E-Mail This Article to a Friend LAST WORDS Romney speaks BY DAVID S. BERNSTEIN

After two years of recruiting, fundraising, and campaigning for his "reform team" of Republican legislative challengers, Governor Mitt Romney spent less than five minutes dispensing with them Tuesday evening.

The official Massachusetts Republican Party election-night gathering took place downstairs at Anthem, in the North End, although local notables were conspicuously absent among the 60 or so attendees. A "Victory Board," with tacked-up names of GOP House and Senate candidates, had been discreetly removed soon after polls closed at 8 p.m. Perhaps coincidentally, around the same time, the televisions were switched from Channel 5, which was scrolling local results, to Fox’s Channel 25, which was not.

A podium had been set up for a Romney speech, with a sign proclaiming THE "R" IS FOR REFORM. A few members of the press hung around waiting.

Around 10:20, Romney descended the stairs, the cameras rolled, and after a super-brief introduction by state Republican Party chair Darrell Crate, the governor stepped to the podium, grinning. He thanked the Republican candidates for their efforts. He called the presidential race a cliffhanger. He gave a gracious nod to John Kerry, saying, "You have to admit that Senator Kerry has run a good, strong race." (They admitted no such thing — the line drew zero applause and a few loud boos.)

"On the state front," Romney said, things were not as he had wished. "Obviously, the John Kerry tidal wave here in Massachusetts was deeper than we expected." He did not make any sporting comments about state legislators running good, strong races. He did not name any winning Republicans, or any losing ones, for that matter. And he optimistically noted that in 2006 it is much less likely that a Bay State Democrat will be running for president.

"We’re going to keep fighting," Romney finished, and quickly bolted out of the joint. Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, who had not opened her mouth once, went too, along with Crate and the bodyguards, rushing out like it was a fire drill.

Tim O’Brien, the state GOP’s acting executive director, tarried at the front door for a couple of minutes in case any reporters actually wanted to know what a state Republican other than Romney had to say. Only the Phoenix and the Patriot Ledger accosted him, and that may have been partly out of pity. The guy runs a major state party, and it’s 10:30 on election night — he shouldn’t have to stand by himself hoping someone comes along wanting to talk to him.

So that was it: instead of not running any candidates, the Republicans ran a whole bunch, and still came out behind — it appeared they were heading for a one-seat loss in the Senate and perhaps a two-seat loss in the House. Can’t say the governor seemed too busted up about it.