Massachusetts GOP struggling to reverse trend on Beacon Hill

BOSTON—Massachusetts Republicans are hoping to reverse a half-century tumble toward political obscurity with the help of a cadre of fresh-faced candidates like Arthur Vigeant.

The Marlborough City Council president is one of dozens of new House and Senate candidates enlisted by Massachusetts Republican leaders this year to bring the once powerful party back from the brink of extinction.

The task is enormous.

The last time Republicans held a majority in the Massachusetts House was 1947, the same year Jackie Robinson broke major league baseball's color barrier. The GOP lost control of the Massachusetts Senate a decade later.

It's been a 15 years since the party even had enough lawmakers to sustain a gubernatorial veto, one of their last vestiges of political clout on Beacon Hill. There are now just 19 Republicans in the 160-member House and 5 in the 40-member Senate.

In 2006, the party lost the governor's office after 16 years of GOP rule.

The climb back is long and hard. Even if every Republican legislative candidate managed to win this year, the party would still be outnumbered by Democrats.

"The Republican Party is a small party. We need to rebuild. We can't expect to go to majority status in one cycle," Republican Party Chairman Peter Torkildsen said. "We'll support a Republican anywhere that wants to run, but we have to focus on the districts where we have the best shot."

Republicans have what they hope is a secret weapon: Deval Patrick.

The election of Patrick was a blow to Republicans, but they also hope it bolsters their "one party rule" pitch to voters. It's an argument that's been strengthened as Patrick's popularity has dipped and Democratic House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi has been dogged by ethics questions.

"I think everyone in Massachusetts has an interest in having a viable two-party system," Torkildsen said.

The party has made the same pitch before, with little success.

In 2004, when former Gov. Mitt Romney backed a slate of more than 100 Republican legislative candidates, GOP leaders also urged voters to bring more party balance to Beacon Hill. Republicans ended up losing three seats that year.

Even some of the party's star candidates are downplaying their Republican affiliation.

Vigeant, who's served on the Marlborough City Council for 15 years, said he's not counting on voters to support him just to bring balance to Beacon Hill.

"I think in my case it's not going to have as big an effect. People in this community are going to be voting for me on my record," said Vigeant, who is running for the seat formerly held by Democratic Rep. Stephen LeDuc, who resigned to take a job as an assistant clerk magistrate.

Two Democrats and an independent candidate are also running and Vigeant is hoping to appeal across party lines, pointing to his endorsement by Marlborough's Democratic mayor.

"I'm hoping that the people in Marlborough, Berlin and Southborough vote for the person not the party," he said.

He has little choice. The Republican Party's dwindling numbers on Beacon Hill have been mirrored in the party's decline in voter affiliation.

Just 12 percent of Massachusetts voters are registered Republicans compared to 37 percent registered Democratic and 50 percent unenrolled in any party. About one percent are enrolled in smaller parties.

Republicans are busily trying to map out a strategy to reverse the trend. They say having a smaller number of candidates allows them target their resources better.

"Ironically, because they are out of the corner office, they may actually see that as an opportunity to be able to be more competitive," said Paul Watanabe, a professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts-Boston.

The party is hoping to make inroads in the Worcester, Merrimack Valley, Bristol and Plymouth areas and along the I-495 belt, party leaders said.

At the same time, they're trying to hang onto the few seats they already have. At least three incumbent Republican lawmakers are not running again.

One is Mary Rogeness, R-Longmeadow, who announced she would not be seeking re-election.

Republicans are hoping William Scibelli, a lawyer, real estate agent and member of the Longmeadow Board of Selectmen can keep the office Republican.

"I think it's important to keep this a Republican seat. It's been a Republican seat for 40 years," Scibelli said. "We're not a loud voice because there are only a few dozen of us out there, but someone's got to play devil's advocate."

Democrats say they aren't planning to give up any seats without a fight, and are hoping to pick off a few Republicans.

"Voters in Massachusetts elect Democrats because they agree with them on the issues. When given the opportunity to vote between a Democrat and Republican they overwhelmingly support Democrats," said Massachusetts Democratic Chairman John Walsh.

Republicans could also find themselves swamped by presidential politics -- particularly if Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents show up in big numbers to support the Democratic nominee.

Despite the challenges, Republicans must find a way to start posting a few wins if they ever hope to turn the tide, said House Republican leader Brad Jones, R-North Reading.

"When you can point to some successes, it can inspire some people to step forward," Jones said. "The lack of success creates a bar to recruitment."