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Boston's Morning Newsletter
Breaking down Massachusetts' bottom-of-the-ballot Super Tuesday drama
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
Voting is underway in arguably the most decisive day of the 2024 presidential primary race. Massachusetts is one of 15 states (and one U.S. territory) holding Super Tuesday elections today — with over a third of all primary delegates on both the Republican and Democratic sides at stake. Voters could solidify the path to a 2020 presidential rematch — or they could defy the polls and deliver a stunner.
Polls are open until 8 p.m. in Massachusetts.
Here’s everything you need to know, from the national picture to the bottom-of-the-ballot intrigue here in the Bay State:
The essentials: Find your polling place, preview your ballot and get a refresher on the rules in our Massachusetts primary voter guide.
- Still have your mail-in ballot? Take it to your local election office or dropbox.
- What to expect: Secretary of State Bill Galvin is forecasting a “reasonably good” turnout in Massachusetts.
GOP: Can Nikki Haley make a stand against Donald Trump? Read more here on the arguments the two candidates’ campaigns are making in Massachusetts.
- State of the race: Click here for the GOP primary delegate tracker.
Dems: Meanwhile, several progressive groups in Massachusetts are urging Democratic primary voters to fill in the “no preference” box to protest President Joe Biden’s handling of the conflict in Gaza, after a similar effort in Michigan successfully sent a message.
- Zoom out: It’s not all presidential politics. Some other states are holding closely watched primaries for spots in the U.S. Senate or seats as governor.
- The big picture: What is the 2024 election all about, anyway?
Drama at the bottom: The most competitive race in Massachusetts today might not be among the presidential candidates — but among the dozens of relatively unknown names at the bottom of the GOP ballot. That’s because the state’s quadrennial presidential primary also includes elections for the Republican (and Democratic) State Committee. And MassGOP’s more conservative, Trump-aligned wing is running a “Freedom Slate” of state committee candidates in a bid to yank back power from first-term party chair Amy Carnevale.
- Catch up: As WBUR’s Anthony Brooks explained on Radio Boston, the Republican State Committee is made up of 80 folks — one man and one woman from each of the 40 state senate districts. They’re primarily responsible for picking the party’s leaders, overseeing its finances, and recruiting and supporting candidates. “In general, they dictate what kind of Republican Party Massachusetts is going to have,” Anthony said.
- What’s happening now: All 80 seats are up for grabs every four years, and about 35 current members are not running for reelection this year. That has created an opening for supporters of former MassGOP chair Jim Lyons to regain power from Carnevale and the party’s more moderate establishment wing. According to The Boston Globe, Lyons and former gubernatorial candidate Geoff Diehl are promoting over 70 “Freedom Slate” candidates. That includes dozens of candidates for open seats, as well as 18 who are challenging sitting committee men and women.
- Why it matters: The MassGOP is pretty much powerless on Beacon Hill, though Carnevale has made some progress in her first year as leader. She raised money to pay off a third of the party’s debts and recruited one winning Senate candidate. But the Freedom Slate candidates say she doesn’t represent the MassGOP’s more conservative base. And if they win enough seats, they could vote her out as chair when her term expires next year (or even as soon as this April).
- Who’s on which side? Yes, state committee members aren’t exactly household names. But you can see who your local “Freedom Slate” candidates are on this website. Meanwhile, the Globe has published a (paywalled) list of candidates that support Carnevale.
The New England angle: The Supreme Court’s unanimous decision to restore Trump to the primary ballot in Colorado means the former president will also remain eligible in Maine. Following yesterday’s ruling, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows announced she was withdrawing her move to disqualify Trump from the ballot.
- FWIW: Trump’s name had already been printed on ballots in Maine — which also holds its primary today — since Bellows had suspended her decision as the court process played out.
P.S.— After the polls close tonight, tune in to 90.9 or check out our website to follow the real-time Massachusetts primary results. For both the Democratic and Republican races, we have updating interactive maps to show the town-by-town breakdown of the results.
