Republican Town Committees Thank 2010 Candidates at Holiday Party

Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker and other Republican candidates from the November 2010 election may not have won their respective races, but many were still honored in a holiday ceremony Tuesday night.

The event, hosted by the Westwood Republican Town Committee, in accordance with the Republican town committees of Dedham, West Roxbury and Norwood, welcomed the presence of Baker and other candidates, as well as about 100 Republican supporters.

"It is always fun to have the opportunity to get together with friends to chat about what has been and what will be," Baker said as he arrived to the party on Tuesday night, which was held at the .

Elena Niel of the Westwood Republican Town Committee said that the candidates and their supporters deserved to be treated with a party like the one held on Tuesday because of the huge amount of commitment they put into an election.

Neil also acknowledged the number of work hours that supporters put in for their candidates, as well as the campaign efforts of the candidates.

Pat Barrett of the Republican State Committee said that that the event is a perfect way for local residents to meet and thank their candidates for their hard work on the campaign trail in November.

A number of Republicans lost in the State elections this year, including state Senate candidate Brad Williams and congressional candidate Vernon Harrison at the more local level. Barret referred to the loss as wake up call for local Republican committees to get out and work hard for the 2012 election.

Even though support has risen this past year, Barret said there is still plenty of work to do, and admitted that while much has been accomplished, more could have been done.

"Did we give it our all?" Barrett asked the crowd at the party. "I really didn't. We really didn't."

Last year's party was in honor of Sen. Scott Brown, who took over Ted Kennedy's seat in the Senate after he died. Brown couldn't make it to the reception as he is in Washington D.C., but sent his state director, Jerry McDermott, in his place.

Meanwhile, Williams, the former state Senate candidate of West Roxbury, said that he didn't know if he would run again, but said he took a lot from the election. He was amazed by the committed group of people at Tuesday's event, he said, with or without complete success at the polls.

"We still have momentum," said Williams. "A year ago, in Dedham, I think you would have had half this crowd."

Bill McKinney, a Dedham resident on the state committee, also appreciated the help. McKinney ran for state representative and lost to Doug Obey in November. However, he kept an optimistic attitude and took pride in the number of state representative seats that were won by the Republican Party.

"There were a lot of great candidates, and this party is a chance for everyone to show appreciation for each other's work and cooperation," said McKinney.

Pat Sterritt, chair of the Norwood Republican Town Committee, agreed with McKinney.

"While many of the candidates didn't make it, the party has done a great job and need to look toward the future," Sterritt said.

Baker said that he fully appreciated the help he received throughout the gubernatorial campaign. While he didn't win in his race against Gov. Deval Patrcik, he said that he has no regrets and took a lot from the experience.

He added that Massachusetts is a tough state, and that supporters did a lot of work including making thousands of phone calls, working countless hours and marching in parades.

"I express my sincere appreciation and gratitude for the number of hours put into this fall's campaign," Baker said.