New Hampshire Senate Race

John Sununu (R) v. Jeanne Shaheen (D)

The New Hampshire US Senate Race is one to watch - Republican incumbent Senator John Sununu is facing a tough challenger in a tough year for Republicans. Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, former Governor of New Hampshire and current President of Harvard’s Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics, will face Sununu in November – a rematch of the 2002 Senate race.

Partially because New Hampshire has become a Democratic state,
and partially because Shaheen is a strong candidate, Sununu is currently trailing in the latest polls by 14 points. In addition, New Hampshire has the distinction of having voted against President Bush in 2004 after having voted for him in 2000 and is none too happy with the War in Iraq. This is one to watch for a possible Democratic gain in the Senate this year. The average rating (from Stuart Rothenberg, Roll Call, Congressional Quarterly, the Cook Political Report, and Robert Novak) for this race has it leaning Democratic.