Torkildsen to bow out as Mass. GOP chief

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

A changing of the guard is ahead for Massachusetts Republicans. Peter Torkildsen, the party chairman, said today he would not seek reelection to the post.

Peter Torkildsen

Torkildsen, a former state representative and US congressman, said the job has been demanding and one reason for his departure was a desire to spend more time with his family.

He said he would remain active in the party, but “it’s time to help the party in a different capacity.”

Torkildsen said he would give himself a "mixed grade" as party chair, noting that while all Republican incumbent state lawmakers held onto their seats in last week's elections, three open House seats switched from Republican to Democratic. Republicans will be far outnumbered on Beacon Hill in January, with only 16 Republicans among the state's 160 representatives and five among the state's 40 senators.

"It was disappointing because we lost net seats. ... But I think I've helped sow the seeds for the party growing in the future," he said. He said he felt the voters would eventually realize the evils of having a single party in charge in both the Legislature and the governor's office.

Torkildsen said the party under his leadership has had other achievements, including raising more than $1.5 million over two years, even though it was the first cycle in 16 years in which the governor's office was not occupied by a Republican, and conducting more than 50 campaign schools, sessions in which candidates and volunteers are trained how to run a campaign.

"We have a lot of work before us," Torkildsen said. "There's no doubt about it."

John Walsh, chairman of the state Democratic party, said, "Peter's a great guy and deserves credit for doing his best to put forward a vision."

But Walsh said the Republicans "don't have enough candidates and they don't have enough candidates running on issues people care about."

He said the basic pitch of Republicans is "'You need us because we'll protect you from the crazy Democrats.' The voters instinctively know that's a lot of malarkey."

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