2020 Presidential Elections State-by-State Guide: GOP goes after 'left-leaning' Democratic Party in Massachusetts
State
MASSACHUSETTS
Primary dates
March 3, 2020 (Tuesday)
Type: Semi-closed
Democratic delegates: 114 (91 pledged, 23 super)
Republican delegates: 41
Governor
Charlie Baker (Republican)
Senators
Elizabeth Warren (D) and Edward Markey (D)
Representatives: 9
All Democratic: Richard Neal (1st district), James McGovern (2nd district), Lori Trahan (3rd district), Joseph Kennedy III (4th district), Katherine Clark (5th district), Seth Moulton (6th district), Ayanna Pressley (7th district), Stephen Lynch (8th district) and William Keating (9th district)
Electoral college votes: 11
Hillary Clinton won all in 2016
How Massachusetts has voted in the past
Massachusetts joined the Union in February 1788 as one of the original 13 colonies and took part in all the 58 presidential elections. Since 1928, the Bay State became a deep blue one with the Republicans winning only four times there. It is the only state to have voted for George McGovern in his big loss to Richard Nixon in 1972. Massachusetts' electoral clout has diminished over the years as its electoral votes have come down from 18 to 11 since the 1920s. In 2016, Hillary had a big win over Donald Trump (60-33 percent).
Massachusetts is a deep blue state
The Bay State is a solid Democratic base where Hillary beat Trump comprehensively (60-33 percent) in the 2016 election. Massachusetts has produced some high-profile presidential candidates over the decades in big states such as California and Texas. Massachusetts is expected to turn into a symbol of resistance to Trump with its cultural liberalism. Its own senator Elizabeth Warren is in the presidential race this time and represents the progressive Democratic ethos though she has failed to win a single primary/caucus so far. In the Republican primary, Trump had a big win by bagging 49 percent of the votes, which was bigger than the percentage he bagged in conservative states like Alabama and Arkansas. In the Democratic field, Hillary beat Bernie Sanders closely in Massachusetts primary.
Massachusetts and 2020 presidential elections
If Warren bags the nomination, she will be the first Democrat from the state to do so since John Kerry in 2004. Kerry himself won the nomination 16 years since Michael Dukakis, the former standard-bearer in the state, did it in 1988. Both lost the final presidential battle though. According to one survey conducted by the University of Massachusetts, Lowell released earlier in February (before Nevada caucuses), Sanders was leading Warren by just one percent in the Bay State. However, according to a survey by FiveThirtyEight on the primary reported on February 26, Sanders was leading by a big gap (58 percent) over Warren (25 percent) in Massachusetts. Former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick was also in the fray till recently before pulling out.
In the Republican primary, Trump will be challenged by Bill Weld, another former governor of Massachusetts, although it is unlikely that he would make any difference. The Republicans will aim to make serious inroads in the Democratic stronghold of Massachusetts by following the same strategy they have adopted elsewhere: showcasing that the Democrats are going too left to the country's discomfort. But the 'Never Trumpers' believe that the GOP has faced a big damage in New England in the Trump era and it will take years to overcome that.