TUESDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE (UPDATED): First District U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter raised more than $260,000 from 2,589 contributors from April 1 to June 30 and ended the second quarter with about $750,000 on hand.

The freshman Democrat’s campaign manager, Pia Carusone, said her research showed that the amount raised is a record for a U.S. House candidate in New Hampshire.

Although Shea-Porter in mid-May joined the “Frontline” fund-raising program run by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Carusone said the campaign received two checks totaling only $1,500 through the program during the quarter.

Carusone said the bulk of the contributions came from individual supporters and that Shea-Porter took no money from business political action committees or lobbyists. She said most of her PAC money came from organized labor, while other Democratic House members also contributed to her effort.

Shea-Porter’s quarterly contributions are on par with, and may have surpassed, her 2nd District Democratic counterpart, Paul Hodes.

His campaign said last week he will report more than $250,000 raised but did not have a specific figure.

Hodes ended the quarter with $980,000 on hand, his campaign said, more than $200,000 more than Shea-Porter.

Still, Shea-Porter's figures are impressive and far more than she raised as a virtual unknown when she ran as a challenger in 2006. She said her fund-raising shows that “people realize that I am in Washington fighting for them so they won’t have to choose between heating their homes and feeding their families.” She said she was “proud to have the support of thousands of Americans who are hungry for change.”

Republican 1st District hopeful John Stephen raised $140,016 from April 1 to June 30, his campaign says, and ended the second quarter with $258,682 on hand.

The campaign says Stephen raised $137,705 from individuals and $1,000 from political action committees and has raised $477,130 since the beginning of the year.

Stephen’s main primary opponent, former Rep. Jeb Bradley, reported total receipts of $148,526 for the second quarter: $98,518 in contributions and a $50,000 loan from himself to his campaign.

In his campaign finance report, filed this afternoon, Bradley reported that his campaign now has $350,000 in total debt to himself from loans dating back to 2002.

Stephen’s campaign points out that unlike Bradley, it is carrying no debt.

In the quarter, Bradley reported spending $189,283, about than $40,000 more than he raised, including the loan. He reported $63,368 raised from individuals and $35,150 raised from PACs during the quarter. Bradley’s total raised since the 2006 general election is $714,671, and he reported having $475,348 on hand as of June 30.

Among 2nd District Republican candidates:

-- Jennifer Horn’s campaign said it will report raising $61,000 in the quarter for a total raised of $132,000 during the campaign. Her campaign said that $91,000 came from about 300 individual donors. The campaign said she ended the quarter with $21,000 on hand.

-- Grant Bosse raised $20,091 in the quarter and $34,000 since the beginning of the year and reported $12,850 on hand.

-- Bob Clegg reported raising $64,460 in contributions in the quarter and loaning his campaign $150,000, bringing the total he has loaned his effort to $250,000. Including the loan, he reported total receipts of $214,576 in the quarter and reported having $156,556 on hand.

MONDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: Barack Obama’s presidential campaign will announce its press team for New Hampshire later today.

It will work with a newly formed New Hampshire Campaign for Change – a voter contact organization funded by the Democratic National Committee.

UnionLeader.com has learned that Sandra Abrevaya is the new state communications director. She was deputy communications director at the office of U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill. In 2005, she was communications director for U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, and previously worked for the political communications firm, Strategy Group, based in Chicago.

Larkin Barker, the Campaign for Change press secretary, was press secretary for Rhode Island Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts and during the 2006 election cycle, was the deputy press secretary for the campaign of U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.

The campaign previously announced Mindy Myers as the New Hampshire state director.

According to the campaign, the Campaign for Change will organize in New Hampshire for Obama.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: Gov. John Lynch continued building his reelection staff by hiring Evan Carlson of Bedford as campaign press secretary.

Carlson was New Hampshire press secretary for Sen. Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. Following the primary, he consulted for New Hampshire Voices for Health and the Young Democrats of New Hampshire.

Previously, he was press secretary for the New Hampshire Democratic Party.

Carlson said Lynch’s campaign now has 10 full time staffers and will hold a grand opening for the campaign office at 379 Elm St., Manchester, next Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.

In his bid for a third term, Lynch faces Kathryn Forry of Jaffrey in a primary, while state Sen. Joseph Kenney is the lone Republican running for governor.

THURSDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: Democratic congressman Paul Hodes raised more than $250,000 in the second quarter of 2008 and will list $980,000 on hand when his campaign finance report is filed with the Federal Election Commission in the next few days.

The Granite Status obtained the 2nd District freshman House member’s campaign finance numbers from sources close to his campaign this afternoon.

Hodes, confirming the numbers, said he was “proud to have earned the support of so many people. In my short time in Washington, I have stood up for reform and accountability. I have been working hard every day to change Washington, and it is clear that my campaign will have the resources it needs to effectively communicate this to the people I am honored to represent.”

In the first quarter of 2008, Hodes listed net contributions of $244,520 and $1.3 million since the 2006 election. The second quarter contributions will bring his contributions for the current election cycle to more than $1.5 million.

By comparison, two years ago, then-incumbent Republican Charlie Bass had raised $572,333 through the second quarter of 2006 and reported $453,449 on hand.

Hodes defeated Bass in the 2006 general election and will now face the winner of a Republican primary among Grant Bosse, Bob Clegg, Jennifer Horn, Jim Steiner and Alfred L’Eplattenier.

BIG MONEY. Preliminary second-quarter numbers from the John Sununu and Jeanne Shaheen campaigns are in, and both campaigns in the nation's highest-profile U.S. Senate contest are claiming record-setting fundraising.

"Our preliminary counts show Gov. Shaheen raised more than $1.6 million this quarter," the most ever raised by a candidate for federal office from New Hampshire," said Shaheen spokesman Caitlin Legacki.

Sununu campaign manager Paul Collins reports "another million dollar-plus quarter" from April 1 through June 30 and says Sununu will report more than $5 million on hand next week.

Shaheen's camp did not release her "on hand" figure.

Collins says Sununu's supporters "have never been more energized and enthusiastic, resulting in a record setting fundraising quarter. Both the amount raised in a single quarter and the amount on hand is record-setting for Team Sununu."

Legacki said Shaheen's numbers "reflect the tremendous support we've seen on a daily basis for Gov. Shaheen's campaign" to "put New Hampshire families, not the special interests, first."

In the first quarter of 2008, Sununu reported raising $1.01 million and having $4.3 million on hand, while Shaheen raised $1.9 million and reported $1.8 million on hand.

IT'S ONLY JULY, but the special interest groups on both sides of the Shaheen-Sununu Senate battle continue to ramp up their purchases of time on the airwaves and space in newspapers.

Groups on each side this week are focusing on workers' issues.

TARGETING SHAHEEN. As Shaheen picked up the endorsement of the state firefighters union -- the Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire -- yesterday, a nationwide "pro-worker" group formed earlier this year targeted her for "issues" advertising.

Beginning with a full-page ad in the New Hampshire Union Leader two days ago, the Employee Freedom Action Committee, a non-profit 501(c)(4), plans a full throttle effort to paint her as "anti-worker."

The group insists it's not anti-union, but its prime focus is defeat of the Employee Free Choice Act, which would eliminate private ballot voting for worker decisions on whether to unionize. Shaheen backs the legislation.

The group has a local chapter, Granite Staters for Employee Freedom, headed by Matt Murphy of Hampstead and a steering committee that includes activists Brinck Slattery of Manchester, Dennis Acton of Fremont, Joe Korowski of Atkinson, John LaBombard of Enfield and Kevin Attar of Hampstead.

Its New Hampshire Web site contends she is doing the "labor union bosses' dirty work" while Sununu "has consistently opposed efforts to strip workers of their fundamental right to a private ballot vote on the job."

Group spokesman Tim Miller says it plans to spend enough money in New Hampshire to be a player in the race, while focusing on worker issues. It's hired Meridian Communication to "work with them to put together a committee of local folks interested in the issue," says Meridian co-founder Mike Biundo. "The main goal is an education process focused on asking the candidates where they stand on the issue."

Miller, who predictably would not name any of its donors, said the group "was created to draw attention to the card check issue and hold the union bosses and their friends in Congress accountable.

"The card check legislation would take away workers' right to vote in private on whether they want to be unionized," he said.

"We're not anti-union," Miller said. "If a group of employees wants to vote their conscience in private and start a union, that's fine and that's up to them."

Miller said the group is now active in five states.

"In New Hampshire, we expect to do both television and radio and more print advertising highlighting Shaheen and Sununu's positions on these issues," Miller said.

TARGETING SUNUNU. While interest groups come and go, People for the American Way survives.

The more than 25-year-old liberal non-profit is placing radio ads to air next week focusing on Sununu's support for Justice Samuel Alito and "the anti-worker ruling" in the case of Ledbetter v. Goodyear last year.

The court ruled, 5-4, that Lily Ledbetter's equal pay suit against her employer was not valid because the statute of limitations had expired. Alito wrote the majority opinion.

The ad says that "a new justice nominated by George W. Bush and supported by New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu wrote the opinion that denied her equal pay.

"Tell John Sununu we need judges who will protect workers "" not take away our rights."

It directs listeners to the group's SaveTheCourt.org web site.

PFAW president Kathryn Kolbert will be in the state tomorrow doing interviews leading up to the ad campaign.

TEAM SHAHEEN. Shaheen is trying to broaden her grassroots organization through the Internet.

Sununu's campaign committee has long been called "Team Sununu," but he didn't have the "Team" phrase patented, so bring on Team Shaheen.

The Senate challenger issued an e-mail request this week for supporters to join up through her Web site and build a grassroots organization by creating their own Team Shaheen pages. They receive "downloadable campaign materials" and special event information and can "track your progress in finding new Team Shaheen members."

NOT A PRETTY SITE. Forgive the pun, but ManchesterDems.com is not a pretty site -- or sight -- for Democrats.

Someone, the Dems (and we) are not sure who, recently secured the former domain name of the Manchester City Democratic Committee and set up a site called "the Real Manchester City Democrats -- More Taxes. Bigger, More Intrusive Government."

It shows video of Gov. John Lynch refusing to comment on the conservative New Hampshire Advantage Coalition's campaign to put spending cap initiatives on local ballots and contains other unflattering material about Democratic officials.

It's clearly meant to be confused with the Manchester Democrats' real site, www.citydems.com. When one googles "Manchester Democrats," the imposter site comes up, not the real one.

Party spokesman Alexis Chininis said the sad part is that "it's a replica of our old Web site."

When the party tried to re-register the domain a few months ago, it found that it had been taken.

City Democratic Chair Chris Pappas said, "These kinds of dirty tricks and attacks on Gov. Lynch and our Democratic legislators are both outlandish and unscrupulous, and are not welcome in Manchester."

(Note: A typo in the city Democrats' URL above has been corrected.)

WORKING HARD. Joe Kenney may not be the perfect candidate, but he is the GOP nominee for governor. So maybe the party should treat him with a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Campaign manager Rep. Casey Crane today will announce the hiring of a field director -- 48-year-old Bob Dinsmore of Merrimack, a retired business development director for a Massachusetts firm.

His father ran against Ted Kennedy for the U.S. Senate in 1976.

With Dinsmore in charge of setting up a field operation, Casey will focus on press releases and media, which will finally allow Kenney to get some much-needed attention.

While getting little or no help from the state party, Kenney's campaign has a small but enthusiastic following, evidenced by a good showing at the Amherst Fourth of July parade.

HOWARD RETURNS. Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean will attend a house party hosted by New Hampshire Speaker of the House Terie Norelli in Portsmouth tomorrow.

Norelli said the two have been friends since she backed his Presidential candidacy in 2004. She said the event is an effort to build grassroots support and excitement for the Democratic ticket and not a fundraiser, although donations won't be turned away.

Dean will be in Maine today and early tomorrow.

RIDGE ROLLS IN. The GOP's coordinated campaign Victory Committee will hold its first fundraiser on July 17 at the home of Dan and Joy Monfried in Bedford.

Featured guest will be Tom Ridge, the former Pennsylvania governor and former Secretary of Homeland Security, who is now a John McCain surrogate.

Ridge may make other stops in the state in conjunction with the $100-a-person ($1,000 per host) event.

Among the hosts is one Joel Maiola (remember him?), the former Judd Gregg chief of staff who has set up his own consulting firm.

STAYING PUT. Mike Dennehy says he was "flattered" by the rumors that he might return to his former post as McCain's national political director under the new national campaign regime.

But he's staying where he is -- in Concord with a continued senior advisory role in the campaign.

"I just give them advice when I'm called upon, and when I see things going wrong, I tell them," he says. "And when I see things going right, I tell them. But other than that, I'm staying intimately involved with New Hampshire and a couple of other battleground states," he said.

The post went to Mike DuHaime, Rudy Giuliani's former campaign manager.

Still no word on specifics of McCain's July 22 visit.

WHY NOT TRY? Pollster and political analyst Andy Smith of the University of New Hampshire says he doesn't blame McCain supporters for trying to goad Barack Obama in to a series of town hall-style meetings in New Hampshire.

"It's a good strategy for him," Smith tells the Status. "This is an important state that he can't afford to lose."

SIGNING UP. The New Hampshire Advantage Coalition says more than 100 candidates and elected officials have signed its pledge not to vote for or support "any budget that raises government spending more than the rate of inflation."

That's not bad for about six weeks of work, says Biundo, the group's chairman.

The list includes Kenney, Executive Council candidate Steve Stepanek and mayors Frank Guinta of Manchester and Ken Merrifield of Franklin.

The group also reports that its spending cap proposal has been approved to appear on Rochester's ballot in November. About 75 percent of the total signatures needed to secure ballot places for referenda in the other target communities, except Portsmouth, have been received.

QUICK TAKES:

-- Long time Sununu family friend Judy Galluzzo of Salem endorsed 2nd District GOP House candidate Jennifer Horn this week.

-- The state chapter of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation will hold the first of six "taxpayer training schools" in Manchester on July 19 at the Center of New Hampshire Radisson Hotel. The group will teach attendees how to write letters to the editor, how to "effectively contact elected officials" and how to "organize neighbors, communities and like-minded citizens." Featured speaker will be Glen Caroline, executive director of the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action.

-- Former top state Democratic Party staffer Russell Verney is now Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr's campaign manager. Verney in the 1990s managed Ross Perot's campaigns for President.

-- AARP and DividedWeFail.org are organizing debates for Shaheen and Sununu and the candidates in each U.S. House race for late September, with focus on health care and the economy. Former Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand is helping to organize the events in his role as an AARP consultant.

-- Republican 1st District U.S. House candidate John Stephen yesterday was endorsed by the National Vietnam and Gulf War Veterans Coalition.

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