Politics & Government

Bob Smith Running for Senate; What About Scott Brown?

The list of Republican contenders for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen continues to grow.

Former New Hampshire Sen. Bob Smith announced Sunday that he is running for the Senate seat now held by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen.

"I just can't bear to sit on the sidelines and watch what is going on," Smith, 72, told the Union Leader.

That brings the field of Republican hopefuls seeking the seat to three, as former State Sen. Jim Rubens and conservative activist Karen Testerman had previously announced that they were seeking the seat.

Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, who owns a summer home in Rye, has been talked about for months as a possible contender. But he has yet to say if he will run in the Granite State. He did, however, change his Twitter handle last week from @ScottBrownMA to @SenScottBrown, prompting a new round of speculation that he's getting ready to run for office outside of Massachusetts.

Despite the fact that he's not currently living in New Hampshire, NHGOP Chairman Jennifer Horn has said there is "no question" Brown would be welcomed here in New Hampshire.

"I think there's no question Senator Brown would be welcomed," Horn told Patch last month. "I've heard a lot of positive feedback from Republicans around the state. He really has been warmly welcomed and I've heard a lot of positive feedback about him as he's been out and about."

Smith is also not presently living in New Hampshire. He has been living in Florida in recent years, and ran for Senate there in 2004 and 2010. He still owns a home in Tuftonboro, New Hampshire, where he spends his summers.

In other political news over the weekend, the Union Leader reported that Manchester attorney Brad Cook, a Republican, has decided not to run for governor in 2014.

So far, no Republican contender has come forward to challenge Gov. Maggie Hassan, a Democrat.

Horn has said that she knows of people who are looking at the race and expects one or more of them to announce their candidacy in the near future.


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