As expected, Gov. John Lynch (D-NH) will appoint Republican Bonnie Newman to fill Sen. Judd Gregg's (R-NH) seat in the Senate.Newman, Gregg's former chief of staff, is a moderate Republican likened to Maine's Republican Senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins. Newman is not expected to run for a full term in 2010, thus creating an open seat opportunity for the Democrats and probably their best take-over prospect.
The Manchester Union Leader reports that Rep. Paul Hodes (D-NH) will announce his candidacy for the seat within the week. Hodes (above) is thought to be the strongest Democratic candidate and an odds-on favorite to win the nomination.
CNN notes that New Hampshire's other representative, Carol Shea-Porter (D) is still considering making a run for Gregg's seat, but has not made a decision yet and is keeping her options open. But I think it's unlikely that Shea-Porter will challenge Hodes in a primary, especially if Hodes begins to consolidate support in the state.
The state GOP will concentrate on recruiting former Sen. John Sununu (R-NH) to make a political comeback, after handily losing his seat to Democrat Jeanne Shaheen in 2008. If Sununu opts out, the Republican bench becomes very thin, with state Attorney General Kelly Ayotte, former Rep. Charlie Bass and Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta being the most logical second-tier candidates.
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