John DiStaso, the New Hampshire Union Leader's senior political writer, began writing "Granite Status" in 1982. His influential reports on behind-the-scenes politics in the first-primary state are must reading every Thursday for insiders from Concord to Washington, D.C. Watch for "Granite Status" updates on UnionLeader.com whenever New Hampshire political news breaks.

MOVE OVER, JEANNE. Sure, she'd be the 800-pound gorilla, but former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen isn't the only Democrat strongly considering running for the U.S. Senate against John E. Sununu in 2008.

State Sen. David Gottesman of Nashua is strongly weighing a run. He is taking the necessary early steps, including talks with strategists and other political experts.

Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand continues to consider a run, but his timetable is no more specific than "early next year."

Marchand said he would be helped by his own political experience as a strategist and organizer for others and by his "world view," which, he said, is in line with "the New Hampshire world view ... fiscally conservative and socially moderate and environmentally progressive." He called the late Sen. Paul Tsongas, D-Mass., and former Sen. Warren Rudman, R-N.H., his political role models.

OBAMA TV

In the wake of Barack Obama's high-energy and much-publicized debut in the Granite State, the first "Barack Obama for President" ad will begin airing early next week air on WMUR and some cable news outlets. The ad was first made public on UnionLeader.com yesterday afternoon.

To view it, click here.

The 60-second spot is the work of Maryland-based draftObama.org and features a collage of photos of Obama making speeches and meeting with people while he speaks about the raising the minimum wage, improving education and the lives of seniors and about a new direction for foreign policy.

The ad begins with the written words, "We can replace fear," superimposed over a photo of President George W. Bush, "with hope." It ends with the written words, "Believe again."

According to group spokesman Kris Schultz, a former executive director of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, the ad was produced by Bud Jackson and John Hlinko, who produced an effective ad for a draft Wesley Clark movement in 2003.

(For quick alerts on breaking political news about the New Hampshire primary, sign up for our free news bulletins.)

WHAT DOES HILLARY DO NOW?

Is the New York senator's camp in a state of anxiety over how to top the big Obama crowd?

Former ambassador Terry Shumaker, who held key roles in both Bill Clinton's campaigns in the 1990s, had dinner with Hillary Clinton on Sunday. He is sure that she "will make her decision based on her schedule and not in reaction to others."

We've learned that Clinton continues to mull a state Democratic Party invitation to be the guest speaker at its biggest annual fundraiser, the "100 Club" event early next year. Clinton and her aides have been discussing dates with state party officials.

"If she runs, I'm sure that she (and her aides) would be looking for an entry venue for her that would equal or surpass the Obama entry," said former ambassador George Bruno, who attended an Obama event on Sunday and said he had a 20-minute telephone conversation with Clinton a few days earlier.

"We talked about New Hampshire and foreign policy and national security," he said. "She certainly sounded crisp, in command, and smart and charming."

Bruno did not commit to Clinton. In 2004, he backed Clark, who has yet to decide if he will run in 2008.

He said Obama's event was "amazing," but he recalled that Clark had a "very impressive" New Hampshire debut in September 2003, when hundreds of people crowded in front of Dover's City Hall to hear him.

THE CLINTON DINNER

Long-time Bill Clinton supporters Rep. Ricia McMahon, D-North Sutton, and Alice Chamberlin of Warner joined Shumaker for dinner with Clinton at her Washington home.

Shumaker said Clinton was clear that "if she runs, she is very committed to campaigning in New Hampshire in the traditional way, as she did in New York. She very much wants to do retail politics."

"We did a fair amount of reminiscing and catching up," he said. "She asked a lot of questions about people she knows and remembers here. We told war stories, which is what political people do when they get together."

Shumaker, executive director of NEA-New Hampshire, made it clear his weekend visit was on personal time and not as a representative of the teachers' union.

"I don't know if she has decided whether to run," McMahon added, "but I do know she is very upbeat and excited. She wanted to know what ideas we had and we talked about ideas that seemed to work in the past. We talked about specific places to go to exchange ideas with voters and she knew what places we were talking about because she's been here many times."

McMahon said she received no requests from Clinton or her aides about organizing a New Hampshire campaign, but she "volunteered to help her, of course. I told her, 'Whatever you'd like me to do, I'll do.'"

►NH Democrats invite Clinton to big dinner

THE DEMERS CONNECTION

Strategist, lobbyist and former state lawmaker Jim Demers says he came to be Obama's host through a friend with whom he worked on Dick Gephardt's presidential campaigns, Obama consultant David Plouffe.

Demers isn't saying, but if Obama runs, he would likely be a key component of the New Hampshire campaign.

The Sunday visit came off without a hitch. Obama's own advance team set up the events in Portsmouth and Manchester. It was led by Mike Cuzzi, a Colby College graduate who volunteered for Al Gore in 2000 and for the Illinois campaigns of Rahm Emanuel and Rod Blagojevich, and John Toohey, who worked with John Kerry in 2003 and 2004 and in senior staff posts on the presidential campaigns of Gephardt, Bill Clinton and Walter Mondale.

The early Portsmouth book-signing event moved so efficiently that it ended a half-hour ahead of schedule, which allowed an unannounced stop at the Breaking New Grounds coffee shop in Portsmouth's Market Square.

BILL CLINTON OR JOHN EDWARDS?

Would Hillary Clinton be running against a stylistic clone of her husband if she and Obama get into the race?

Several political observers and activists agreed with us that the Illinois senator showed a Bill Clinton-type ability to capture a crowd without the roar of a Jesse Jackson or the fist-pounding of a Howard Dean.

Obama in Manchester talked about vision and hope, the need to turn the page to a "new generation." Obama talked about these ideals even while he called himself a pragmatic politician in interviews and at a news conference.

It worked for Bill Clinton in 1992. Obama is hinting that it's now time to turn not just away from George W. Bush and the Republicans, but perhaps from the Clinton years as well. A new generation, not just for the nation, but first for the Democratic Party.

Obama also reminded some of John Edwards' message of hope and opportunity for all, especially the poverty-stricken. Even more than Hillary Clinton, Edwards should feel a bit squeezed.

Sen. Lou D'Allesandro, D-Manchester, a top Edwards supporter in 2004, was very visible at Sunday's Manchester event. He spent much time with the more than 100 reporters on hand. He said he received a call from Hillary Clinton on Tuesday.

D'Allesandro said his support of Edwards in 2008 is not a sure thing.

"I'm open to listening to what every Democratic candidate has to say," D'Allesandro said. "The party must be committed to winning in 2008. The victories of 2006 shows we have the ability to win in 2008. Now we have to do it."

NOW, GET SPECIFIC

Obama had a great first visit. Next time, some say, he'll have to break down his broad themes into more specifics in smaller venues, allowing give and take with the voters.

"Once he makes his decision," said Bill Shaheen, "he'll have to start doing what the others do."

PRIVATELY SPEAKING

Before the Sunday speech, the Sheehan, Phinney, Bass and Green law firm hosted a $150-a-person reception for Obama. Among the 100 who attended were Bill Shaheen, Sen. Martha Fuller Clark, U.S. Rep.-elect Carol Shea-Porter, Seacoast businessman/activist Jerry Dunfey and activists Judy Reardon, Will Kanteres, Meryl Levin, Ray Buckley, Donna Soucy, John Rauh, Joe Keefe and Dan Callaghan.

CULLEN, "YES"; INFANTINE, 'MAYBE'

The campaign for Republican state chairman is on.

As first reported on UnionLeader.com yesterday afternoon, Wolfeboro businessman and activist Fergus Cullen has decided to become a candidate. He joins six-term Rep. Fran Wendelboe in the race to succeed Wayne Semprini, who dropped out last week for medical reasons.

Three-term Rep. Will Infantine, R-Manchester, said yesterday he's strongly considering running. Former GOP candidate for governor Jim Coburn is a candidate for the state's Republican National Committeeman spot being vacated by Tom Rath.

"I'm in," Cullen said yesterday. "I've spoken with a lot of activists and party leaders over the past several weeks and I'm only getting encouragement to get in. I wanted to make sure I had enough support out there to run," he said. With Semprini out, he wants to be sure there is a choice for state committee members at the Jan. 27 meeting.

Cullen calls himself "a conservative in the mainstream conservative wing of the Republican Party." He said the state party "has fallen down in many areas, including organization, candidate recruitment and fundraising. There are also basic infrastructure needs, such as updated computer and telephone systems.

Cullen said the party also needs to rebuild its get-out-the-vote program, which was absent this year, in time for the 2008 election.

Infantine recently stepped down as second vice chair of the Manchester Republican Committee.

"I'm working on the details of the time commitment responsibilities" of being party chair and an active lawmaker, he said.

He said he has received encouragement from many "substantial" Republicans. Infantine said a chairman's first obligation is "to get Republicans back up in the majorities" in the Legislature.

"First, we have to convince the people that those in charge of the party are good, honest, ethical people and we have to start at the local town level," Infantine said.

"But I'm not going to go on a fool's errand," said Infantine, who expects to make a final decision before Christmas.

If he runs, Infantine would end his membership in likely Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's Commonwealth PAC and, if he wins, remain neutral in the upcoming primary.

Coburn said that if elected to the RNC, he will carry on Rath's role of protecting the New Hampshire primary against all challenges.

Rath is stepping down to become an adviser to Romney.

(UPDATE: Thursday, 3:07 p.m.: Portsmouth businessman and former state GOP finance director Sean Mahoney said today he has joined Jim Coburn as a candidate for the RNC post.

Mahoney said protecting the first-in-the-nation status of the primary is the “key mission of the New Hampshire Republican committeeman. We are going to need a forceful and articulate advocate for keeping New Hampshire’s role in the nominating process intact.”)

NO IMPEACHMENT

Although Shea-Porter strongly opposes Bush on the Iraq war and other issues, she does not support impeaching him.

Shea-Porter yesterday reacted to a report on the Atlanta Progressive News Web site that pro-impeachment congressmen-elect view her as a potential ally.

"It's outrageous," she said. She said she asked a staff member to demand that the Web site remove her name from the story.

"They just decided that because I'm an activist who opposes George Bush, I'm for impeachment. That's not enough," Shea-Porter said. "When a house is on fire, you don't ask, 'Who did this?' You help the people in the house."

RICHARDSON'S BUSY WEEKEND

Likely Democratic Presidential contender Bill Richardson is scheduled to pack no fewer than 14 stops into his visit. He'll have lunch with Gov. John Lynch in Concord tomorrow and then embark on a series of restaurant meet-and-greets and house parties. He begins Saturday morning with a speech to the Democratic State Committee at Saint Anselm College.

Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware, will speak on Saturday at the New Hampshire Young Democrats Holiday Party in Manchester. On Sunday, he'll address the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire at Southern New Hampshire University, then visit the Merrimack County Democrats' holiday party at the home of Rep. Christine Hamm in Hopkinton.

QUICK TAKES

At the Manchester Democratic City Committee's holiday party this week, which featured Shea-Porter, there was talk about the 2007 mayoral campaign. The names mentioned included former House Democratic Leader Jim Craig, former Mayor Bob Baines and Alderman Mike Lopez. The event drew an overflow crowd.

Romney returns to the state a week from today for private receptions in Manchester and Exeter with donors and volunteers who helped his Commonwealth PAC in 2006.

Manchester GOP Chair Gerry Thibodeau says more than 100 are expected at the committee's holiday party tomorrow night at The Yard restaurant featuring former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. C-SPAN and media from New York and Chicago are expected, he said.

A John McCain fundraising e-mail titled "Be There From the Beginning" hit many New Hampshire in-boxes yesterday.

John DiStaso is senior political reporter of the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News.