In the historically blue Massachusetts, conservatives are a scattered and few-and-far-between group.
In southern Massachusetts, the red side of the state made itself known through more rural areas harboring yard signs and protesters on the street gunning for former President Donald Trump.
The head of this red movement came together at the “Magachusetts Victory Trump Campaign Watch Party” hosted by Mass4Trump2024 at the Whites of Westport event hall in Westport, Mass., where roughly 200 people gathered.
The event featured speakers from the local Trump movement, live music, food, a cash bar, and a series of TV screens showing multiple network’s coverage of the race for 270 Electoral votes. Guests had to RSVP and pay $25 to attend the event.
In the event hall, a sea of red filled the room with people wearing various types of graphic T-shirts, hats, and large-scale pieces of Trump merch, including a large-scale paper-mâche head of Vice President Kamala Harris with a bubble machine inside of it, as well as a trash can harboring an “Oscar the Grouch” Muppet, referencing President Joe Biden appeared to be calling Trump Supporters “garbage,” a little over a week ago.
A series of underage protesters, who perform in a band called “47th Dead,” carried the Harris head into the event. The group said they actually oppose the former president and came to the event in protest, but after a misconception from a Trump supporter believing they were attendees, were admitted into the event.
“I couldn’t be less interested in any of these people’s views,” said the anonymous protester. “Tonight we’re gonna do band practice, but now we’re at a Trump watch party, praying that he doesn’t win.”
The members of 47th Dead left before the main event, leaving the Harris head behind.
As a result of Trump’s constant lead over Harris over the entire night, the room’s energy stayed consistent, only dropping when Massachusetts flipped blue early into the evening.
The Executive Chair of the Massachusetts Trump Campaign and former Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson spent time answering questions from a scrum of reporters about the call on Massachusetts.
“I don’t know if they’re trying to base it on mail-in votes, but we’ll wait to see the real numbers,” said Tom Hodgson. “I have a very different feeling about what we’re going to see in Massachusetts. I think we’re in a really different time in our history in this country.”
Harris ended up winning the state with 61.3% of votes to Trump’s 36.5%.
The event’s schedule consisted of mingling, eating, and watching election coverage, with the exception of a lone speech led by the event organizers around 9:30 p.m. addressing the room about their dedication to Trump’s campaign.
The speech began with Tom Hodgson’s wife Joanne, a state committee woman from the Second Bristol Plymouth District, inviting a pastor on stage to lead a prayer, during which the room fell silent.
“We would love to see Donald Trump back in office,” said Pastor Larry. “And we just pray that you would turn the tide on the evil that’s been pressing against us, and you’d put a right man and a righteous government back together.”
Cheers followed the prayer, with Joanne Hodgson returning to the stage to make her speech.
“I want to tell you, anybody who thinks that Massachusetts is blue, let them know that the south coast is red,” Joanne Hodgson said. “We are on a momentous ride, and it’s going to get bigger and better with every election.”
Joanne Hodgson addressed the crowd saying Conservatives are a common sense party and praised the commitment of individual party members before introducing Steve Semple, the executive vice chair of the Massachusetts Trump campaign.
“It’s been over a year since most of us got together and started planning the good fight on the Trump train, and I’ve heard many of you say to me that this has been a life-changing event,” said Semple. “We have become a family as we did the hard work that needed to be done to get us where we are today on the verge of victory.”
Semple took time to praise and introduce their chair, Tom Hodgson.
“When we squabbled, he negotiated the peace,” said Semple. “He inspired us and kept us working as a team.”
Semple concluded with an acknowledgment of vice chair of strategy, Lloyd Thompson, who was unable to attend but wanted to end the speech with the words of George Washington.
“Our first president said, ‘Leadership is not only having a vision, but also having the courage, the discipline, and the resources to get you there.,’” said Semple. “And that’s our friend, Sheriff Tom.”
Tom Hodsgen came onto stage hugging Semple before addressing the cheering crowd.
“I have been blessed to be working with so many incredible people in this election, I’m not supposed to be the smartest guy, and I’m not,” Hodsgen said. “[But] I’m supposed to find the smartest people, and make sure they’re in the right places.”
Tom Hodsgen proceeded to list a long series of names that featured various members of the Massachusetts for Trump movement, referencing people who were present at the event and some who were not.
He said that the people he works with have taken time out of their lives for various reasons not only to represent the interest of getting Trump elected, but the interests of everyone in the room.
“I want to say to all of you tonight that we all owe you an incredible gratitude,” Hodsgen said, “because I know that you were talking to your neighbors and your friends.”
He concluded his speech by rallying the room to keep fighting.
“You have stepped up now, like our parents and grandparents did, when America was spiraling down in a different way, World War I, World War II, and the Depression,” said Hodsgen. “They stood up for us and they passed on a safer, more prosperous America, and God bless every one of you because that’s what you’ve done now for our kids, our great kids, and the future generations, onto victory.”
After the main speech concluded, the event began to fizzle out with various leaders of the Massachusetts for Trump group talking to supporters and reporters as guests left the event.
Fairalee Carrier, the political advisor for the state campaign for Trump in Massachusetts, as well as the coalition leader for Black Voices for Trump in Massachusetts, felt strongly about Boston and Emerson’s place in the 2024 election.
“This is the birthplace of America and this is the birthplace of democracy,” said Carrier. “So we should all be excited no matter what party you come from to be here in Massachusetts, and that we have their freedom to vote.”
Chester Tam, the vice chair of Operations and Digital Media for the Trump campaign in Massachusetts, wants to see more unity in politics, regardless of America’s choice.
“I don’t care what your views are, I think we should get back to being able to have healthy conversations,” Tam said. “And just because we don’t agree, we can agree to disagree and still be friends even though we don’t have the same views when it comes to politics.”
