Though they often sparred in the media, New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley said that outgoing New Hampshire Republican Chairman Fergus Cullen "got a bum rap" for the losses that his party suffered in November.

"I wish the former governor well, but honestly I think Fergus got a bum rap," Buckley wrote in an email about Cullen's decision not to run for a second term. "A state party chairman can only do so much; success really rests with the quality of the candidates, the strength of their message and willingness of the voters to listen to them. Unfortunately for Fergus he had none of the above."

Buckley added that "Fergus had a terrible ticket with a lousy message, along with an electorate that is in no mood to listen to their baloney anymore."

Buckley also said that former Gov. John H. Sununu, who is running for party chair, will have "his work cut out for him."