Martin set to kickoff campaign

Bud Martin will officially kickoff his campaign on March 9th.

Martin is running in the special election in Senate District 3. He ran for the same seat in 2008 against Bill Denley, who resigned last month after being arrested on a DWI charge.

Martin will launch his campaign at his campaign headquarters in Wolfeboro.

Dems establish special election fund

The New Hampshire Democratic Party has established a special election fund to help Bud Martin’s state senate campaign and a candidate running for state representative.

Martin is running in senate district 3 and is expected to face former U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley (R-NH). The special election is expected to take place on April 21st.

“Bud Martin is gearing up to run again in State Senate District 3. Bud ran for the seat in 2008 and lost by a very narrow margin,” a NHDP newsletter states. “Bud is a former NH District Court Judge and is currently an attorney and small business owner. He's ready to join Governor Lynch in making responsible and compassionate fiscal decisions and helping New Hampshire's working families through these difficult economic times.”

The newsletter continues, “We hear that Jeb Bradley, who lost the Congressional District TWICE to Carol Shea-Porter, will run for the seat, and we need your help to ensure that Bradley does not bring his George Bush style Washington politics to the State House!”

The Democratic Party is also preparing to help Sheila Murray, who is running in a special election for the House. Murray is running for the seat that represents Salem and Windham.

“In Rockingham County, Sheila Murray, of Salem, is the Democratic candidate for State Representative. Sheila is a Salem native and has been involved in her community for many years. She is a former educator and children's librarian and Sheila has served as supervisor of the checklist in Salem for over 30 years. This is Sheila's first run for state representative and is very excited about the opportunity to serve the people of Salem and Windham in the State House.”

The Rockingham County District 4 primary election will take place on March 24th and the general election will take place on April 28th.

Horn: ‘absolutely, very seriously considering a run’

Former congressional candidate Jennifer Horn (R-NH) is “absolutely, very seriously considering” running for political office in 2010, The Keene Sentinel is reporting.

Horn, who ran unsuccessful for congress in 2008, said that she is leaning towards running for the Second Congressional District seat but has not ruled out running for another office.

“But that doesn’t mean, as a lot of people have tried to suggest, that I’m going to run against Paul Hodes for Senate,” The Sentinel reports. “I’m more strongly considering a run for the House, but I have not decided against anything. It is highly likely I’ll run, but it is notdefinite.”

Horn was defeated by U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes (D-NH), who has decided to run for the United States Senate in 2010.

Horn also said that will be hosting a radio show on WSMN starting April 6.

Buckley: 'Jeb Bradley is not fooling anyone' in SD-3 race

New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley has released on a statement on the news that former U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley (R-NH) will run in the special election for senate District 3.

Former New Hampshire Republican Chairman Fergus Cullen has decided that he will not run for the seat and former state Sen. Joe Kenney (R-Wakefield) announced that he is being deployed to Afghanistan next week.

Bradley will be running against Bud Martin (D-Sandwich), who ran unsuccessfully for the seat in November. The District 3 seat became vacant when Bill Denley (R-Wakefield) resigned after being charged with a DWI two weeks ago.

Buckley’s release:

"Jeb Bradley is not fooling anyone. In November, the voters of District 3 once again rejected his candidacy for public office. I am convinced they will do the same this time as well.

"The voters of District 3 know that while in Washington, Jeb was among the biggest enablers of George W Bush's failed economic policies. He has voted for record deficits and drunken-sailor spending. He is the reason we are in this financial mess.

"The people of District 3 know they can't afford Jeb Bradley in the state senate. They need someone who will work to find real solutions to the serious economic problems we are facing. Jeb has a well-known record of putting politics before the people he represents.

Shaheen uses health care meeting to raise money

After attending President Obama’s Health Care Summit, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) emailed supporters telling them about the meeting and asking for a donation to her campaign committee.

Here is a snippet of that fundraising email:

Yesterday, I attended President Obama's Health Care Summit at the White House. I can't tell you how honored I was to be a part of this historic meeting.

You joined my campaign for U.S. Senate to help move America in a new direction. We're working everyday to make that change a reality. We're off to a good start.

After years of inaction, our government is ready to tackle some of the great challenges facing our nation. From reforming health care to investing in clean energy to fixing our economy, I'm proud to be working with the President and my colleagues in Congress to put us on a new path.

And, I know that I wouldn't be here without you. I hope I can count on your continued support to fight for the values that we share.

NRCC goes after Shea-Porter on housing vote

From the NRCC:

Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH) voted last night against protecting millions of Americans who played by the rules, including thousands of her constituents. The motion that she voted against would have prohibited those who lied on mortgage applications from receiving taxpayer assistance. Instead, Shea-Porter has voted along with her party bosses in Washington to reward dishonest borrowers, unscrupulous lenders, and speculators (House Roll Call 103).

Specifically, Shea-Porter voted against a motion that would prohibit taxpayer funds from being used:

to assist anyone who lied about their income or assets on their mortgage application;
to assist any lender that failed to follow proper underwriting standards;
as incentives to lenders to rework loans for irresponsible borrowers;
unless the President submits a plan that provides equitable treatment of all mortgage holders.

“Any middle-class family will tell you that rewarding bad behavior is the last thing that will get this economy moving again, but it’s clear that Carol Shea-Porter and her Washington Democrat friends disagree,” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain. “While homeowners are struggling to pay for their mortgages, Shea-Porter refused to stand up to the irresponsible speculators and lenders that contributed to our current housing crisis. If Carol Shea-Porter is fighting for the dishonest characters that got us in this mess, who is fighting for her constituents who played by the rules?”

Shea-Porter Joins E9-1-1 Caucus

From U.S. Rep. Shea-Porter's office:

Today, Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter announced that she has joined the Congressional E9-1-1 Caucus. The Caucus, which was established in 2003, seeks to educate lawmakers, constituents, and communities about the importance of citizen-activated emergency response systems.

“Ensuring our citizens have access to enhanced 9-1-1 is a vital public safety issue,” said Congresswoman Shea-Porter. “I am pleased to be a member of this important Caucus and am excited about the work ahead.”

“The mission of the E9-1-1 Caucus is to advance E9-1-1 and emergency communications across the country,” said E9-1-1 Institute Executive Director Gregory Rohde. “I applaud Congresswoman Shea-Porter for her interest in this critical issue and look forward to working with her.”

NH Dems want Sununu to resign from TARP oversight panel

From the New Hampshire Democratic Party:

Concord- NHDP Chairman Ray Buckley today called on John E. Sununu to step-down from the Congressional Oversight Panel charged with monitoring the government's TARP program.

Sununu, who was appointed to the taxpayer funded position on the TARP panel after losing re-election to the U.S. Senate back in November, just recently joined the board of ConvergEx. 33% of the ConvergeEx stock is owned by the Mellon Bank. The Mellon bank has received over 3 billion in TARP funds. In addition to getting billions in taxpayer dollars, the Mellon Bank was chosen last October to help the Treasury Department administer the TARP program.

"John Sununu needs to resign from the TARP Panel immediately" said NHDP Chair Ray Buckley. "This is a glaring conflict of interest"

ConvergEx Holdings is actually the third board of managers that Sununu has joined in the past few weeks. The two others include Time Warner Cable and Boston Scientific, both of which offer lucrative financial compensation for his service. Sununu is also being paid his former US Senate salary on a per diem rate as a member of the TARP panel.

Ayotte nominated for another term…what next?

New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch is set to nominate Attorney General Kelly Ayotte, for another term.

Ayotte, who many consider a rising Republican star, has held the position since 2004.

The news of her renomination raises an interesting question…what next?

Many Republicans are quietly hoping that Ayotte considers running for governor in 2010, possibly against Lynch, or for congress.

Questions:

-Does her renomination mean that Ayotte is not interested in running for elective office in 2010?
-Did Ayotte talk too New Hampshire Republican Chairman John H. Sununu? If so, what did Sununu say?
-What is Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta thinking about this news?

Political Library Announces 2009 New Hampshire Primary Awards Honorees

From the NH Political Library:

The New Hampshire Political Library is pleased to announce this year’s honorees to be recognized Monday, March 30th at the 2009 New Hampshire Primary Awards:

Mr. Paul Begala: a senior strategist for President Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign and currently political contributor for CNN and Affiliated Professor of Public Policy at Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute

Mr. Mike Murphy: a senior strategist for Senator John McCain’s 2000 presidential campaign and currently political contributor for NBC and MSNBC News; and

Ms. Kelly O’Donnell: NBC News correspondent covering the presidential campaigns of Senator Bob Dole in 1996, Senator John Kerry in 2004 and the Republican field in 2008 and currently Capitol Hill Correspondent.

The 2009 New Hampshire Primary Awards will take place Monday, March 30, 2009 at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Manchester. Dinner Table Sponsorships begin at $2,500 and admission for individual guests is $125. For more information about attending, please call the Political Library at 225-4617, extension 11.

Former McCain supporter indicted on fraud charges

A former New Hampshire supporter of U.S. Sen. John McCain has been indicted on misdemeanor charges relating to mileage reimbursements.

Richard Brothers, head of the Department of Employment Security, has been accused of filing reimbursement forms for trips that he did not make.

“For each month between August 2007 and May 2008, the informations charge that Richard Brothers knowingly made a written false statement, which he did not believe to be true, with a purpose to deceive a public servant in the performance of his or her official function, by submitting travel vouchers for reimbursement for mileage and tolls and attesting to trips he had not actually taken, thereby causing the State to reimburse him for mileage and toll expenses he had not actually incurred for the dates and/or locations stated on the travel vouchers,” reads the indictment from New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly Ayotte.

Brothers was an alternative delegate, for McCain, to the Republican National Convention in 2008 and served on McCain’s Belknap County leadership committee during the New Hampshire presidential primary.

Gov. John Lynch (D-NH) said that Brothers should immediately resign.

“These are very serious charges that result from a thorough investigation by the Attorney General's Office. I call on Richard Brothers to resign,” Lynch said in a press release. “I have also directed Richard Brothers not to enter any Employment Security facility, effective immediately.”

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.

HuckPac launches in Granite State

Supporters of former Gov. Mike Huckabee have started a local chapter of Huckabee’s national political action committee.

David Hurst and Bob Burns, both of whom represented Huckabee at the Republican National Convention, have started HuckPac NH.

Hurst and Burns will be launching the organization with a house party on February 26th.

Huckabee unsuccessfully ran for president in 2008 but is often mentioned has a potential candidate in 2012.

Guinta takes on Lynch over budget

Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta is criticizing Gov. John Lynch (D-NH) over Lynch’s proposed budget cuts and changes to the room-and-meals tax.

Guinta, a potential gubernatorial candidate in 2010, said he is “deeply troubled” by Lynch’s budget.

“I am deeply troubled that the Governor’s Office does not understand the real problems that this budget proposal lays on the backs of the cities and towns of New Hampshire,” Guinta said. “In his budget, Gov. Lynch asks communities to forego funds that they have used as part of their budget for nearly 40 years. In exchange, he is asking them to use one-time ‘stimulus to cover the revenue shortfall. For the Governor’s Office to dismiss these concerns with the phrase ‘It’s a trade-off’ shows shocking ignorance about their own budget proposal and its consequences. Assuming federal funds arrive on time, as promised by the Governor, there remains no plan for replenishing those funds in the following biennium.”

According to Guinta, “the proposed budget would create a $9.6 million revenue hole in the city’s FY10 budget and a $2.4 million deficit in the current FY09 budget.”

Guinta also said that he would like to organize a meeting of the state’s mayors to discuss the state budget.

Shea-Porter starts ‘Populist Caucus’

U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter’s (D-NH) office has announced that she is a founding member of a new congressional caucus.

According to a press release the Populist Caucus, “is devoted solely to addressing middle class issues.”

The caucus will fight for legislation that will, “provide fair wages, proper benefits, and a level playing field at the negotiating table,” and “ensure American workers have secure, solvent retirement plans.”

“Our country does best with a thriving middle class,” said Shea-Porter in a statement. “I am proud to be a founding member of the Populist Caucus and will fight for middle class tax cuts, affordable health care, and fair trade practices.”