SAUGUS — The town’s Republican Committee is set to meet Thursday to name a new member to the Republican State Committee and reorganize itself.
The committee will meet at the Kowloon Restaurant at 6 p.m. on Aug. 10.
In the wake of Republican State Committeeman Steve Zykofsky’s death, the committee will name a new member to take Zykofsky’s seat. State Rep. Donald Wong, a Republican, is expected to offer his name to take Zykofsky’s place, according to Jim Harrington, the committee’s current chair.
But, Saugus will not be the only community with a say in who replaces Zykofsky. Each community that is part of the state Senate’s third Essex district — Lynn, Lynnfield, Saugus, Marblehead, Nahant, and Swampscott — will vote to elect a replacement, meaning Wong’s ascension is no sure thing.
Harrington said the committee will also reorganize itself during the meeting Thursday, electing a new chair, vice chair, secretary, and treasurer. Committee members will vote to elect each position, and Harrington noted that there are a number of existing vacancies on the committee that may be filled Thursday.
The Republican State Committee serves as the governing body of the Republican Party in Massachusetts and is headed by Chair Amy Carnevale, a resident of Marblehead. Members of the State Committee play a “key role” in the party’s operations by “recruiting candidates, helping with fundraising, registering new voters, and growing the local Republican city and town committees in the district,” according to the party’s website.
A state committeeman and state committeewoman are elected to represent a district every four years. Zykofsky, of Lynn, represented the 3rd Essex District, of which Saugus is a part. Carnevale is the committeewoman for the district.
Saugus has historically favored Republican candidates in statewide races, making it an outlier in the area. In the 2022 gubernatorial election, a majority of Saugus residents supported Geoff Diehl and Leah Allen, the Republican ticket.
Wong has served as a state representative since 2011.