Mass GOP Chair – Contest Update: Running for the Seat: Kristen Hughes, the Duo: Dean Cavaretta and David D'Arcangelo and Rick Green, Fiscal Conservative holds early lead.

The Massachusetts GOP Logo - from newtonrepublicans.org

The Mass GOP Chair is up for grabs in Massachusetts – which may be the most lackluster State GOP in the nation. The fact that there actually are conservatives in the Commonwealth, in varying degrees ranging from Moderate Republican’s to no-holds-barred, unforgiving –Social Conservatives, to those Democrats who remember what it meant to be a Democrat before the Progressives decided to make it their “Party”, and the Libertarians together make up enough of the electorate to push a candidate in any race over the top. The problem is the lack of cohesive ground-game and the inertia on the part of the few “troops” that are available.

Those Pointing to former State Senator and now former Senator Scott Brown’s win in 2010, as proof, is a bit disingenuous, as those manning the phones for Brown, and walking door to door, were not rank and file GOP members, they were the aforementioned Democrats (who are tops in organizational skills), along with Green Party, Libertarian’s and those Tea Party members. That was the group that brought Scott Brown the win. After the Special Election, Brown went on one of those “thank you” tours, and it was remarked, repeatedly, that one could tell the GOP regulars jockeying for position in a crowded room full of real supporters, or those who were in the trenches helping to elect Brown.

The State Chairman, whoever ascends to the least of the GOP Chairs, will have their hands full in trying to get anything done in this state, unless of course, they are some sort of activist who is so politically astute and connected that they can hand out favors to the “country-club” set at the same time. There is the regional split to deal with as well, Western Massachusetts, as one might not be aware is a hotbed of political rights, and by right, it is right wing, and not giving an inch – unless of course, the candidate is Calvin Coolidge reborn – maybe. On the other side, they have the country-club GOP set to deal with – those are the dinners and golf outings that are thrown by the “leadership” which can only appeal to fundraisers, an important aspect, except it does nothing to build a base – which said base is now at 11.5% of the State’s electorate (as of 10/17/12) . According to the Secretary of State’s office, the following is a snapshot of party enrollment in the state: 4,342,841 total registered voters: 1,551,693 of these are Democrats, 484,099 of these are Republicans, 6,507 are either Green or Rainbow Party, 17,269 of these are political designations of none of the aforementioned and a whopping 2,283,273 refused to be indented by a political party.

In the 2012 Elections there was a total vote cast of 3,184,196 in the top race for the Presidency and the Senate Race between Brown and Warren, 1,188,314 votes were cast for Romney, with 1,921,290 votes cast for Obama, and there were 1,458,048 votes cast for Scott Brown, while Warren received: 1,696,346 votes. (Secretary of State’s office). There were roughly, one million votes left on the table, and a lack of coherent messaging from a unified GOP to bring them to the right side. (Of course, those 1 million extra votes could be the dead or missing voters on the rolls).

This is the challenge that any GOP Chair would face – the ability to lead the country club set and the Conservative groups to the table, to some sort of agreement on organizing the Grass Roots, from the precinct level upwards. It’s Herculean in scope, and it’s going to take more than a few years to accomplish, unless – the individual (or individuals) as the case may be, has the ability to keep both sides in check and go in waist deep into the trenches – there is fertile ground for conservatives in Massachusetts, and for Republican’s – the problem is – no one knows they are there!!

Therefore: to Introduce the candidates that can try and drag the GOP in Massachusetts up from the netherworld:

From RedMassGroup.com (The Mass. Republican Activist Website):

The Statement of Candidacy of Kristen Hughes – also endorsed by Scott Brown for this position.

the Proposed organizational structure of a dual Chair by Cavaretta and D'Arcandelo (not a bad idea)

Rick Green, who appeals to both moderates and hardliner conservatives (the light bulb is on!).

The Candidates websites: Rick Green for Mass GOP Chair

Kristen Hughes for Mass GOP Chair

And the Duo - The New Mass Playbook, site for Cavaretta and D’Arcandelo for Mass GOP Chair.

The race for the GOP chair will also give an indication of who might better take advantage of the Tea Party (yes, that Tea Party), in Massachusetts. Those who are active on some many levels, especially inside politics, and inside the Mass GOP (and also, no kidding the Mass DNC), - Rick Green is the Chair of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, which would go a long way towards getting those who would work for a GOP leader, to work for the Mass GOP in earnest.

The Mass GOP chair election takes place in January 2013.

Massachusetts State GOP Party Candidates – Franco and Nassour offer Divergent Plans for the Future of the State Party.

The Massachusetts State Republican Committee will, at the end of January, elect a new Chairperson to lead the Party. The Republican Party in Massachusetts is considered to be almost non-existent by most media reports, however, the rise in “unenrolled voters”, and the slight but nearly identical decline in membership of the Democrat Party vis a vis the Republican Party is barely mentioned. According to the Secretary of State Voters statistics the Democrats make up 36.95% of the electorate, Republicans, 11.62%, “Unenrolled, 50.75%, and the balance Third Party designates. This represents a decline from 2006 for both the Democrat (36.91%) and Republican (12.5%) Party with an increase in in the number of “Unenrolled” (49.79%). Therefore, it will be up to the new GOP State Committee Chair to effectively brand the Party and reach out to those disenfranchised Conservatives who now designate themselves as “Unenrolled”. It should not go without notice that the 2008 Return of Votes for Massachusetts shows: Total Votes Cast: 3,102,995, with 1,108,854 votes cast for the McCain-Palin ticket compared to 1,904,097 votes cast for the Obama-Biden ticket, the balance going to third party candidates. Therefore, 36 percent of the electorate voted for the McCain-Palin ticket (see: 11.62% Registered as Republican) with 61% voting for the Obama-Biden ticket – the difference: “Unenrolled” voters in Massachusetts can make or break either Party.

Therefore, the two candidates for State Committee Chair have the daunting task of re-branding the Party to appeal to those “unenrolled” – many of whom are “grassroots conservatives”. A brief summary of the plans put forth by Mike Franco and Jennifer Nassour follows:

Mike Franco offers a three-point plan: the first point being to Recruitment of Grassroots and Committee Republicans with an eye towards rebuilding from the ground up – with a focus on seeking grassroots approval and endorsements, building coalitions between committee membership and issues groups, and an appeal to the “populist constituencies of Independents and Reagan democrats. Franco also puts for that the Party should be grounded in True Republicanism – noting that a good percentage of the electorate falsely believes the GOP to be “a country-club Party divorced from the lives of ordinary voters”. In short, Franco proposes a renewal and restoration of the Party image by emphasizing core values such as limited government, lower taxes, gun ownership and property rights and free enterprise and fair trade. He goes on to cite the results of California’s Proposition 8, noting that 70% to 53% of Black and Latino’s supported Proposition 8, while supporting the Obama-Biden ticket. He feels that in order to attract those voters, the Massachusetts Party must stand on core principles such as: Advocating for public policy in line with natural law, supporting family issues to include pro-life and traditional marriage and fielding multiple, statewide representative candidates. He further feels that although there are differences within the State Party, that the Party should adopt the same stance as the Republican National Committee, which stands in direct opposition to eh Democrats.

Franco’s final point is the restoration of the State Party through a process of fundraising and overall reorganization of the various local and regional state committees, the “nuts and bolts” of running the organization. He summarizes that it may take as long as three to five years to rebuild the party, with an emphasis on re-branding. For more on Franco and the Mass GOP Race, visitPolitickerMA.

Jennifer Nassour, also a candidate for the Mass Republican State GOP chair, has offered a comprehensive plan to renew and revitalize the State Party. She begins by emphasizing the decline in voter registration and also looks at rebuilding from the “bottom up”. She underscores that the Party has great strengths, dedicated activist, willing fundraisers and that the fundamental message of the Party does resonate with Massachusetts voters. She calls for a “top-down” management style, one which would rely on a strong base of grassroots support. Further, she feels that the MassGOP is a “voice for common sense in the Commonwealth”, the core of job creation and entrepreneurship, demanding individual responsibility, defending family values and limited government and taxation, as well as including basics such as public safety and education are the cornerstone values that will appeal to new members. Ms. Nassour’s plan begins with a focus on fundraising: She favors the Creation of a Finance Committee and Chair, Establishment of regional fundraising events geared towards attracting all interested voters emphasising a lower-dollar amount. The creation of specific campaigns to meet target needs - voter registration drives, candidate support, technology upgrades and advertising. She also intends to hold specific “group targeted events” – including young professionals, women and youth. She is in favor of suspending the Chair’s Salary, as well as implementing other fiscally conservative programs within the State Party.

Nassour’s plans for Grassroots and Field operations are extensive. She includes distributing media outreach materials in order to carry the Mass GOP message to the regional media, and includes briefings and talking points timed to coincided with GOP activity on Beacon Hill. She also seeks to energize city, ward and town committees, offering incentives to those who excel at voter registration and fund raising and well as implementing several voter registration programs in concert with the local and city Committees.

Nassour is goal-oriented and believes in team-building as a means to an end – this includes restructuring the state committee to work with a newly designed “Farm Team”. This “Farm Team” (grassroots) will be supported by utilizing new media messaging via blogs and weekly videos as well as the enlistment of former leaders and elected officials to mentor new candidates and committees. Grassroots cannot be secured without the use of Technology. Nassour plans to modernize the party’s communications, including blogs, online videos and emails marketing. This plan will bring the Massachusetts State GOP into a more competitive arena, allowing “Young Republicans” to fully participate.

Nassour also proposes increasing the competitiveness of Republican candidates for the 2010 elections, with a focus on retaining and increasing seats held by Republicans on the State level. She focuses on Messaging – regaining an outspoken voice in order to spread the message to every corner of the Commonwealth. She proposes engaging the press, and using new technologies in order to effectively brand the Party.

Jennifer Nassour's complete plan is available here at JenniferNassour.com.

Regardless of which of the two candidates for the Massachusetts State GOP chair is elected by committee at the end of this month, one thing is certain; the candidate that will engage the media, work hand in hand with grassroots conservatives (many of which are designated “Unenrolled”) to increase voter registration and turnout and, most importantly, one who understands the necessity to include grassroots conservatives, specifically unenrolleds, will be able to accomplish the unthinkable: fast track a vibrant and robust Republican Party within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.