Mass. GOP Chairwoman announces Resignation

By Glen Johnson, Boston Globe

Jennifer Nassour, chairwoman of the Massachusetts Republican Party, is stepping down as she prepares to have a third child. In an e-mail today to members of the Republican State Committee, the local GOP's top echelon, Nassour wrote, "We are thrilled beyond words and our daughters are incredibly excited. We are also mindful of the additional reponsibility in our already busy lives." She announced that she will resign effective October 28th. The mother of two daughters aged eight and five is slated to have her third child in February.

Nassour, an attorney living in Charlestown, campaigned to be chairman in late 2008 and took over in 2009, navigating a split between the liberal and conservative factions within the State Party.

While chairman, she presided over a resurgence in party metabolism and success, culminating with Scott Brown's upset win in the January 2010 special election to replace the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy and a doubling of the House Republican membership in last fall's state elections.

"I wanted to run, originally, because the party really needed a facelift and some new energy, and I think I succeeded," Nassour told the Globe in an interview. "We have no debt, a good reputation, and I've always tried to greet everyone with an open door, whether they are candidates, the press, or members of the party." she added.

The resignation comes as the state GOP gears up for Brown's re-election. At least six Democrats, including Harvard Law School professor Elizabeth Warren, have announced campaigns for next year's Democratic US Senate nomination.

"The 2012 election year is going to require the party to have a chairman who is focused on the job and able to commit long hours of fund-raising and campaigning." Nassour wrote in her e-mail to the members of the State Committee. "However, family must come first. It is my preference to focus on my family and give someone else the opportunity to lead our party through the upcoming election year. By making a change of leadership in 2011, we give a new chairman the time to get up to speed and lead us to victory in 2012."

Among those first mentioned as possible successors is Mary Connaughton, who narrowly lost an election to serve as state auditor in 2010.