NOTES BETWEEN PRINTED EDITIONS

Is This Massachusetts GOP Convention for Sale?

by Lonnie Brennan
Publisher, The Boston Broadside

For years, the Massachusetts State Convention rules allowed the Party Chairperson to appoint 300 super delegates.  Many activists have questioned the sale of these delegate slots believing that it undermines the effort of the grassroots to make the choice on the endorsement.

The one major responsibility Republican Town Committees have is to hold a caucus to send delegates to the state convention every four years.  It helps revitalize these committees.  Republican Town Committees should not have their caucuses devalued by allowing a chairman to appoint such a large volume of convention delegates.  Normally, the GOP convention has a turnout of 2000 to 2500 delegates.  With a convention of 2500, the chair can appoint 12% which almost guarantees a selected candidate 15 percent needed to qualify for the ballot.  It should be the delegates making this choice – not one person—the chair.

If the convention has 2000 delegates, then the Chair is appointing 15% of the delegates.  Hence, the Chair can guarantee a candidate placement on the ballot and thus defeating one of the major purposes of the convention.  Why hold a convention?

It can mean the highest bidder or the insider candidate just has to have the favor of the Chair.

On Thursday, the Massachusetts Republican State Committee is getting ready to vote on the convention rules.  There is a push to eliminate the Super Delegates or at least reduce to 75.  One campaign is fighting the reduction in Super Delegates—Mike Kennealy—the former finance director for the Party.  Wonder why?

Kennealy has hired the Party’s finance director, their press guy, and the political director.  See a pattern?  Wonder who has the inside track for the 300 delegates???

Team Kennealy opposition to the reduction in Super Delegates is that it would hurt the party financially.  Would it?  The Party has doubled the speaking fees for Governor and U.S. Senate from $25,000 to $50,000.  They have also substantially increased the fees for other statewide candidates.  With these increases, the party is going to make more than ever at the convention.  Money is not the reason.  It is a guaranteed place on the ballot for Mike Kennealy, who did not vote for Trump in 2016, 2020 or 2024.  How outrageous is that?

A guy, who did not vote for our President, would be guaranteed a spot on the ballot by the party because he bought 300 delegates.  It does make economic sense for the Kennealy campaign.  It means he doesn’t need to spend money on the convention other than buying 300 spots.  What a deal?!

There are other claims that by selling the 300 spots it increases voter participation.  As it stands, Republican Town Committees can elect over 6000 delegates to send to the convention.  They never elect that many.  As a party, we should focus on getting more people to the caucuses to increase turnout—not selling spots.

It is time to restore integrity to the Mass GOP Convention by ending Super Delegates.