Scott Brown, one of five Republicans in the state Senate, announced his support on Monday for Jennifer Nassour's candidacy for chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party.

"I have officially endorsed Jennifer Nassour because she has a clear vision for the future of the party," Brown, a Wrentham Republican, said. "She is a breath of fresh air and has the experience and skills necessary to usher the party back to where we should be so that we can bring reform, common sense, and balance to state...government."

The Massachusetts Republican Party is coming off of a disappointing election in which it lost three seats in the state legislature. The state committee will vote for its next chair on Jan. 27. Currently, Nassour is the only declared candidate to replace current chairman Peter Torkildsen, who is not seeking re-election.

Nassour, a Boston state committeewoman, welcomed the endorsement.

"I'm honored to have the support of Sen. Brown who is a strong, respected leader for our party," she said. "Sen. Brown understands that we must all focus on rebuilding the grassroots of our party if we are to find future success."

Brown is one of the few Republicans in Massachusetts rumored to be a potential candidate for statewide office. Following his sizable win over Democratic challenger Sara Orozco this year, Brown acknowledged that he would consider running in a special election for John Kerry's U.S. Senate seat if Kerry had been tapped for a cabinet post. Brown has been visiting Republican town committees, most recently in Pittsfield.

Brown applauded Nassour experience in fund-raising. Nassour was Daniel Grabauskas' campaign treasurer when he ran for state treasurer in 2002.

"Jennifer and I have had numerous discussions and I have been consistently impressed with her," he said. "She has a solid fund raising background as well as the energy to get things done."

Brown also said Rob Willington, who recently announced he was leaving his post as the party's executive director, will be missed.

"Rob Willington truly brought our party into the technology age," he said. "He is a pioneer in using technology on all campaign fronts. He is an extremely talented and dedicated individual who will be sorely missed."