Without a governor, Massachusetts Republicans are on the verge of electoral disaster. Charlie Baker.

The popular governor’s departure is a significant break in the years-long power struggle that has paralyzed the state GOP. This comes as the party prepares for a new leader and gives Republicans in this deeply blue state the opportunity to realign their state and rebuild — if it chooses to do so.

A succession of fiscally conservative and moderate Republican governors have supported the GOP for decades in liberal Massachusetts. They’ve won elections across all party lines. However, Donald Trump’s rise has weakened the GOP and jeopardized its electoral prospects.

Baker will be leaving office on Thursday by a Democrat, Maura Healey. She is the former state attorney general, who defeated Geoff Diehl (a Trump-endorsed Republican nominee), by almost 30 points. Lt. Gov. Lt. Gov. The party’s share in the state’s registered voters fell below 9 percent, and its legislative minority shrank again.

Baker warns against announcing an end to the state GOP’s existence, pointing out that the party has overcome past leadership gaps.

Baker said that democracies don’t like one-party rule because of many reasons. He declined to run for another term. “I believe it’s foolish to write [the party] off.”

First, Republicans must stop sabotaging their own interests. Baker’s long-standing feud with Jim Lyons, the state GOP Chair and a pro-Trump conservative, has left Republicans so poor and infighting-ridden that they can barely even conduct business at state committee meetings or win elections.

Republicans could be united against an enemy if the Democratic takeover of Beacon Hill is successful. This, along with the party leadership election at January’s end, could provide the reset Republicans need to get back on their feet.

Jennifer Nassour (a Baker ally) said that she sees a huge opportunity without a governor. She was chair of the state GOP under Democratic Gov. In an interview, Deval Patrick said. “When there is no governor, you can build your own thing.”

The Massachusetts GOP’s recalibrating offers one of the first glimpses at how party’s post-midterm reckoning plays out at the state level. It is also a reminder of how complex it can be.

The Bay State’s Republican rift is not based on ideological lines. It cannot be described as a split between Trump supporters like Lyons and non-Trump supporters like Baker.

There are many disagreements about the direction of the party post-Trump. However, its fractures are also fuelled by deep personal grudges and legal battles about its finances.

Lyons sought a federal investigation into party spending under Baker allies, and sued those he claims are trying sabotage Lyons. He led a campaign against Ron Kaufman as Ron Kaufman was the Republican National Committee’s treasurer. Kaufman, Massachusetts’ national chairman, chose not to run for another term.

Lyons’ leadership angered many who walked out of state committee meetings in protest. Lyons responded by suing his party treasurer for preventing them from accessing their bank accounts. Howie Carr is the most prominent conservative columnist and radio host in the state.

Baker called for Lyons’ resignation for more than one year. Lyons has told the moderate Republican, who alienated a faction of his party through his dealmaking with the Democratic-controlled Legislature and his disdain for Trump, to “reconsider his party affiliation.”

Infighting led to Republicans running two lists of candidates last year.

Both sides have lost a lot. Both sides are blaming each other.

Lyons supporters attack Baker and his associates for not backing Diehl, while campaigning strongly for a Republican more in line with their views for auditor. They claim Baker has not done enough to build the party’s bench and they bristle at a super PAC that is funded by his donors, which supports both centrist Democrats and Republicans.

“I know [Diehl] was not going to win that election. “But there was a time where we all supported our nominee, because that was the will the party,” Todd Taylor said in an interview. Taylor was an ally of Lyons and a Chelsea councilor who lost his bid for state representative last autumn. “We cannot have people sabotaging internally.”

Baker’s supporters attack Lyons for leading his party in a Trumpian and hard-right direction. This is where Trump has suffered some the worst general-election losses and has alienated donors. They are also critical of Lyons’ use of party resources to pay for his lawsuits.

Baker spoke out last week at the State House in a interview, saying it was important to “take stock of where the party stands and what has happened” and what he would do to fix it.

Baker is focusing his attention on his next job as president at the NCAA and not offering any solutions to the problem of the state GOP. Baker wants the party chair “somebody who is interested in winning elections,” but he said he doesn’t plan on supporting anyone for the position.

Baker stated that “Parties are supposed win elections and thereby make it possible to govern, and hold the other party responsible.” “We’ll watch and see what happens.”

Major players from both sides of the intraparty feud insist that the next party chair must first unify its hard-right and moderate factions before they can win elections.

Lyons has not yet officially announced that he will run for a third term, but it is widely believed that he will. His vice chair Jay Fleitman, Amy Carnevale, former Republican town committee chair Jon Fetherston, and consultant Christopher Lyon will be his opponents. They are all moderates who are raising alarm about the party’s future if they can’t appeal to more party lines.

Carnevale is a Baker-Trump voter, who lost her bid for the RNC seat. She is therefore Lyons’ main competitor and a target in his legal battles. She has a group of high-profile Republicans that she claims are willing to work together to recruit candidates and return donors who have left the party under Lyons. This includes former Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson and Polito, the outgoing lieutenant governor.

Despite her endorsement from Baker World, Carnevale stated that she isn’t seeking his support to be party chair.

“Governor Baker is no longer in office. She said that focusing on Baker or those who supported him is not good for our party or our candidates. We need to move on and begin a new chapter. We must change the way we view the party.

Amanda Orlando, Diehl’s campaign manager, and a member of the state committee that is allied with Lyons are also hoping for a post–Baker reset that includes increased outreach to independents who account for more than 60% of the state’s population. She believes that Lyons should be allowed to lead, “without being constantly interfered with” by his critics.

“Democrats will support a candidate. They won’t be content to stay at home. They aren’t angry or resentful and don’t take their toys from the sandbox. Orlando stated that they accept a primary occurs and someone has won, and they support the winner. “Unfortunately, we don’t.”