Even before his switch, Ireland had worn his party ties so loosely that Speaker Tip O'Neill mused that Ireland "wasn't much of a Democrat anyway." Future Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie, who was a staffer in Ireland's office at the time and switched parties soon after his boss, said that he and Ireland were classic examples of Reagan Democrats who became Republicans–"a southern conservative and a young northeastern ethnic Catholic who no longer felt comfortable in the party of their heritage."
Even before his change, Ireland had worn his party ties so loosely that Speaker Tip O'Neill pondered that Ireland "wasn't much of a Democrat anyway." Future Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie, who was an aide in Ireland's office at the time and switched parties shortly after his boss, stated that he and Ireland were prime examples of Reagan Democrats who became Republicans–"a southern conservative and a young northeastern ethnic Catholic who no longer felt comfortable in the party of their heritage."