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Prompted by the violence and hatred that manifested itself in Charlottesville VA last month, during a clash between white supremacists and protesters, the Massachusetts Republican State Committee overwhelmingly approved a resolution condemning racism and political violence, at their quarterly meeting held at the Newton Marriot, Aug. 13.
State Committee member Brock Cordeiro from Plymouth presented the resolution, which specifically condemned the actions and beliefs of white supremacists, Nazis and the Ku Kux Klan. The resolution was amended by member Dennis Galvin of Westford who broadened the condemnation to include: “any group that uses violence to achieve political ends.” Galvin also added a provision that committed the Republican Party to “the preservation of constitutional liberty.”
In offering his amendment, Galvin said that it was fully supportive of the “spirit and intent” of Cordeiro’s resolution but felt that it needed to be broadened. Both the amendment and the full resolution passed the 80 member state committee with only one dissenting vote.
Other Business
In other business, the Committee approved rules for the 2018 Republican state convention, to be held in Worcester. A controversial proposal to increase the number of super-delegates was withdrawn prior to the meeting. The delegate selection process will continue to rely heavily on city ward and town caucuses. However, a limited number of super-delegates will be allowed; the number will remain consistent with past years. Delegates will also be able to cast a ballot for a “no preference.” These so-called “blank ballots” will be counted as part of the total votes cast, which could have an effect on candidate eligibility. State law allows candidates to challenge one another in statewide party primaries provided they obtain a minimum 15 percent of their convention vote.
