Thread by @lisakashinsky

At the MassGOP convention in Springfield, a breakfast battle: @DiehlForMA had a breakfast inside and @chrisforma’s eldest son is handing out breakfast sandwiches outside the parking garage #mapoli

On the way into the convention hall, @DiehlForMA @LeahColeAllen supporters are handing out swag bags that include water, a bumper sticker, lit and an American flag #mapoli

Chair Jim Lyons is staunchly antiabortion in MA, where abortion is codified. @massgop handing out “Protect the Unborn” pins at convention & Lyons says onstage “We don't get our rights from Beacon Hill. We don't get our rights from Washington. We get our rights from God.” #mapoli

Lyons is really selling the antiabortion message, which is getting some applause from the crowd, but the biggest cheers and the standing ovations are coming more for talk of personal freedoms (convention theme is “preserving freedom”) and for former President Trump #mapoli

There were 2,905 delegates elected or appointed to the @massgop convention. 1,515 registered to attend. A look at the hall an hour in #mapoli

A couple days ago, @chrisforma said on @bloombergbaybiz that he was “on the edge” of getting the 15% delegate support at the @massgop convention he needs to make the primary ballot. Even now there’s concern among some of his supporters here that he won’t make it #mapoli

As we get closer to the nominating part of this convention, here’s the lit that @chrisforma’s campaign is handing out to delegates as they work to get 15 percent #mapoli

Just caught up with @chrisforma who’s still working convention delegates to get the 15% he needs to make the primary ballot. “It’s going well, we've worked really hard. We'd be crushed if we didn't make it, but we're gonna just make our pitch,” he tells me #mapoli

Former Trump “border czar” Thomas Homan starts and gets a standing ovation for a Trump chant at the @massgop convention #mapoli

Former Sen. Ed Markey rival Kevin O’Connor nominates @AnthonyAmore22 for auditor. State committeewoman Amy Carnevale seconds. Amore is the only GOP candidate for auditor #mapoli

Lots of applause at @massgop convention for Rayla Campbell for secretary of state — especially when she calls herself “the biggest masshole in Massachusetts.” She’s also gotten compliments today on her glittery American flag-themed heels #mapoli

.@RaylaForMA tells the @massgop crowd she’s pro-life and pro-Second Amendment. “I just got a new M1. Thing’s fantastic,” she says #mapoli

“You no longer need to be in the shadows of the Prince of Darkness,” @RaylaForMA says, invoking Secretary of State @BillGalvin4MA’s nickname. She also said this…

https://twitter.com/mattpstout/status/1528054318120722434

Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump’s former campaign manager and current advisor to Geoff Diehl’s campaign for governor, is briefly back on the floor as the @massgop convention inches closer to the gubernatorial nomination #mapoli

All right buckle up we’re on to the two contested races at the @massgop convention — lieutenant governor and governor #mapoli

LG hopeful @LeahColeAllen hits vax mandates, CRT & lack of tax cuts from Beacon Hill in her @massgop convention speech. “Vaccination is a personal choice & as a nursing mother it wasn’t a choice that I was comfortable making,” she says. Man in crowd shouts “good for you” #mapoli

GOP LG hopefuls @KateForLG and @LeahColeAllen both railed against Covid-19 mandates in their speeches. Neither mentioned Republican Gov. @CharlieBakerMA by name. But Campanale called out Democratic frontrunner Maura Healey’s “extreme progressive agenda” #mapoli

While the LG votes are being tallied, governor hopeful @DiehlForMA is working the crowd shaking hands and snapping selfies with delegates #mapoli

New @massgop delegate tallies for lieutenant governor:

— @LeahColeAllen: 864
— @KateForLG: 370

That’s a 70-30 split and more than enough to get Campanale, Chris Doughty’s running mate, on the ballot for LG. Now onto the governor speeches and vote #mapoli

“I am standing here today not as a career politician looking for my next job,” @chrisforma says in both an apparent dig at multi-time candidate Geoff Diehl and to play up his outsider status #mapoli

Priorities from @chrisforma’s speech for governor: “Fix our schools,” support police, cut government spending waste, “make Massachusetts affordable again.” Doughty also says multiple times he’s a conservative, shunning the more moderate label from earlier in his run #mapoli

There is a visible enthusiasm gap in the @massgop convention hall. Tons of @DiehlForMA signs vs. a smattering of lime green hats/balloons/signs for @chrisforma.

Also, Doughty’s signs include his running mate @KateForLG. Diehl’s don’t include @LeahColeAllen #mapoli

Geoff @DiehlForMA shouts out Shana Cottone, the BPD sergeant who was the face of the anti-vax-mandate protesters against Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, for “fighting against a dictatorial mayor.” Diehl also protested Wu at Boston City Hall, though he lives in Whitman #mapoli

“On day 1, I will rehire every state worker who was fired because vaccine mandates,” Geoff @DiehlForMA says to cheers at @massgop convention. And on day 2 “we give a pink slip to everyone who thought that was a good idea.” (No pink slip for Baker, he’ll already be gone) #mapoli

Geoff @DiehlForMA pledges at @massgop convention that if elected governor he’ll send Massachusetts National Guard troops to the southern border “to stop the lawlessness.” #mapoli

The MassGOP, or whoever’s running the convention sound for them, seems to like Charlie Puth’s “Light Switch.” They’ve played it at least three times already during vote tallying #mapoli

NEW: Geoff @DiehlForMA is the @massgop’s endorsed candidate for governor with 71% delegate support. After concern @chrisforma wouldn’t get 15% to make the primary ballot, he wins 29% of the vote.

— Diehl: 849
— Doughty: 345
#mapoli

“I’m shocked,” @chrisforma says of nearly doubling what he needed to get on the primary ballot #mapoli

https://twitter.com/lisakashinsky/status/1528122893648945152

It’s so nice and warm outside the convention hall I just spent 8 hours in which means #mapoli fam my MassGOP convention coverage is complete. Takeaways and more in Monday’s Playbook!