WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Arguing the midterm election results should not be blamed on historical circumstance alone, outgoing Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman told GOP governors Thursday that their party must recommit to a reform agenda.

"Ronald Reagan reinvented the Republican Party in the 1980's as the party that would change government, not sustain it," Mehlman said during a speech at the Republican Governors Association in Miami, Florida.

Saying reform must begin at the state level, Mehlman took the opportunity to praise a potential 2008 presidential candidate for his work as governor.

"Governor Romney, for example, has Massachusetts on its way to complete health care coverage -- without raising taxes, without employer mandates, and without government control of health care," Mehlman said.

The RNC head also implored party members to hold their colleagues to high ethical standards.

"If Republicans are guilty of illegal or inappropriate behavior, they should pay the price and suffer the consequences," Mehlman said.

Mehlman plans to step down as chairman at the end of his term in January. Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida is expected to succeed him.