Shea-Porter decides against U.S. Senate run

U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH) has announced that she will not run for the United States Senate in 2010.

Shea-Porter’s colleague, U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes (D-NH), decided in early February that he would run for the Senate. With Shea-Porter, deciding not to enter the race the question now becomes whether or not another Democrat will enter the contest or will Hodes have the field all to himself.

Here are some statements on Shea-Porter’s decision:

Hodes: “I have the utmost admiration and respect for Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter. I see her stand up and fight for New Hampshire every day, serving alongside her in the House of Representatives. I am honored to call her my colleague and my friend and know she will continue to serve the people of New Hampshire with honor and distinction as their Congresswoman.”

NH GOP Chairman John H. Sununu: “I extend my condolences to Carol Shea-Porter. Although she is putting on a positive public face, I know that she must be very disappointed at having been forced out of a primary contest with Paul Hodes - especially since she probably would have beaten him.”

NHDP Chairman Ray Buckley: "Carol Shea-Porter is the best to ever represent the first district in Congress. Since her election back in 2006, no one has fought harder to protect working families, veterans and our children. She is an independent leader, and has a long record of providing real results for her constituents.

"With so much at stake, the people of the first district can take comfort in knowing that Carol Shea-Porter is their Congresswoman. I know she will continue to fight every day to better the lives of the people she serves."

Shea-Porter viewed more favorable than Hodes, among NH Dems

A new University of New Hampshire poll shows that both of New Hampshire’s U.S. Senators enjoy high favorable ratings.

The poll also shows that U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH) has a higher favorable rating than U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes (D-Rochester). Hodes announced earlier this month that he would run for the United States Senate in 2010 and Shea-Porter is also considering running for the seat.

According to the poll, “Shea-Porter is well positioned in a primary battle with Hodes, as 61% of Democrats view Shea-Porter favorably compared to 50% for Hodes. However, Shea-Porter is viewed much more unfavorably by Republicans than Hodes is, with 50% of Republicans having an unfavorable opinion of Shea-Porter compared to 28% for Hodes.”

“Democrats have a difficult choice between Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes,” said Andrew Smith, Director of the UNH Survey Center, in a press release. “Hodes looks to be better positioned for a general election, but Shea-Porter appeals more strongly to their party’s liberal base.”

The poll has U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Judd Gregg (R-NH) with high favorability ratings.

Granite Staters gave Gregg a favorability rating of 64 percent, while 15 percent have an unfavorable rating of the senior United States Senator. The poll was taken before Gregg withdrew his name from consideration for the Secretary of Commerce post.

Shaheen is viewed favorably by 56 percent of poll respondents and 32 percent had unfavorable view of Shaheen.

Hodes hits Gregg over nomination withdrawal

U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes (D-NH) has released a statement that is critical of U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg’s (R-NH) decision to withdraw his nomination to be the Secretary of Commerce.

Below is the Hodes statement:

“I am surprised and disappointed at this sudden withdrawal. Senator Gregg would take us back to the years of George W. Bush rather than moving forward with the change agenda that the American people clearly want. I will continue to work with President Obama to create jobs and rebuild our economy for the middle class.

I will be a candidate for the United State Senate in 2010. I look forward to working every day to stand up for New Hampshire as we come together to confront the economic crisis facing our nation.”

Nadeau 2010?

Former state Supreme Court Justice Joe Nadeau is considering running for the United States Senate in 2010.

Nadeau, a Democrat, would be the second Democrat to announce they are running for the senate. U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes (D-NH) said last week that he would be running to fill the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH).

“President Obama has challenged everybody to think beyond their usual routine to see what their contribution can be, and I’m going to see whether there’s something I can do beyond the judiciary," Nadeau told Politico.

Politico also reported that, “The website Nadeau2010.com was registered over the weekend to ‘Nadeau for Senate.’”

Jam on!

U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes (D-NH) has announced that he will be running for the United States Senate in 2010.

Hodes will be running to fill the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH), who has been tapped to be Secretary of Commerce. Gregg’s replacement, U.S. Sen.-designate Bonnie Newman (R-NH) has said she will not run in 2010.

“It is with the stories of people like Anne Marie Morse, Chris Howe, and thousands of New Hampshire families struggling in this difficult economy in mind that I announce today that I will run for the United States Senate in 2010 to continue to keep our state and our nation moving forward,” Hodes wrote on the website Blue Hampshire.

Hodes said that he will formally announce his candidacy sometime over the next couple of months.

Former U.S. Rep. Charlie Bass (R-NH) told the Concord Monitor that he is interested in running for the seat and former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu (R-NH) is often mentioned as a possible candidate. The Monitor also floated the names of New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly Ayotte and Jim Merrill, as potential candidates.

The Union Leader reported yesterday that Katrina Swett will run for Hodes’ congressional seat in 2010.

What about Hodes?

The Union Leader is reporting that U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes (D-NH) will announce “within the week” that he will run for the United States in 2010.

Hodes will be running for the seat that is being vacated by U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg, who is slated to become the next Secretary of Commerce.

Hodes was elected to a second term in November and said a month ago that he was “seriously considering” running for the senate.

Here are a couple of things to consider about Hodes’ announcement:

-Does this deter other Democrats from joining the race?
-Did he make this decision with a blessing from Ray Buckley?
-Did he talk with Carol Shea-Porter?
-Who will be the first Republican to announce they are running for the seat?
-Who will John H. Sununu call over the next week?