Posted on 11/08/2013 7:24:17 PM PST by ClaytonP
The Boston Globe reported Friday that national Republicans are actively recruiting former Massachusetts Sen. Scott P. Brown to run again — this time in New Hampshire.
With former Rep. Charles Bass the latest Republican to take a pass on the Senate race, the party is still in search of a top-tier challenger to take on Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Jerry Moran told the Globe that despite the speculation that Brown is simply flirting with a bid, he doesn’t think the former senator “is just fooling around.”
Of course, a successful Brown Senate bid would be nearly unprecedented. Just two senators have ever represented more than one state in the Senate, and it hasn’t happened since the 1870s, according to a list maintained by the Senate Historical Office.
“It will be uphill, no question about it, for him,” former Rep. Jeb Bradley, who also took a pass on this race, told CQ Roll Call. “But I think he’s certainly got as good a chance as any Republican that I can think of to be successful.”
New Hampshire’s other senator echoed that sentiment, believing that Brown would help expand the Senate landscape into New England.
“I served with Sen. Brown, I have a lot of respect for him,” Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., said inside the Capitol on Tuesday in a brief interview with CQ Roll Call. “It’s up to him whether he’s going to run. But absolutely he’d be a very strong candidate.”
If Brown is planning to run for Senate, he’s not showing it by building any semblance of a campaign operation, according to operatives in the state. And Brown’s trips to Iowa, including one scheduled for next week, aren’t deflating talk that he’s considering a presidential bid.
Those who spoke with CQ Roll Call noted that Brown should come to a conclusion soon, as the appearance of flirting is not often rewarded by Granite State voters. Steve Duprey, a Republican National Committee member from New Hampshire, believes Brown would make an excellent candidate but said he hopes he’s nearing a decision.
“I think if Sen. Brown waits too much longer it will be difficult for him to run,” Duprey said. “Traditionally, New Hampshire voters haven’t liked candidates who do a long dance about whether they’re in or not. The field is wide open, but I would encourage him to make a decision soon.”
Shaheen, who state Republicans conceded is a formidable incumbent, continues to enjoy strong favorability numbers. She led Bass by 17 points in a hypothetical matchup in the WMUR Granite State Poll released last month. But state and national Republicans believe she could be be vulnerable with the right opponent.
Meanwhile, New Hampshire Democrats are ready to go on the offensive against Brown, tying him to Wall Street and an “anti-women agenda.”
“Last year, the Massachusetts voters who knew him best rejected Scott Brown’s record; he shouldn’t expect different results in New Hampshire,” state Democratic Party spokesman Harrell Kirstein said in an email.
The race is rated Democrat Favored by Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call.
Just what we need another east coast RINO. The stupid party is bent on suicide.
Actually Maine is pretty big. It takes about as long to drive from Portland to NYC, as it does from Portland to Fort Kent (314 miles).
Personally, I’d rather go to Ft Kent.
Conservatives need to flee Red England...the screws are tightening.
I tend to agree. Brown was far from perfect, and he did become very snooty towards the Tea Party, etc. once he got in.
Still, his voting record was pretty darn good for a Senator from Massachusetts. He had an ACU rating of 74, voted against Kagan, was strong on defense and the WoT, and so on. Overall, he voted with party 2/3’s of the time. Not perfect, but far, far more than we got from Ted Kennedy, and are getting from that nutjob Warren.
It was very counter-productive to trash Scott Brown after he lost his seat for voting for us with many votes that were unpopular in MASS. Its national suicide call, 'Lets pass out the Koolaid and all drink now'.
And they act surprised that Christie put winning re-election as his #1.
‘If only those MASS RINOs would put a Ted Cruz or Jim DeMint up for their Senator he would win in a landslide. Brown was way too liberal for MASS so they had to elect Liz Warren instead,
Look at Reagan 30 years ago, he swept all those states. Nothing has changed since then.
Ayotte will be joining Brown in the unemployment line.
Maybe he should pose nude again and offer up a daughter to the highest bidder?
Why does New Hampshire have to import a RINO?
Don’t they have enough RINO’s of their own?
Doing what you have to do in a blue state to get elected is one thing. Taking a sanctimonious attitude with senators from red states ( Paul and Cruz ) about being too conservative is unacceptable.
Ted Cruz took office in January 2013.
Scott Brown left office at that same time as he lost 2012 election.
They were NEVER in congress together.
So that never happened.
This is why I preach here to not believe everything you hear on talk radio.
Try to think for yourself. Its freedom
While he was in office...
Maine is the largest state east of the Mississippi.
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
Anyway, Brown would have a been strong candidate in MA, he would have won the special election for Kerry's seat and had a good chance to hold on next year for the full term. It's a shame he passed. It's silly for him to consider running in another state and speaks to the desperation of NH Republicans.
So Brown voting like McCain and Gramnasty is OK with you?
He owns a house in Hampton or Rye.
Uhm, No. That would be Georgia.
Curious as to when the state starts passing laws like Mass. That is, when will taxes go up enough to be like Mass? Don’t all these displaced liberals want the government to spend money hand over fist for all the crap they want?
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