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Kelly Ayotte: Out as N.H. attorney general,
in as GOP candidate for the U.S. Senate
And now the other shoe has dropped with Kelly Ayotte announcing her resignation as New Hampshire's attorney general so that she can give full attention to her campaign as a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate.
When John E. Sununu, the former U.S. senator, announced last week he would not run, it cleared the path for Ayotte.
The one sticking point was an apparent commitment to Democratic Gov. John Lynch that in turn for renaming her to the AG's post she would stay on until the term expired in 2013.
She resolved that sticking point by resigning today.
There was no immediate comment from Lynch's office, but it's early in this cycle.
According to the Associated Press, Ayotte submitted her letter of resignation to Lynch, effective Friday, July 17.
In a statement, Ayotte said many people have urged her to run. She said she made her decision after discussing the matter with her husband, Joe.
Ayotte is the state's first female attorney general and has served for five years under two governors, originally being named to the post by former Republican Gov. Craig Benson.
With her cross-over appeal, having worked for a Democratic administration, Ayotte has a clear advantage over other potential Republicans in the race to succeed Judd Gregg, who has said he won't run for re-election.
The lone Democratic candidate thus far -- and likely the only Democrat to run -- is Paul Hodes, the U.S. representative from the 2nd Congressional District.
A University of New Hampshire Granite State Poll last week offered a peek into a head to head between Hodes and Ayotte.
The poll showed 39 percent of likely voters would support Ayotte, 35 percent would back Hodes, 2 percent would back some other candidate, and 24 percent are undecided. The center says Ayotte leads in part because political Independents prefer her to Hodes by 33 to 26 percent.
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