Ethan Wingfield '07 was elected chairman of the College Republicans Federation of Rhode Island Saturday, defeating University of Rhode Island junior Tom Merrigan.
The secret ballot was 11-6 in favor of Wingfield. Each of the six Rhode Island chapters holds two votes, and each current executive board member has one vote. Prior to the election, Merrigan claimed to have eight of the nine votes needed for victory sewn up, with endorsements from two executive board members and three chapters.
"I'm glad to have the campaign over and have the opportunity to put it behind me and start doing some real work, some real substance," Wingfield said.
That work will begin, he said, by convening the new executive board - including Marc Frank '09 as secretary - and having a series of conversations.
"The first thing we're going to do is get the new executive board together and talk with the different chapters and the different campaigns and the party and put together a plan for what the College Republicans should be doing over the next year, especially with the campaign season coming up," Wingfield said.
Merrigan said the vote "came down to personal grudges and personal issues" and "wasn't based on substance, as far as I can see it."
During the speeches and debate before the vote, Merrigan said, Wingfield did not offer specifics in the style of Merrigan's well-organized platform, which included a four-point plan to re-energize the CRFRI.
"I do question the legitimacy of the College Republicans Federation and how serious they are, if they elected Ethan," Merrigan said. He said he sensed members of the executive board "were unhappy with the status quo." But he added, "I feel Ethan is going to lead this like the status quo. He's not going to change it, or at least he hasn't shown he is in any concrete way."
Wingfield said the vote showed the College Republicans' rejection of what he has called a "culture of attack," noting, "I, unlike Tom, did not engage in a campaign that involved threats and mean-spirited attacks."
"I'm honored that the people who make up the College Republicans in Rhode Island thought I would be the best person to lead their organization, and I'm looking forward to proving them right and proving Tom wrong."
The race for state chairman had been dominated by negativity. Incumbent chairman Pratik Chougule '08 dropped his re-election bid and resigned from office two weeks ago. Last week, Chougule told The Herald "the campaign got to the point where it was just negative campaigning, and I wasn't enjoying myself."
Chougule's opponent, Merrigan, then seemed set to win the post until Wingfield, the treasurer of Brown's chapter of the College Republicans, entered the race April 8. A few days later, Merrigan sent out a mass e-mail - which was later posted on the Rhode Island's Future blog - attacking Wingfield and saying he was "left questioning the motive of a candidate whose last minute decision is counterproductive to the unification of our organization."
Zach Drew '07, vice president of the Brown College Republicans, also sent an e-mail to the CRFRI executive board criticizing Wingfield for performing "poorly" in his post in the Brown chapter.
After the vitriol of the campaign, Wingfield faces a difficult task: reuniting the CRFRI. But he said that can be done by focusing on a common enemy - Democrats.
"As far as the Republican Party is concerned, the only enemies are Democrats," he said. "The primary reason that the College Republicans exist is to advance the Republican Party, and that means electing Republicans and growing the party and so forth," he added.
But Seth Magaziner '06, president of the College Democrats of Rhode Island, said that may not be easy.
"After any dirty election, there's going to be hard feelings," Magaziner said. "I certainly hope that they all find individual happiness."
