Jim Lyons | |
---|---|
Chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party | |
In office January 17, 2019 –January 31, 2023 | |
Preceded by | Kirsten Hughes |
Succeeded by | Amy Carnevale |
Member of the MassachusettsHouseofRepresentatives from the 18th Essex district | |
In office January 5,2011 [1] –January 2,2019 | |
Preceded by | Barbara L'Italien |
Succeeded by | Tram Nguyen |
Personal details | |
Born | Arlington,Massachusetts,U.S. |
Political party | Democratic (1970s-1980s) Republican |
Spouse | Bernadette Tortelli |
Children | 2 |
Education | Brandeis University (BA) |
James J. Lyons Jr. is an American politician who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 18th Essex district from 2011 to 2019,and as chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party from 2019 to 2023.
James J. Lyons Jr. was born in Arlington,Massachusetts. [2] He graduated from Arlington Catholic High School in 1971,and Brandeis University with a bachelor's degree in political science in 1975. He married Bernadette Tortelli,with whom he had two children. [3] [4] [5]
Lyons served as a town meeting member in Arlington,Massachusetts. [4] [6] He was one of three people elected to the Arlington School Committee in the 1977 election. [7]
In 1978,Lyons ran against incumbent state senator Samuel Rotondi in the Democratic primary for the 4th Middlesex district,but was defeated. [4] [8] He ran again while Rotondi ran for lieutenant governor in the 1982 election. Lyons lost the Democratic primary to Dick Kraus despite a recount. [9] [10] [11] [12]
On November 2,2010,Lyons upset incumbent representative Barbara L'Italien. He was sworn in on January 5,2011. [13] Lyons's legislative priorities often focused on anti-abortion issues,fighting the Opioid epidemic,and advocating for local aid. He derailed a bill that would have added a gender-neutral option to Massachusetts driver's licenses,forced the state to reveal that it gave out $1.8 billion in public assistance to undocumented immigrants,and led an unsuccessful effort in the state legislature to remove Salem Superior Court Judge Timothy Feeley from the bench. [14] [15] [16] [17] Lyons was defeated by Democratic nominee Tram Nguyen in the 2018 election.
Lyons supported Ted Cruz during the 2016 Republican presidential primary and served as Cruz's Massachusetts campaign chair. [18] Vincent DeVito,Donald Trump's Massachusetts campaign chair,claimed that Lyons told Massachusetts delegates to ignore paperwork as an attempt to stop Trump's nomination. [19]
During Lyons' tenure in the state house he served on the Joint Committee on Housing and was the ranking Republican member of the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Business and Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. [5] In May 2014,Lyons and Marc Lombardo challenged Bradley Jones Jr.'s position as Minority Leader,but 21 of the 29 member Republican caucus supported Jones. Lyons and Lombardo abstained from the vote. [20] None of the legislation he authored was passed by the legislature. [19]
Kirsten Hughes,chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party,declined to seek another term. Lyons announced his intention to run for chair on December 19,2018,after Geoff Diehl,a political ally,declined to seek the position. [21] Diehl's endorsement of Brent Andersen,the party's treasurer,for the position resulted in criticism from more conservative members,including Lyons. [22] [23] Lyons defeated Andersen,who was supported by Governor Charlie Baker,by a vote of 47 to 30 on January 17,2019. [24] [25] He was reelected as chair on January 3,2021,by a vote of 39 to 36 against Shawn Dooley. [26] Lyons lost reelection as the party's chair to Amy Carnevale by a vote of 37 to 34 on January 30,2023. [27]
During Lyons' tenure the party lost nine seats in the state legislature [28] and saw it reach its lowest share of registered voters since 1948. [29] Karen Spilka mockingly proposed Jim Lyons Day for "his unparalleled contribution,helping us drive all the Republicans out of the State House". [30]
In 2021,over two dozen Asian-American Republicans stated that Lyons was selectively enforcing procedural rules to prevent them from participating in the election of two state party committee members in order for his candidates to win. [31] Donnie Palmer,a candidate in the 2021 Boston City Council election,was endorsed by Lyons and the Massachusetts Republican Party spent $3,697 on ads for him. State committee member Jaclyn Corriveau,the only Asian-American and non-white member,told Lyons about anti-Asian statements made by Palmer,but was ignored. Palmer later harassed Corriveau. Baker called for Lyons to resign as chair,but he refused and stated that Baker was "abandoning the principles of the Republican Party". [32] [33] [34]
In June 2021,Lyons defended anti-gay remarks made by Deborah Martell,a member of the Massachusetts Republican State Committee,who said she was "sickened" to learn that a gay Republican congressional candidate had adopted children with his husband. [35] Former party chairs Darrell Crate,Brian Cresta,Kerry Healey,Jean Inman,Jeanne Kangas,Jennifer Nassour,and Peter G. Torkildsen signed a letter calling for his resignation. Every member of the Republican caucus in the state house,except for Lombardo,called for him to have Martell resign or resign himself. [36] [37] [38] 16 donors threatened to stop supporting the party if Lyons remained as chair and offered to raise $1 million if he was removed. [39] In response,Lyons criticized them as a "woke mob" with a "cancel culture mentality." [40] As the controversy continued to embroil Lyons,national Republicans distanced themselves from the MassGOP,with Congressman Dan Crenshaw and Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis canceling several previously planned fundraisers for the state party. [41] [42] By September,former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer had backed out of a heavily promoted party fundraiser "due to a conflict" with no new date having been announced. [43]
A conservative,Lyons did not have the support of the moderate state party establishment led by Baker,who once endorsed him for state representative. Lyons also did not have the support of DeVito,who had endorsed Andersen in a public letter sent to supporters of Trump on May 31,2016. [14] [44] [45] Lyons was in attendance of Trump's announcement of his 2024 presidential campaign. [46]
Lyons unsuccessfully attempted to remove Baker and other elected officials' voting power in the party. [47] Lyons spent $1,800,$800 of which were party funds,to investigate Republican committee members,Lindsay Valanzola and Matthew Sisk,who opposed him. [48]
Baker and Lyons had a dispute over the party's donor list held by Salesforce in 2019,but Lyons regained access after threatening a lawsuit against Salesforce. The Massachusetts Victory Committee,which raised $11 million since its foundation in 2013,was disbanded in 2019,and its finance chairman,John Cook,stated that the state party was on path for its "worst year of fund-raising since 2009". [49] [45] [50] In 2020,Lyons requested the Internal Revenue Service,FBI,Federal Election Commission,Office of Campaign and Political Finance,and U.S. District Attorney Andrew Lelling to investigate Cook misusing $1 million in party funds. Andersen stated that Lyons' claims were "motivated solely" by "personal political interest". [51]
Lyons sued Pat Crowley,the party's treasurer,in 2022 after Crowley froze the party's bank account as a budget was not passed by a quorum, [52] but Carnevale dropped the lawsuit after taking office. Lyons and twenty-one members of the state committee members filed a revive the lawsuit against Crowley. [53]
Ryan Fattman,Stephanie Fattman,and Lyons were investigated by the Office of Campaign and Political Finance in 2021. The OCPF reported that they did violate campaign finance laws. [54] Crowley accused Lyons of having communicated with Antoine Nader,chair of the Mass Freedom Independent Expenditure PAC,during the 2022 gubernatorial election in violating of state laws prohibiting the coordination of independent expenditure PACs with candidates or political parties. Emails between Lyons and Nader were obtained by The Boston Globe . [55] [56]
Lyons is anti-abortion and unsuccessful sought an abortion referendum in the 2010s. He opposes transgender rights and petitioned for a referendum to repeal transgender rights legislation. [57] [58] [59] [60] He opposed the Massachusetts Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative. [61]
Lyons and Diehl proposed legislation to require people seeking welfare benefits to present a Social Security number or green card. [62] He supported an eight-year term limit for speaker. [63] He opposed ending Massachusetts's flat-tax on income. [64]
Lyons supported Trump's claims about fraud in the 2020 presidential election. [65] He wanted to hold a referendum on requiring voter identification. [66] He filed a lawsuit against Massachusetts's universal no-fault mail-in voting,but the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled against him. [67] [68]
In 2019,Lyons was given a 97% rating by the NRA Political Victory Fund, [69] with an A−rating and endorsement in 2014 [70]
Paul Grattan Kirk Jr. is an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Massachusetts from 2009 to 2010,having been appointed to fill the vacancy created by the death of Ted Kennedy. From 1985 to 1989,he chaired the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
The 2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 5,2002. Incumbent Republican acting governor Jane Swift chose not to seek a full term in office. Republican businessman Mitt Romney defeated Democratic Treasurer Shannon O'Brien.
The Massachusetts Republican Party (MassGOP) is the Massachusetts branch of the U.S. Republican Party.
Richard R. Tisei is an American politician and real estate agent from Massachusetts. A Republican,he served in both chambers of the Massachusetts General Court for a combined 26 years,eventually becoming Minority Leader in the Massachusetts Senate. He was the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts in 2010 and the nominee for Congress from Massachusetts's 6th district in 2012 and 2014.
Sonia Rosa Chang-Díaz is an American politician who served in the Massachusetts Senate from the 2nd Suffolk district as a member of the Democratic Party. She was the first Hispanic woman elected to the state senate. She ran for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Massachusetts in the 2022 election.
The 2010 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 2,2010. Incumbent Democratic Governor Deval Patrick was re-elected to a second term.
Charles Duane Baker Jr. is an American politician serving since 2023 as the 6th president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. A member of the Republican Party,he served as the 72nd governor of Massachusetts from 2015 to 2023,and held two cabinet positions under two of the state's previous governors. He also served for ten years as the CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.
Juan Manuel "Jay" Gonzalez is an American academic and government administrator who is the president of Curry College. He served Secretary of Administration and Finance of Massachusetts under Governor Deval Patrick from 2009 to 2013 and was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Massachusetts in 2018.
Karyn Ellen Polito is an American attorney,businesswoman,and politician who served as the 72nd lieutenant governor of Massachusetts from 2015 to 2023. Polito was a Republican member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 11th Worcester district from 2001 to 2011. Polito was first elected lieutenant governor in 2014 with her running mate,Charlie Baker. They were both re-elected in 2018,and declined to seek reelection in 2022.
Jennifer Ann Nassour is an American attorney and political figure. She served as the chairwoman of the Massachusetts Republican Party from 2009 to 2011. She is also the founder of the Pocketbook Project.
The 2014 Massachusetts gubernatorial election took place on November 4,2014,to elect the governor of Massachusetts,concurrently with the election of Massachusetts' Class II U.S. Senate seat,and other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
Geoffrey G. Diehl is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A Republican,he represented the 7th Plymouth district in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019.
William A. Barnstead was an American businessman and politician who served as chairman of the Massachusetts Republican State Committee from 1974 to 1975.
Kirsten L. Hughes is an American political figure,singer,and attorney who is the clerk magistrate of Stoughton District Court. She was the Chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party from 2013 to 2019 and a member of the Quincy,Massachusetts City Council from 2012 to 2020.
The 2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial election took place on November 6,2018,to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Republican governor Charlie Baker and lieutenant governor Karyn Polito sought reelection to a second term in office,facing Democratic challengers Jay Gonzalez and Quentin Palfrey,respectively. Candidates were selected in the primary election held on September 4,2018.
The 2018 United States Senate election in Massachusetts took place on November 6,2018. Incumbent Democratic U.S. senator Elizabeth Warren ran for re-election to a second term. The candidate filing deadline was June 5,2018,and the primary election was held on September 4,2018.
The 2022 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 8,2022,to elect the governor of Massachusetts. Republican former state representative Geoff Diehl,Democratic state Attorney General Maura Healey,and Libertarian Kevin Reed sought to succeed incumbent Governor Charlie Baker,who did not seek re-election after two terms. The race was one of six Republican-held governorships up for election in 2022 in a state carried by Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election and the only race in which the incumbent was retiring despite being eligible for re-election.
The 191st Massachusetts General Court was the meeting of the legislative branch of the state government of Massachusetts,composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It convened in Boston at the Massachusetts State House,on January 2,2019,and ended on January 6,2021,during the fifth and sixth years of the governorship of Charlie Baker. Senate and House districts were drawn based on the 2010 Census.
The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts were held on November 8,2022,to elect the nine U.S. representatives from the state of Massachusetts,one from each of the state's nine congressional districts. The elections coincided with other elections to the House of Representatives,elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. Only two primaries,the Republicans in the 8th and 9th districts,were to be held,the rest being uncontested. It is also the most-populous state in which only a single party won seats in 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)