COMMONWEALTH: Has there been a surge in GOP registrations since Brown’s victory?
NASSOUR: We don’t have the registration numbers, but what we do have is an uptick in interest. We have a group of different people who come to us wanting to help out. They’re not necessarily Republicans, but they’re happy to help us now. We’re finding people coming to us and asking to
volunteer.
CW: Do you have any way of quantifying the increase?
NASSOUR: It’s hard to say, but probably about a 150 percent increase from January 2009, when I became chair, until now.
CW: What besides Scott Brown’s victory might account for the increase?
NASSOUR: Sen. Brown was a huge portion of it, but I think there was a lot of buyer’s remorse between what was going on in the federal government and what they were seeing in state government. We had a focus group in the fall and one of the things we heard is that this governor has been a disappointment. That was a lot of what we kept hearing from people.
CW: We’ve had a few big surges in GOP candidates in the last 20 years, but none has led to a lasting two-party system in the state. What has to happen to reach a point where we routinely have a Democrat and a Republican in most races?
NASSOUR: Right now, we have 174 Republicans running, the biggest number we’ve seen in recent memory. What has to happen for people to run is to see that government is unresponsive. There’s no transparency. As far as how we have more people running, it’s continuously engaging anyone who is paying a bill, anyone paying attention, anyone who has a job or has lost a job.
CW: In what areas of the state are you strongest?
NASSOUR: Plymouth County and the Cape. Next is the North Shore, Nikki Tsongas’s district. Twenty out of 29 districts up there went for Scott Brown.
CW: What’s your perfect candidate?
NASSOUR: The perfect candidate is someone who works really hard, someone who’s not afraid to get out there on a cold, snowy day and shake hands outside of Fenway. The most phenomenal thing I got from the Brown campaign is that if you can work as hard as Scott Brown, you’re the perfect candidate. The perfect candidate is Scott Brown: someone not afraid to be who he is.
CW: How much campaign help do you expect local candidates to get from Sen. Brown?
NASSOUR: I don’t think he has time to help all 174, and I don’t know how much he’ll get involved with [legislative races], but I know he’ll be helping out Secretary of State candidate [William Campbell] and Charlie Baker. He will be around. He did make a promise to support candidates in Mass.
CW: Who are the key names to watch in legislative races?
NASSOUR: We have a lot of young rising stars, like Brett Schetzsle in Beverly, Geoff Diehl in Whitman, Sean Downing in Methuen, Ryan Fattman in Sutton, Kim Ferguson in Holden, and Matt Beaton in Shrewsbury. And then Kevin Kuros [of Uxbridge] who is coming back after a great showing in 2008.
CW: How would you describe the state GOP’s relationship to the Tea Party movement?
NASSOUR: I think we have the exact same message. We are all looking for small government, lower taxes, more fiscal responsibility. I really see no difference between what they’re doing and what we’re doing.