Sheriff Hodgson to Chair Trump Reelection Campaign in Mass.

A local elected official who is a huge supporter of President Donald Trump will now help drum up support for the Republican president in the Bay State.

Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson has been named honorary chairman of President Donald Trump's 2020 reelection effort in Massachusetts. The Trump campaign made the announcement on Thursday.

Hodgson has been one of Trump's most vocal supporters in Massachusetts. He has visited the White House on several occasions, and in September presented Trump with a plaque of appreciation on behalf of sheriffs around the country.

Hodgson has been especially supportive of Trump's hard line on immigration, and has supported local law enforcement detaining immigrants at the request of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He once suggested he would be willing to send Bristol County inmates to the southern border to help build Trump's proposed wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Lawmakers in Washington responded by passing a bill that bans the use of inmates for such out-of-state labor.

Hodgson's new role was held during the 2016 campaign by Vincent DeVito, a lawyer who was given a job in the U.S. Department of Interior after Trump's victory. DeVito, who previously worked

Trump won the Republican primary in Massachusetts in 2016, but lost in the general election to Democrat Hillary Clinton in a 60 percent to 30 percent split.