Massachusetts Has Not Been Kind to Donald Trump — Yet

It’s a fool’s errand to guess how well a political candidate is doing in an election season by counting campaign signs posted on the lawns of potential voters.

If an outsider were dropped from space into southeastern Massachusetts and taken for a drive through Dartmouth, Acushnet, Freetown and the like, they might think they’ve arrived deep in Trump country.

From my observation, based solely upon where I’ve driven, it would appear former President Donald J. Trump has a significant advantage over Democratic challenger Vice President Kamala Harris.

Trump’s signs appear to outnumber Harris’s signs by a significant amount but as usual, perception is not always reality.

A recent Trump rally sponsored by the Mattapoisett Republican Town Committee attracted over 600 supporters. Trump merch sells like hotcakes.

Massachusetts has come a long way since 2016, when Trump faced off and eventually defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton to become the 45th President of the United States. Massachusetts Trump supporters were too intimidated then to display their support for their candidate for fear of being canceled – or worse.

Though support for Trump appears to be stronger in Massachusetts than during previous runs in 2016 and 2020, don’t kid yourself as this is a Democrat stronghold, and Trump has never done well here.

Clinton collected 60.8 percent of the Massachusetts vote in 2016 to Trump’s 33.5 percent. Trump fared even worse against Joe Biden in 2022, collecting 32.1 percent of the vote to Biden’s 65.6 percent.

Trump has never had the support of statewide officeholders in Massachusetts, even though Republicans held the governor’s office in both elections. The entire delegation to Washington, D.C. is controlled by Democrats.

One loyal Trump supporter from the start, former Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson, runs the Trump campaign in Massachusetts.

“We are hearing from Democrats that they are voting for Trump, and doing so with real emotion and enthusiasm,” he said.

“We have Democrats asking neighbors, who are displaying Trump yard signs where they can get one,” Hodgson said. “Of course, we are happy to accommodate.”

Trump is unlikely to carry Massachusetts in November; no Republican presidential candidate has won Massachusetts since Ronald Reagan beat Walter Mondale here in 1984.

Don’t tell that to Hodgson, who says, “We have a real shot!”