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.
That would be even better.
I would think his indecision about what he’s running for, what party he’s in, what state he’s living in, etc. may make too many people consider him a flake. But I’ll be he still has a core of social conservative support in NH, and as you said, it would be fun to watch.
Smith would clean up in the Manchester slums, NH’s own version of Mat-Su. The religious right here is still smarting over Sununu voting against the FMA.
he endorsed Kerry in the last week of the 2004 campaign. If I were Sununu, I would hit him on that.
That said, I think even Sununu w/o a primary challenge would be a decided underdog to Hodes.
I was going to do a diary post on such a possibility because I noticed on OurCampaigns.com that Smith was listed in both the Florida and New Hampshire Senate Republican primaries.
I think something even more hilarious would be Smith running for the Florida primary, and if he loses then going on to run in the New Hampshire primary, whichever comes first. Of course I’m sure there are laws against that type of thing, and although it’ll never happen I’m just laughing on the inside over it.
Wasnt Sununnu the less conservative Republican in that 02 primary? Itd be something to see a big primary fight between a moderate (Bradley or Bass) vs. a strong conservative (Sununnu) vs. an extreme conservative (Smith). Thatd be bloody and exciting.
Paul Hodes is smiling.
even in NH, right? lived in FL? lost a primary AS THE INCUMBENT?
and he could never raise any money anyway so i don’t see him even causing sununu to break a sweat. much as i’d like him to.