Former Rep. Lyons Faces Challenge For State GOP Chairmanship

ANDOVER, MA — After the Massachusetts Republican Party lost a seat in both the state House and the Senate in the month's election, former state Rep. Jim Lyons is facing a challenge for the party chairmanship.

State Rep. Shawn Dooley, of Norfolk, announced Monday night that he is running for the role. The Republican State Committee will vote on the next two-year term in January.

The Andover Republican lost his seat representing Andover, Boxford, North Andover and Tewksbury to Rep. Tram Nguyen, D-Andover, in 2018. He was selected as the party chair soon after in 2019. The state party's standing, already limited outside of the governor's mansion, has declined further over the last two years, losing ground in both chambers of the legislature.

The state Senate will have just 3 Republicans among its 40 members, in January. Even the party's membership has fallen, to fewer than 10 percent of registered voters, as Dooley noted in a news release announcing his candidacy.

Lyons has allied himself with President Donald Trump, while Gov. Charlie Baker said he voted for neither candidate in the presidential election. Trump received less than a third of the vote in Massachusetts, Nov. 3. Baker won double that share in his 2018 re-election.

Dooley has criticized Baker, but earned the governor's endorsement for re-election. He was re-elected to his seat representing Medfield, Millis, Norfolk, Plainville, Walpole and Wrentham on Nov. 3.

Lyons did not respond to a request for comment on this story, but has said he plans to run for r-election as party chair.

In his announcement, Dooley said he wants to "bring balance to Beacon Hill" — the Democratic supermajority in the legislature can overcome vetoes from Baker.

“I am a lifelong Republican, I love our party, and I know with all of my heart that our message is one that must be heard," Dooley said in a statement. "For this, and many other reasons, I have decided to run for Chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party. I am not running to maintain the status quo - but instead for the opportunity to create a new beginning, to usher in a new age for the Massachusetts GOP, and most importantly - to win.”

“A key consideration is that Shawn Dooley knows how to win elections. He managed my successful campaign for State Representative and then succeeded me in the House," Former Representative Dan Winslow said. "And he just won re-election in a landslide in a district that voted overwhelmingly for Biden.”

“A traditional Republican message of fiscal responsibility, personal liberty, self reliance, and compassion toward our fellow man resonates with the citizens of Massachusetts," Dooley said. "We need to show that we are focused on moving in a positive direction with real solutions not empty rhetoric. We cannot simply say the democrats are wrong, we must prove that our ideas are better.”

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.