State Sen. Andy Sanborn and his wife, state Rep. Laurie Sanborn, both Republicans currently residing in Henniker, have announced that they will be moving to Bedford in a few months, in order to run for open political seats in that community.

The Sanborns, who also co-own The Draft on South Main Street in Concord, said the move would also allow the couple to be closer to Laurie’s parents. The couple, who previously lived in Manchester for about a decade, also say they maintain many friends and connections in the area, according to a statement.

A redistricting plan that was recently approved by the Senate moved Henniker, their home for the last 20 years, into the Concord Senate seat, along with Hopkinton and Warner. District 15 is currently represented by state Sen. Sylvia Larsen, D-Concord, the former Senate president. After the state Senate redistricting map was released to the press, there was speculation that Andy Sanborn might challenge Larsen or move into the northeastern part of his current district, in order to run for the Senate seat being vacated by state Sen. Jim Forsythe, R-Strafford.

The District 9 Senate seat, currently held by state Sen. Raymond White, R-Bedford, will soon be vacant. White announced in 2011 that he would be retiring.

With the new redistricting in the House, Bedford will have six at-large representatives and there reportedly will soon be vacancies for those seats, allowing Laurie Sanborn, who currently serves as a majority leader in the Legislature, to run there too.

Andy Sanborn called serving in the Senate “although amazingly challenging so far, and only second to the relationship I have with my wife, it has been the highlight of my life.” He noted that the couple would “keep our commitment and maintain our residence and domicile in Henniker, through June 2012,” the end of the legislative session.

If he is elected to District 9, Sanborn will represent one community he currently represents – Hancock. The rest of the district runs southwest to New Boston, Mont Vernon, down to the Massachusetts border.

Sanborn said he had assembled a re-election team to compete politically in the new district. State Sen. Jeb Bradley will be co-chairman of the campaign. The finance team for the campaign will include Andy Crews of AutoFair and Tom Boucher of T-Bone’s, Cactus Jack’s, and other establishments.