Let's Start from the Beginning. Jim Lyons Tanked the MassGOP in 2020.
Defeated in one special election after another.
The 2020 election cycle was Jim Lyons’ moment to shine. After his full-throated endorsement of Ted Cruz in 2016 (including a scheme to throw Massachusetts delegates Cruz’s way even after Trump secured the party’s nomination), Jim got on the MAGA express train and was prepared to lead the MassGOP to victory under the Trump banner.
The problem was no one was buying what Jim was selling. The party reported raising less than $3 million through its state and federal accounts in October 2020 compared to more than $8 million last cycle, and had $273,970 remaining in both accounts. "I think overall the party spent more attention on national politics than focusing on the local politics," said Republican Rep. Michael Soter. Rather than conduct an autopsy, Jim shifted blame on Joe Biden for stealing the election — as if that had anything to do with our dismal performance at home.
So, how bad was it that year?
1. We Lost Races. A Lot of Them.
Jim Lyons and the MassGOP lost five special elections in the 2020 cycle, including three seats previously held by Republicans (State Senator Don Humason from Westfield, State Senator Vinny de Macedo from Plymouth, and State Representative Shaunna O’Connell from Taunton).
The MassGOP targeted races poorly. In the final four months, Jim spent $42,000 on the Republican candidate for Humason’s seat who got less than 36% of the vote; $8,300 on the Republican candidate for O’Connell’s seat who got 42.9% of the vote; and $7,700 on the Republican candidate for de Macedo’s seat who got 43.7% of the vote. Call us crazy, but wouldn’t you spend more money on the candidates who stand the best chance to win? Considering the MassGOP only spent $250,000 on ads in 2019 and 2020, that’s a poor way to spend a modest budget.
For the sake of brevity, let’s ignore the other two failed special elections for seats previously held by Democrats. Five losses in special elections, a type where the MassGOP used to excel.
All told, the MassGOP lost four legislative seats in a single cycle compared to 2016 when we actually picked up a seat for the first time in a presidential year.
2. All About the Bennies.
Benefits are a big part of working for Jim Lyons, but he doesn’t like to show it. For starters, you’ll never find the wages for Jim or his staff on the state’s campaign finance website. Everything exists only on the FEC’s website, as Jim uses the MassGOP’s federal account to disguise how much he spends on payroll and travel.
Finding MassGOP payroll on the FEC website used to be easy: just look under the Spending category. With Jim in charge, all salary and benefits are now buried on the FEC Form 3X, Schedule H4 filing for joint account activity. What a mouthful.
As a token of self-appreciation, Jim paid himself $97,500 for his work in 2020, an increase over the $90,000 made by the previous chair in 2016. Throw in another $3,600 for travel and lodging across eight states — places like the Grand Hyatt in Tampa and the Trump Golf Resort in Miami — and Jim made a cool $100,000 that year.
3. When in Doubt, Call the FBI.
Heading into his January 2021 reelection, Jim had some ‘splaining to do. When it became clear that touting 40% of the vote in a few elections wasn’t enough, he shifted to blame the Baker RINO machine.
Twenty-one days before his reelection, Jim sent letters to the US attorney, FBI, IRS, and Department of Justice calling for investigations into the fundraising expenses of Charlie Baker’s MassGOP (remember that $8 million we mentioned?). Jim knew it was a Hail Mary, but it threw it anyway and used the ensuing calamity to narrowly win reelection by three votes.
To date, none of the federal agencies ever called back or even sent an acknowledgement. No witnesses have been called, and no charges were ever filed.
We are once again less than a month before Jim’s reelection, and he’s dusting off the trusty playbook. He’s planning nine meetings across the state where he’ll levy new allegations against Republican State Committee members who only tried to pass the party’s budget by following the bylaws. No autopsy. No explanations. No apologies.
Don’t be fooled again. Call your Republican State Committee members and tell them one simple message:
“This month, vote for anyone for Chairman except Jim Lyons.”