Speculation on Romney deepens

Politically damaged from a hard-hitting but failed Republican legislative campaign, Governor Mitt Romney returned to his State House office yesterday amid fresh speculation over his future, both here and nationally, and early signs that high-profile Democrats were testing the waters to challenge his reelection in 2006.

His unsuccessful effort to win GOP seats in the Legislature fueled questions yesterday over Romney's future plans, forcing him to disavow any interest in a post in President Bush's administration. But Romney also left the door slightly ajar for a second term, stopping short of committing to a run for reelection.

"I made it clear very early on . . . that I'm here all four years and hopefully reelected after that," Romney told reporters in his Beacon Hill office. "I will not change my commitment.

"My expectation is that we'll be running for reelection, but I don't have any final word on that," Romney said. "The time will come for that."

Many political leaders, both Republicans and Democrats, feel strongly that he will not run for governor again.

In recent months, Romney has traveled the country, campaigning for Bush and touting his book on his management of the 2002 Winter Olympics, leading some Republicans to suggest that he is interested in running for the White House in 2008. On the other hand, some Massachusetts Republicans have speculated that Romney could replace Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge as President Bush's second term begins to take shape.

Romney had staked a good part of his political future on gaining seats in the House and Senate, to demonstrate his ability to build up the Republican party in a Democrat-dominated state. Despite its record $3 million campaign, the Republican Party lost one Senate seat and two House seats.

Democratic leadership sources said yesterday that rank-and-file lawmakers -- feeling the GOP attacks impugned their integrity and portrayed them as defenders of child pornographers and illegal immigration -- are in a fury over Romney's tactics in this fall's legislative campaign and plan to seek revenge.

Apparently sensing that anger, Romney telephoned two Democratic legislative leaders yesterday, Senate President Robert E. Travaglini and House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, and pledged his cooperation. He told reporters that he is sure that he and Democratic lawmakers will have no trouble leaving the campaign behind.

"The campaign is over, and you go back to work and do what the people have elected us to do," Romney told reporters. "We've got some major issues that we face, and together we can confront those issues and others and do the job. . . . People expect us to put the divisions behind and seek common ground."

DiMasi and Travaglini had no comment for reporters yesterday, but sources close to both said the Democrats' strategy was to avoid appearing petty or gloating over their victories.

But other analysts said the governor blundered in challenging inumbents with hard-edged tactics that included mass mailings that brought up votes on tuition rates for children of undocumented immigrants and pitted suburban spending needs against those of Boston.

"He lost big," said Maurice Cunningham, a political science professor at the University of Massachusetts' McCormack Graduate School. "It does not bode well for the next two years. . . . It hurts him at home, and it hurts him nationally."

Cunningham said that behind the scenes, in ways that would be difficult to trace, Romney will feel the stings of the Democrats' anger.

"I think they will express magnanimity and then make life very difficult for him," he said. "It is a lot more fun to do it with a smile."

Several prominent Democrats -- including Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly, Secretary of State William F. Galvin, and US Representative Michael E. Capuano -- criticized Romney yesterday. All three make no secret of their interest in running for governor.

"Obviously I'm interested," said Galvin, a veteran Democratic office holder who spent much of the last weeks of the campaign stumping for legislative candidates. "But it's a little early to start popping out the bumper stickers."

Reilly, who has for months been quietly moving toward a 2006 gubernatorial race, avoided talking about a potential candidacy. But he said Romney felt a backlash in the legislative races because of voter anger over his participation in the national GOP effort to ridicule Massachusetts.

Capuano poked fun at the GOP's expensive effort to win seats in the Legislature. "They spend a lot of money, help the economy, and lose," Capuano said.

Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom blamed the power of legislative incumbency, coupled with Kerry's presence at the top of the ticket, for the Republicans' disappointing showing. The GOP's net loss of three seats will have little practical effect, he said.

"We had a number of good first-time candidates who sacrificed time away from their families to give the voters a choice, but they were swimming against a very strong John Kerry current," Fehrnstrom said. "I don't think anybody is suggesting that this is rejection of the reform agenda."

Despite the strong anti-Bush sentiment in Massachusetts, Fehrnstrom said the governor doesn't regret stumping for the president and suggested it may pay dividends for the Bay State in Washington.

"Governor Romney is the only bridge Massachusetts has to the White House and a strengthened Republican majority in both houses of Congress," he said.

Globe correspondent Benjamin Gedan contributed to this report.