Politics
Massachusetts GOP Chair Amy Carnevale to Step Down After Midterm Losses, Defends Salary and Spending
After Republicans suffered defeats across Massachusetts and the nation in the 2026 midterms, state GOP Chair Amy Carnevale announced she won't seek another term, defending her paid leadership and party spending while acknowledging voter anger at the Trump administration.
Massachusetts Republican Party Chair Amy Carnevale will not seek another term in January, she confirmed in an interview, saying the party needs new leadership after a bruising 2026 midterm cycle that saw Democrats win in red-state strongholds and flip long-held legislative seats on Beacon Hill.
"This is a time for change in the Republican Party," Carnevale said. "I've served a good amount of time â a presidential cycle, a gubernatorial cycle, and now it's time to pass the torch."
Carnevale took over the state party in 2023, inheriting an organization that was in debt and riven by internal turmoil. She is credited by some with stabilizing its finances and operations, but her decision to accept a salary in her second term drew criticism from within the party, where some argued the money would have been better spent on candidates in a difficult political environment.
"My first two years were without a salary, and then once we were bringing more money to the table, I do have a family in Massachusetts," Carnevale said. "It's hard to live in Massachusetts. So past chairs have been paid. It was not unusual."
She said the party's board felt the compensation was justified given the demands of the role. "I do spend a good amount of my day on party activities, so our board did feel it was justified," she said. "It's hard to say whether it would or would not have been a difference maker. We did put everything on the table for our candidates."
Asked about the midterm results, Carnevale pointed to losses on Beacon Hill as the most painful. "Seeing several incumbent state representatives lose their seats, you never like to see that happen, particularly in Massachusetts because it's all that much harder to gain that ground back the next cycle," she said.
Nationally, she attributed Republican setbacks to voter frustration with the Trump administration's policies and priorities. "Voters clearly blamed the federal administration for their economic troubles here in Massachusetts," Carnevale said.
The chair's departure comes as the state party confronts a shrunken footprint in Massachusetts politics. Democrats hold every statewide office and dominate the Legislature, and the midterms further eroded Republican representation in the House. Carnevale's successor will inherit the task of rebuilding a party that remains out of power in a state where the GOP has not won a U.S. Senate seat since 2010.
Carnevale is scheduled to discuss her tenure and the party's future in an extended interview airing Sunday at 9:30 a.m.