New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte yesterday remained mum on a report that she is considering a run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Judd Gregg in 2010.

"I am currently focused on the Attorney General Office's budget and the issues that are pending with the Legislature," Ayotte said.

In MSNBC.com's "First Read" column, Chuck Todd reported some Republicans are trying to recruit Ayotte as a candidate, saying she is a fresh face who has never run for office before and has strong bipartisan credentials.

"She's never run for office before but her profile might be about as good as the GOP can do in New England," Todd wrote. "Short of Gregg, Ayotte might be the best candidate the GOP can find as she doesn't come from the current elective wing of the GOP who all seem to have the smell of defeat on them."

Other Republicans rumored to be interested in the Senate seat include former Sen. John E. Sununu, former Congressman Charlie Bass, and Manchester lawyer Ovide Lamontagne, who ran for governor and Congress in the 1990s.

John H. Sununu, chairman of the state Republican Party, said he's heard nothing official about Ayotte, but welcomed the thought of her running.

Two or three good people are considering a run, he said.

He said Ayotte has experience and visibility, and she is articulate and smart. The last attorney general to run for the U.S. Senate, Republican Warren Rudman, was successful.

"It's not a bad place to run for the Senate from," Sununu said.

Two-term Second District Congressman Paul Hodes is seeking the Democratic nomination for the open Senate seat.

An April poll by the UNH Survey Center found Hodes losing to both Gregg and Sununu in head-to-head match-ups.

Ayotte, 40, became the state's first female attorney general in 2004 when then-Gov. Craig Benson, a Republican, nominated her to fill the remainder of Peter Heed's term. Democratic Gov. John Lynch nominated Ayotte to her first four-year term in 2005. In April, the governor nominated her to a second full term and the Executive Council unanimously confirmed it. Her current terms expires 2013.

Asked if others are focusing on her as a candidate even though her attention currently is directed elsewhere, Ayotte said: "I am appreciative that people are mentioning my name. However, I am focused on our budget."

Ayotte is married to Joseph Daley , a self-employed landscaper and National Guard combat pilot. They have two children: a 4-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son.

New Hampshire Union Leader reporter Mark Hayward contributed to this article.