What gets Massachusetts to vote at least 40% R?

[DPKdebator]

Massachusetts has not had more than 40% of its electorate vote Republican in a presidential election since 1988 (though it came close in 2012)... what is a scenario (BESIDES a landslide) where Massachusetts would vote more than 40% Republican?

[Skill and Chance]

I think MA is ripe to swing to a 55D/41Rish result with a Republican candidate who is basically a more polite Trump with similar policy positions.

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

It'll take at least a decade, since beyond that is nigh impossible to predict. It would have to be a moderate Republican, probably someone from New England who could attract some hometown support from Massachusetts residents.

[Karpatsky]

Charlie Baker (R) vs any Democrat who can be sufficiently portrayed as too corporatist.

[America's Sweetheart ❤/𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕭𝖔𝖔𝖙𝖞 𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖎𝖔𝖗]

Charlie Baker would probably get 44-46% of the vote in Massachusetts if he won the GOP nomination. Otherwise it would take a moderate incumbent Republican President (preferably from New England) versus a weak Democrat.

[RussFeingoldWasRobbed]

Republicans drop evangelicalism

[YE]

I could see this happening at some point if the Dems go left, and find their next FDR. That president and his or her VP stays in power for 12-16 years, then after the public becomes somewhat weary over the Demcorats, a moderate GOP Northeastern captures the White House, and governs like a moderate in the same sense as Ike and Clinton. That person would fair decently well in Mass.

[junior chįmp]

Republicans drop evangelicalism

This is part of it. If Republicans go so far as to claiming the earth isn't flat...they could win MA

[Skill and Chance]

I think it will naturally happen in 8-12 years.

[MassTerp94]

If the Republican and Democratic parties switched names.

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Democrat convicted of rape in October.

[America's Sweetheart ❤/𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕭𝖔𝖔𝖙𝖞 𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖎𝖔𝖗]

I think it will naturally happen in 8-12 years.

Why? Massachusetts swung and trended against Trump in 2016.

[Suburbia]

Maybe a working class white issue, or racial unrest that goes horrifically wrong.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

How do olds vote in MA?

[darklordoftech]

The Republican nominee would have to oppose the religious right and support investment in education.

[here2view]

Charlie Baker runs for President after 8 years of a Democratic President and the Democrats nominate someone incompetent. Baker would have to had served as governor for another term or two and not face any difficulties during his tenure as well.

[Sherrod Brown Shill]

I think it will naturally happen in 8-12 years.

Why? Massachusetts swung and trended against Trump in 2016.

Well that was mainly because Romney was on the ballot, who was once a very moderate MA governor.

But I really don't see Massachusetts or much of the Northeast Corridor trending red anytime soon like some people think. Boston takes up way to much of MA, Wilmington takes up way to much of DE, Providence takes up way to much of RI, NY takes up way to much of, well, NY, and Baltimore+DC suburbs take up way to much MD for any of the rural areas of those states to have any effect. NJ and CT are more possible but NJ has lots of Philly and NY suburbs and CT might be held blue by the high levels of education in the Northeast. (I guess that applies to all of the Northeast though) Now of course that leaves PA. I think PA's Appalachian regions will make the state pretty red. Over time, I think other rust belt states will grow to be more red than PA due to Philly keeping the East blue. 

Wow, this went wildly off topic and I wrote much more than I wanted too.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I think it will naturally happen in 8-12 years.

Why? Massachusetts swung and trended against Trump in 2016.

Well that was mainly because Romney was on the ballot, who was once a very moderate MA governor.

Romney isn't exactly popular in MA, given his flops and the fact he plainly treated the governorship as a launching pad for the presidency.

[MarkD]

A Republican with Ronald Reagan's charisma can not only get 40%, but can get enough to win the state, like Reagan did twice.

[America's Sweetheart ❤/𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕭𝖔𝖔𝖙𝖞 𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖎𝖔𝖗]

A Republican with Ronald Reagan's charisma can not only get 40%, but can get enough to win the state, like Reagan did twice.

charisma alone is not going to allow a Republican to win Massachusetts in modern times.

[Sir Mohamed]

Charlie Baker as GOP nominee. He wouldn't win the state in a presidential election, for sure, but I think he could get to 42% or 43% pretty easily.

[King Lear]

Massachusetts isn’t voting 40%+ Republican unless theirs a massive political realignment (this isn’t happening anytime soon as much as people here want it to), the best a Republican can get in Massachusetts is the high 30s (what Romney got) because the state is to Liberal, Irreligious, Educated, and Urbanized to support the modern Republican Party (especially the one Trump’s creating).