as a statewide high-school graduation requirement. "Voters did decide pretty overwhelmingly to vote yes on that one as well, despite opposition from all of the big power players on Beacon Hill," she notes.
