(Emphasis added)

"

• JANUARY 21, 2010

Win Points to New GOP Strategy

By GREG HITT

Republican Scott Brown portrayed himself as independent of the national party. But his successful bid for a U.S. Senate seat received big support from the GOP leadership in Washington and from the political machinery of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

For Republicans, the Massachusetts win points to a strategy that could help the party bridge the split between grass-roots activists and the national establishment.

Mr. Brown effectively ran against Washington and repeatedly vowed to be an "independent" thinker if sent to Capitol Hill. The message appealed to disenchanted voters, especially independents. At the same time, without fanfare, the Republican National Committee mounted a major get-out-the-vote operation in the state, with a price tag of some $400,000. The National Republican Senatorial Committee, the campaign arm of Senate Republicans, sent an additional $500,000 to the state to support efforts to turn out voters, said senior Republican Party officials.

Among other things, the RNC shipped telephones and computer equipment to the state, helping equip field offices set up to reach out to voters. And it deployed more than 25 staffers and hundreds of volunteers.

"This is a model for campaigns in the future," RNC Chairman Michael Steele said in a memo to RNC members. The party worked "very diligently behind the scenes" and deliberately tried to stay out of view, he said.

RNC spokeswoman Gail Gitcho said the national party simply "helped Scott Brown with resources to finish an already strong campaign."

Mr. Brown's upstart win could also be a boost for Mr. Romney's chances in 2012, if he decides to run for president again.

The victory demonstrated that Massachusetts could be a launching pad for a national political campaign, dispelling past Republican concerns about the traditionally liberal state, especially given the success of the Brown campaign's low-tax, less-government message. With voters up in arms, Mr. Romney—who raised money for Mr. Brown—sounded every bit the populist Wednesday when discussing the race.

[snip]

Whether that kind of rhetoric will work for Mr. Romney in the months ahead remains to be seen. Should he decide to run for president, he would have to overcome voter perceptions formed during his unsuccessful bid for the GOP nomination in 2008, as well as the unpopularity among Republicans of the Massachusetts health-care overhaul he championed.

Several former senior aides to Mr. Romney—including communications guru Eric Fehrnstrom—played pivotal roles in shaping Mr. Brown's campaign. Mr. Fehrnstrom defended the efforts by the Republican Party to get out the vote, saying the money spent "pales in comparison to the millions of dollars their Democratic counterparts spent on" ads attacking Mr. Brown.

After securing the victory Tuesday night, Mr. Brown argued that Democrats across the country should be worried. "Let them take a look at what happened in Massachusetts," he said.

[SNIP].

Kevin Madden, a GOP analyst who once worked for Mr. Romney, suggested the tactics used in Massachusetts could help Republicans across the country.

"There's an extraordinary opportunity for Republicans to use conservative principles, framed on economic pragmatism, to pursue the big middle of the electorate that is increasingly disillusioned," said Mr. Madden, who didn't work for the Brown campaign.

At the same time, reflecting the party's challenge, Mr. Madden said it was important for Republicans to challenge "the status quo in Washington."

"

================================

I do not think this will work for Romney... but it may work for Brown.