This is supposed to be the week where the DailyKos is going to focus a great deal of coverage on to the up coming Senate races in 2008. I think this is great, so I thought I’d chime in before my voice was lost in the blogoswarm.
New Hampshire is going to be host to an extremely competitive Senate race in 2008. Incumbent Senator John Sununu is up for re-election to his second term and is widely considered one of the most vulnerable Senators in the country, and with good reason. John Sununu is finding himself more and more out of touch with his increasingly Democratic leaning, New England constituency.
Needless to say that New Hampshire Democrats are taking this opportunity very seriously. The campaign for John Sununu’s Senate seat has already begun.
An overview after the flip:
To truly understand the shit storm in store for John Sununu it is important to understand how much the New Hampshire political landscape has changed since his election. In 2002, Republicans held both of New Hampshire’s congressional seats, and a near supermajority in both houses of the NH Legislature. A Radical Republican, who spent millions of dollars of his own money to buy the governorship, replaced our outgoing Democratic Governor.
New Hampshire couldn’t be more different today. Now, the Democrats control wide majorities in both houses of the legislature, and both of our Congressional Seats. Also, our Democratic Governor, John Lynch, was recently re-elected with 74% of the vote.
Now, as an endangered Republican incumbent with a constituency trending Democratic, the wise move for John Sununu would be to showcase his moderate credentials. Unfortunately for John Sununu, he appears to be doing the opposite.
Recently, he said there was "No Solution" to the Healthcare Crisis, but reaffirmed his radical faith that the free market that will magically fix the problem.
"This may be the most bizarre recommendation, but I am sincere," Sununu said. "I'm not saying it's not an issue or it's not important, but proportionally speaking, stop complaining about health care."
::snip::
If there's a glimmer of hope, it will come from open markets, said Sununu, who broke with the White House in 2003 to vote against the Medicare prescription drug bill because it restricted price competition.
Emphasis Mine
Another prudent thing for one in Sununu’s Shoes to do in would be to take a clear stand against the Bush-McCain Doctrine on Iraq. What is his stand? Well, we’re not so sure, actually.
1/12/07
The increase should be given a chance over the next few months, provided extra troops are placed with a focus "on the embedded troop structure recommended by the Iraq Study Group and is conditioned on the Iraqi government taking specific, concrete steps to deal with sectarian violence and political inequities in that country," he said.
1/16/07
Sununu said, "My position is that we ought to be able to assess the new tactics without requiring a significant increase in troop levels. We've got to be able to evaluate and measure the effectiveness of this effort. If we can't, there is no point in changing the approach.
Emphasis Mine
Well, Godspeed to you Mr. Sununu. You’re going to need it, because Democratic Challengers are already filing to run against you.
Katrina Swett, the wife of former congressman Dick Swett, was the first to throw her hat in the ring on Thursday the 18th.
"I do think John Sununu is going to be tremendously vulnerable," she said. "This is somebody in the mold of Rick Santorum, and that puts him in a tough spot."
Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand announced shortly thereafter:
"With this being a targeted race, I know the resources will be there," Marchand said. "The question is: Is the candidate going to be a strong match against the incumbent? If you are -- and I think I'm as good a match as anyone -- you have a good chance."
Stonyfeild Farms CEO Gary Hirshberg is also mulling a run, though he hasn’t filed yet.
"Any thinking person who cares about the future of our state and country has to be very dismayed by Senator Sununu's nearly unanimous lockstep votes in support of the Bush administration's failed policies," Hirshberg said in a statement.
"Certainly his failure to face the facts about climate change and his complete lack of leadership on any initiative to reduce our dependency on polluting energy sources are among many reasons that it is time for us to seek new representation for a state that deserves better," he said.
Right now it looks like we are going to have a very vibrant Primary campaign with some great candidates. The field could look very different, however, if former Governor Jeanne Shaheen decides to run. Marchand and Swett have indicated that they would withdraw their candidacies if Shaheen entered the race. This would lead to a much quieter primary season, though it would be less exciting for us NH Political Junkies.
Anyone who wants to follow this race closely needs to read Blue Hampshire. There is no better place to find NH-Sen news and information, as well as commentary from NH Activists. I have to give a HUGE hat tip to the Blue Hampshire community, as I essentially smushed together about a dozen Blue Hampshire Diaries over the last two months into this diary. Another triumph of local blogging.
So, rest assured, New Hampshire Democrats are on the case to solidify Democratic Gains in the Senate in 2008.
Watch your back, Sununu.