AUGUSTA (AP) – The Maine Republican State Committee has elected former legislator Joe Bruno of Raymond as its new party chairman for a two-year term ending in December 2008.

Bruno, who served in the Maine House of Representatives for five terms between 1992 and 2004, succeeds Mark Ellis of Augusta, who is the new vice chairman of the state GOP.

A former House Republican floor leader, Bruno takes the party’s reins following a bruising round of elections for Republicans, who lost a race for Maine governor, lost ground in the Legislature and saw Democrats take a majority in Congress.

Still, Bruno had an optimistic outlook in his acceptance speech Saturday.

“While many people are discouraged by the election results, I am much more optimistic that people of Maine align themselves as fiscal conservatives,” Bruno said. “Republicans have the right message and we are the people to change the direction of this state.”

Bruno is the former president and chief executive of GHS Data Management of Augusta and is now vice president of the Waldron Group of Falmouth and Community Pharmacies of Augusta.

The party’s election came barely a month after an election in which Democrats bolstered their one-seat edge over the Republicans in the Maine House to 89 seats to the Republicans’ 60, with two seats going to independents. However, Democrats lost a seat in the Senate, where they hold an 18-17 majority.

Even after a dozen recounts in other districts, a pair of House elections remain in dispute and will be resolved following a review by the House Elections Committee.

The panel, which is evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, met Monday and will meet again Friday to take up the disputed House District 7 race. Democrat Patricia Sutherland of Chapman was the apparent winner on Nov. 7 and was sworn into office last week, pending the outcome of the Elections Committee’s work.

Ballots in that race were recounted, but the result is still being contested by Sutherland’s Republican opponent, John Churchill of Washburn.

In House District 102, Democrat Mike Shaw had a 13-vote lead over incumbent Republican Gary Moore, also of Standish, on election night.

But inconsistencies remained after a recount and the outcome is still in doubt. Shaw has been sworn into office pending the Elections Committee review.

If the committee completes its work on House District 7 on Friday, it will take up House District 102 on Dec. 20.

AP-ES-12-12-06 0813EST