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Checking In On The State's GOP

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There's a battle going on within the state's Republican party.

Last week, according to emails obtained by The Boston Globe, state GOP committeewoman Deborah Martell made homophobic remarks against fellow Republican and congressional candidate Jeffrey Sossa-Paquette. Sossa-Paquette is gay, married and the adoptive father of two.

Martell's comments — that she's "sickened" that he and his husband adopted children — resulted in a wave of legislators condemning her and calling for her resignation. Even Gov. Charlie Baker, the state party's biggest name, weighed in.

But one voice was — until recently — notably silent: Committee Chairman Jim Lyons. He eventually called Martell's remarks "offensive," but has refused to call for her resignation, dismissing the movement against her as "cancel culture."

We speak to State Representative Shawn Dooley, one of the 29 out of 30 Republicans in the House that are calling for Lyons to resign his post. And for more analysis on the states' Republican Party, we turn to WBUR Senior Political Reporter Anthony Brooks, who has been following this story.

This segment aired on June 9, 2021.

Headshot of Jamie Bologna

Jamie Bologna Senior Producer/Director, Radio Boston
Jamie Bologna was senior producer and director of Radio Boston.

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Headshot of Anthony Brooks

Anthony Brooks Senior Political Reporter
Anthony Brooks is WBUR's senior political reporter.

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Headshot of Hafsa Quraishi

Hafsa Quraishi Associate Producer, Here & Now
Hafsa Quraishi is an associate producer for Here & Now.

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