James Pindell of WMUR's Political Scoop has published a new list ranking the Republicans who might run in the 2012 New Hampshire presidential primary. Among them is our very own Judd Gregg. Gregg's decision to give up his seat in the U.S. Senate has prompted speculation that he might be planning a run for the White House. Will he run?
It is worth noting that Gregg's announced his retirement in the early months of 2009. At the time, Gregg was the only New Hampshire Republican left in Washington. The GOP had lost control of both of the state's House seats in 2006 and one Senate seat in 2010. It would have been hard for Gregg to predict that the blue wave that came crashing over the Granite State in 2006 and 2008 would come rolling back so quickly. If he'd had a crystal ball, he might have run again.
Gregg leapt into the national spotlight in April of 2009 when he was nominated to serve as President Obama's Secretary of Commerce. He initially accepted the nomination, then pulled a hasty about face at a highly publicized press conference. Some considered the move to be a sure sign that Gregg had higher ambitions than Commerce Secretary and might even challenge Obama for the presidency in 2012. Others called the move tactless and bizarre. Either way, if Gregg does run he's sure to face some tough questions about the incident on the campaign trail. If you listen hard enough, one can almost here the chants of "Flip flop!" already....
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