NH-Sen: Primary Hijinks A-brewin'?

[ccharles000]

This could be truly delightful if it pans out:

Well-placed sources close to former US Senator Bob Smith (R) tell Politics1 that Smith has shifted away from his earlier plan to run for US Senate in Florida, where he has lived for the past few years. Instead, Smith - who has maintained a home in New Hampshire - now plans to return to the Granite State and run for US Senate in the GOP primary next year if former US Senator John Sununu Jr. runs for Judd Gregg's open seat. One of Smith's consultants, who asked not too be named, said Smith will emphasize his pro-gun rights, pro-life and pro-environment stances against Sununu. Smith lost for renomination to Sununu in the bitter 2002 primary, so part of Smith's motiviation for running against Sununu would be to inflict as much political damage as possible on Sununu.
If these sources are telling the truth, then Smith wants to get in purely out of spite - and wants the world to know it. It's a motive straight out of a Seinfeld episode. Dean Barker explains just how fantastic this could be for Team Blue:


1) Bob Smith, by virtue of what was done to him by Sununu in 2002, is not beholden to the Sununu-Sununu lockdown on the Senate nomination. So while all the other NHGOPers are not preparing and raising money while they wait for John E. to make up his mind, Smith can walk right in and blow this holding pattern to... smithereens (sorry; couldn't resist). This, in turn, gives the green light to others to go in too, despite the first and last name of the NHGOP Chair. "Well, if there's going to be a primary regardless, etc...."
2) A Smith-Sununu contest would be incredibly confusing on the issues for the right, and has the potential to be very divisive. Sununu is tied and bound to the Bush years, anti-choice, doesn't really focus much on guns, and doesn't believe in anthropogenic climate change. Smith is not tied to the Bush years, more progressive on environmental issues, but more openly conservative on others, especially social issues like abortion and guns. Confusing!

More at the link, and some Blue Hampshire commenters worry that this could, perversely, help Sununu. I just don't see it, especially with New Hampshire's very late (September) primary. This really could be quite a lot of fun.

http://www.swingstateproject.com

[Vinca]

1. OMG - Smith is a bookend. This seat is definitely going Democratic. nt

[catgirl]

2. Whoever wins the dem primary will be the new Senator

:-)