WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 21, UPDATE: 27 FOR PERRY. The Granite Status has learned that GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry will formally announce later today he's being endorsed by no fewer than 27 state representatives, triple the number of New Hampshire House members Mitt Romney has so far announced.

Big name endorsements often mean little in the New Hampshire presidential primary, but state representatives can actually be more important because they more closely reflect the views of Granite State voters.

State representatives are closest to the people because, numbering 400, they represent only about 3,300 people each. House members often know their constituents personally.

The Texas governor's House endorsements are an indication that he is appealing to conservative grassroots activists in the state, his campaign says.

More information on just how well Perry, Romney and the other candidates are doing in the first-primary state is expected late tonight, when Suffolk University is scheduled to release the results of a New Hampshire primary poll.

The Republican House members endorsing Perry include House leaders and key players such as House Majority Whip Pete Silva of Nashua and Reps. Ken Weyler of Kingston, Norman Major of Plaistow, Al Baldassaro of Londonderry, Warren Groen of Rochester, David Bates of Windham and Carlos Gonzalez of Manchester.

Also on the list is House Deputy Speaker Pam Tucker of Greenland, who, as the Granite Status first reported, endorsed Perry last week.

Others backing Perry are Reps. Dick Hinch of Merrimack, Gregory Sorg of Easton, Andrew Renzullo of Hudson, Ralph Boehm of Litchfield, Larry Gagne and Win Hutchinson of Manchester, Kevin Avard of Nashua, Fred Rice of Hampton, David Lundgren of Londonderry, Will Smith of New Castle, Mike Kappler of Raymond, Warren Groen of Rochester, Spec Bowers of Georges Mills, Tom Keane of Bow, John Hikel of Goffstown, Frank McCarthy of Conway, Moe Villeneuve of Bedford, Elaine Swinford of Center Barnstead, Randall Brownrigg of Hudson and Edmond Gionet of Lincoln.

Romney last week announced the support of nine state representatives.

In a statement to be released later today, lawmaker Hinch says, that Perry “has the strongest record of any candidate in the race of creating an environment ripe for job growth.

“While Obama has raised taxes and uncertainty, Gov. Perry has balanced budgets, signed aggressive tort reform, and worked to keep job-killing burdens off of employers,” Hinch says, who formerly backed Tim Pawlenty for President.

Perry campaign manager Rob Johnson said, “These 27 New Hampshire legislative endorsements triple the number” of House endorsements announced by Romney last week, “and he's been running for president continually for four years.”

Campaign senior adviser Paul Young said House members “represent and understand the sentiments of voters across the state. They know that people want more jobs and economic prosperity, less taxes and government interference, and they recognize that Gov. Perry can deliver on that promise.”

(Earlier updates and the full Sept. 15 Granite Status follow. A new Granite Status will appear tomorrow in the New Hampshire Union Leader with a full, unabridged version here on UnionLeader.com.)

MONDAY, SEPT. 19, UPDATE: SMITH READIES EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE. Cornerstone Action executive director Kevin Smith is expected to unveil an exploratory committee to lay the groundwork for a candidacy for governor, probably as early as next week, the Granite Status has learned.

Last Thursday, after Gov. John Lynch announced that he won't run for a fifth term, Smith said he was “very close” to making a decision on whether to run.

That decision has now apparently been made. We've learned that Smith intends to be a candidate, with veteran GOP strategist Michael Dennehy as his senior adviser.

Smith, who has become well-known in conservative circles and at the State House as a top advocate for conservative caucuses, has attracted a large group of supporters. The initial names on his exploratory committee are expected to be disclosed when he announces his exploratory committee.

As we first reported last week, veteran conservative leader Lamontagne officially announced his candidacy for governor this morning in Bedford. And he wasted no time beginning to raise money for his new campaign.

“I am ready to bring my 20 years of principled, conservative leadership and common sense solutions to Concord, but I need you on my team,” he wrote in an e-mail blasted to supporters shortly after his announcement.

“This race is also about the future, not the past,” he wrote. “With Governor Lynch announcing last week that he will not seek reelection, we can focus the dialogue solely on where New Hampshire needs to be and how to get there.

“What we need is to reform our government, lower taxes, keep spending in check and our budget balanced, and create an environment to promote more job growth,” wrote Lamontagne.

Lamontagne also released a more than 200-member campaign steering committee. UnionLeader.com and the New Hampshire Union Leader were the first to report a cross section of about 30 members of the committee in its exclusive reports on the Lamontagne candidacy last Friday and Saturday.

In Washington, the Democratic Governors Association issued a statement blasting Lamontagne.

“Ovide Lamontagne is a perennial candidate who marches in lockstep with the extremist, Tea Party Republicans in Concord,” said Colm O'Comartun, the DGA executive director.

“He offers New Hampshire voters a guarantee that they will have no check on a state legislature that abolished the minimum wage, made the largest percentage cut to public education funding in the nation, and pushed to implement a controversial right-to-work law,” he said. ““New Hampshire voters are looking for an effective and responsible leader to continue Governor Lynch's legacy and that is not Ovide Lamontagne.”

(Earlier updates and the full Sept. 15 Granite Status follow.)
FRIDAY, SEPT. 16, UPDATE: OVIDE TO ANNOUNCE MONDAY. Promising to bring “renewed conservative leadership to the governor's office,” Manchester attorney Ovide Lamontagne said this afternoon that he will announce his candidacy for governor on Monday, Sept. 19.

At the state and federal levels, “Government is out of control, spends too much, is inefficient is not doing the work of the people as it should,” Lamontagne said in an exclusive interview with the Granite Status just a day after Gov. John Lynch announced he will not seek a fifth term.

The formal announcement will come in a speech to the Bedford Republican Committee at its annual breakfast at 7:30 a.m. on Monday at the Manchester Country Club.

Lamontagne said he had been planning for weeks to make the announcement on Monday and the timing so soon after the Lynch disclosure is coincidental.

Lamontagne's disclosure also came just a few hours after state Senate Majority Leader and former U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley took himself out of contention (see item below).

Lamontagne on Monday will also roll out an initial steering committee of more than 200 business, community and political leaders from all 10 counties and more than 60 towns. His supporters cut across the full ideological spectrum of the Republican Party, from the liberty movement and Tea Party to the so-called establishment, and even include former Republicans for Lynch.

Also on Monday, a new web site www.FriendsofOvide2012.com, will go live.

Lamontagne has been strongly indicating since the spring that he would run for governor for the second time. Most recently, in late August, he told Republicans in Raymond that he would make an announcement shortly after Labor Day.

Lamontagne said Lynch “served us with dignity, and when he made his announcement he set a positive tone so the campaign can be focused on the future and not looking in the rear view mirror at things that have happened in the past.

“I intend to run a campaign about what we're going to be able to do and not about past mistakes or any other matters that people have been focused perhaps on more than they should.”

Lamontagne immediately took the traditional Pledge to veto a state income or sales tax should one cross his desk as governor.

“I'm proud to say I've never wavered and will not waver on my pledge to veto a broad-based sales of income tax if one is ever presented to me if I have the honor of serving as the state of New Hampshire,” he said.

He also said that with a conservative, reform-based approached, “We can jump-start this economy. We should also start weaning ourselves off of the dependency of the federal government, which we've become accustomed to.

“We're seeing dramatic and important steps taken by governors around the country to try to get control of their budgets to improve their states in anticipation of what's coming at the national level and to be more competitive,” Lamontagne said. “I think we need to do the same thing here in New Hampshire.”

He said he would work with business leaders and charitable organizations to “make a renewed and rejuvenated New Hampshire advantage. It's gotten rusty and we need to polish it off and lift it up so that we have the best place to live, work and raise a family and to make this state the best place for business development and expanding new businesses and enterprises.”

This will be Lamontagne's fourth run for high elective office. He was the Republican gubernatorial nominee in 1996, losing to Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, who served three terms and is now a U.S. Senator.

To become the nominee that year, he pulled an upset in the party primary over then-sitting U.S. Rep. Bill Zeliff, who in 1992 had defeated Lamontagne, then only 34, in a 1st District U.S. House GOP primary.

Between that election and the 1996 effort, Lamontagne served as chairman of the state Board of Education, appointed by then-Gov. Steve Merrill.

Lamontagne made a political comeback last year and was initially a decisive underdog in the U.S. Senate Republican primary to Kelly Ayotte, who vastly out-raised Lamontagne in campaign cash and had the backing of the GOP establishment in Washington and New Hampshire. But, backed editorially by the New Hampshire Union Leader, he nearly closed the gap and barely lost to Ayotte by a mere 1,600 votes. She went on to easily defeat Democratic then-U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes in the general election.

In his challenge to Ayotte, Lamontagne endeared himself to staunch conservatives not only in New Hampshire but nationally as well, and became known as a “Tea Party” candidate.

But as the now 53-year-old Lamontagne has often said, his conservatism long pre-dates the Tea Party. He has often said that he “was conservative before conservative was cool.”

“I'm a conservative, but being conservative doesn't mean that you can't work with people on the key issues on which we agree,” he said today.

Lamontagne's steering committee will show his base of support is broad, at least among activists.

Sharon Sykas, former president of the Seacoast Republican women and the New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women, will be the treasurer of his committee.

Key members of the steering committee include former House speakers Douglas Scamman, Jr. and Donna Sytek, who served as Ayotte's campaign co-chair last year.

Also on the committee are former state GOP chairman John Stabile, Executive Councilor Raymond Wieczorek, former Executive Councilor Ruth Griffin, state Sens. Jack Barnes, Tom DeBlois and Jim Luther, state House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt and Reps. Shawn Jasper, David Bates, Will Infantine and Bev Rodeschin, former state Sens. Sheila Roberge and David Currier.

Also with Lamontagne are key Tea Party leaders Andrew Hemingway, Jerry and state Rep. Sue DeLemus and Tom Flaherty.

Also on the committee are Sheriffs Scott Hilliard, Wayne Estes and Douglas Dutile and former Sheriff Walter Morse, as well as veteran GOP leaders Robb Thomson, Maureen Mooney, Gordon MacDonald, Cliff Hurst, Ellen Kolb, Jeff Hatch, Lud Flower, George Lovejoy, Liz Feren and Dave Vicinanzo.

The committee also includes former Republicans for Lynch such as Bernie Streeter, the former Nashua mayor and executive councilor, and Steve Griffin, chief executive officer of Isaacson Steel and an Ayotte donor. And it includes business leaders Rob Prunier, Ray D'Amante, Jackie Eastwood and Harold Turner and longtime North Country leader Tony Urban.

“I've been humbled by the response and encouragement I've received,” Lamontagne said. “The steering committee shows I can bring together people from a wide spectrum of political views. We're all unified by the theme that we need New Hampshire to be exceptional.

“I'm willing to work with anyone, regardless of political party or station in life,” he said.

Lamontagne, a 25-year veteran at the Devine Millimet law firm who has represented the Diocese of Manchester in legal matters and is currently general counsel to the Catholic Medical Center, has a strong social conservative viewpoint. He is, for instance, staunchly pro-life and anti-gay marriage.

Lamontagne said the GOP-dominated Legislature has done “yeoman's work on the spending side but we need to look at how we deliver services. We're using some antiquated systems we can update, revise or reform.”

Other Republicans strongly considering running for governor include Kevin Smith, executive director of the conservative issues group Cornerstone Action, and John Stephen, the state Commissioner of Health and Human Services who was the Republican nominee for governor in 2010.

Democrats considering running to succeed Lynch include former state Sen. Maggie Hassan, who has set up an exploratory committee and already has the endorsement of state Senate Democratic Leader Sylvia Larsen, as well as former state Sen. Jackie Cilley, former Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand, current Portsmouth Mayor Tom Ferrini and Mark Connolly, former director of the Bureau of Securities Regulation.

(Earlier updates and the full Sept. 15 Granite Status follow.)

FRIDAY, SEPT. 16, UPDATE: BRADLEY WON'T RUN. Jeb Bradley said today he is not and will not be a candidate for governor in 2012.

"I am taking myself out of consideration. I am not running for governor," the former congressman and current state Senate Majority Leader told the Granite Status.

Bradley's comments came in an interview shortly after he issued a statement that seemed to leave the door open a crack for a possible run.

In the statement, Bradley, a Republican from Wolfeboro, said, "While I am honored and grateful for all the encouragement I have received from supporters who have urged me to run for governor, I believe at this time I can best serve our state by focusing on critical issues in the Senate which include job growth, spending restraint, pension reform and implementation of managed Medicaid.

"Of particular importance in 2012 is passage of an education funding constitutional amendment that will finally allow voters to have a say in the school funding debate," his statement said.

Bradley said in the interview that he expects to seek reelection to the state Senate next year.

He said he is not yet endorsing a prospective candidate for governor, but said that Ovide Lamontagne, John Stephen and Kevin Smith are all qualified.

"Certainly John and Ovide bring a lot of experience," Bradley said.

He cited Stephen's expertise on health care issues as a former state health and human services commissioner and Lamontagne's "tireless work to bring people together" behind a constitutional amendment to allow the Legislature greater flexibility in education funding.


Overall, said Bradley, "I am extremely fortunate to have served our state both in Concord and Washington and I look forward to continuing that service in the New Hampshire Senate."

(Earlier updates and full Sept. 15 Granite Status follow.)

THURSDAY, SEPT. 15, UPDATE. SMITH READY TO RUN? Conservative Republicans leaders Kevin Smith and Ovide Lamontagne were the first Republicans out of the gate today to give strong indications that they will be candidates for governor in 2012.

Within two hours of Gov. John Lynch's announcement that he won't run for a fifth term, Smith told the Granite Status, “I'm very close to making a decision on whether or nor to run.”

And Lamontagne issued a statement saying, "I expect _ very soon _ to make an announcement about my own intentions for 2012, but today is for Governor Lynch and his family."

Smith is the executive director of Cornerstone Action, conservative issues group which, under Smith leadership, has seen its influence at the State House expand in recent years.

Lamontagne is a Manchester attorney who, carrying a conservative message that attracted national attention in Tea Party circles, came within 1,600 votes of upsetting eventual U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte in a GOP primary. He has also run unsuccessfully for governor (1996) and the U.S. House (1992).

Smith said in an interview, “Especially now that we know it is going to be an open seat, it's important that Concord have a fresh voice, someone with a bold new vision to challenge the status quo in state government,” he said.

And, without naming Lamontagne or other potential foes on both sides of the political aisle, Smith said, “I don't think it's time to be electing career politicians or candidates.”

Also considering running are John Stephen, the 2010 GOP gubernatorial nominee and a former candidate for the U.S. House, and state Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley, a former congressman.

Democratic names that have emerged include former state Sens. Maggie Hassan and Jackie Cilley, former Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand, current Portsmouth Mayor Tom Ferrini and Mark Connolly, former director of the state Bureau of Securities Regulation.

Smith was approached after the close of the most recent legislative session by a number of Granite State activists and votes asking him to consider running.

That prompted him to give a candidacy serious consideration.

Lamontagne has indicated for since the spring that he has a serious eye on the State House corner office.

In his statement, he also commended Lynch "for his years of public service to the State of New Hampshire and her citizens and thank him and his family for making the many sacrifices that such service requires. Bettie and I wish Governor Lynch, our First Lady, Dr. Susan Lynch, and their family, all the best."


(The full Sept. 15 Granite Status follows.)

THURSDAY, SEPT. 15: A PIECE OF THE ACTION. As states across the nation once again jockey for a piece of the bright national spotlight and political influence that comes with having an early presidential primary or caucus, New Hampshire's top election official, Secretary of State Bill Gardner, keeps track of it all — and waits.

Eventually Gardner will set the date of the 2012 New Hampshire Presidential Primary in accordance with a nearly 30-year-old statute that mandates the primary be held “seven days or more immediately preceding the date on which any other state shall hold a similar election.”

Gardner said yesterday that with several other states in flux over their primary dates and ready to ignore the edicts of the Republican and Democratic national committees, it's likely the New Hampshire Primary will be held sooner than the Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, date envisioned by the national parties in rules governing the selection of delegates to the national conventions.

Gardner said that while “it's certainly possible” the primary will be scheduled for January, he has no idea at this point what the date will actually be and won't decide until later in the year, after the other states set their dates.

Gardner said he's not even sure at the moment when he will announce a date. In the last cycle, he held off until the evening before Thanksgiving, after the proverbial dust settled.

Last time, Gardner was forced by other states' maneuvering to set the date of the primary for Jan. 8, 2008, by far the earliest in state history, forcing a virtual “Christmas with the candidates.”

Gardner was fully prepared to set the primary in December 2007, but such a drastic move became unnecessary when Michigan set its primary for Jan. 15, leaving New Hampshire a narrow window.

Since then, the Republican and Democratic national committees, hoping to avoid “front-loading” in the current cycle, adopted new rules allowing only four states — Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina — to hold their 2012 primaries or caucuses prior to the first Tuesday in March next year.

The Democratic National Committee set specific dates — Iowa's caucus on Monday, Feb. 6, New Hampshire on Tuesday, Feb. 14, Nevada's caucus on Saturday, Feb. 18, and South Carolina's primary on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

The Republican National Committee rule requires that Iowa's caucus be held no earlier than the first Monday in February but left it up to the early states to work together to set specific dates after that.

In both parties' rules, states going too early would lose up to one-half of their delegates to the 2012 national conventions.

Nevada's Republicans have since set their caucuses in line with that state's Democrats, Feb. 18, just four days after the envisioned date of the New Hampshire Primary.

South Carolina Republicans planned to have the state's “first-in-the-South caucus” Feb. 28, while Iowa Republicans expect to have their caucus Feb. 6, leaving Feb. 14 a likely New Hampshire date.

- - - - - - - -

ENCROACHING? But Florida and Arizona are among those threatening to upset the national parties' plans, particularly on the Republican side.

Arizona has a primary scheduled under state law for Feb. 28, but that law also gives the governor sole power to move it to an earlier date.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, after toying with the idea of pushing her primary all the way up to Jan. 31, this week signed a proclamation keeping the Arizona primary on Feb. 28, still out of compliance with the RNC rule.

Her move prompted the South Carolina Republican Party Chairman, Chad Connelly, to say this week that if Arizona stays with Feb. 28, his state's GOP caucus will be moved to an earlier date. In South Carolina, the parties, not state law, set the date of the primary.

In Florida, meanwhile, a commission has been set up to recommend a date for the 2012 primary. That commission must make its recommendation by Oct. 1. It's likely Florida will hold its primary even earlier than Arizona, forcing South Carolina to move up even further.

Michigan is also bucking the party rules.

The Detroit Free Press yesterday reported that state Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, a Republican, said legislation setting Feb. 28 as the date of the Michigan primary may be voted on this week, regardless of whether it violates a party rule.

Gardner also pointed out yesterday that Missouri has its primary set for Feb. 7, while Wisconsin is scheduled for Feb. 21.

Gardner said his position on Nevada has not changed since last December, when he said he would set the date of the primary at least seven days ahead of the Nevada caucuses.

Seven days ahead of Feb. 18 is Feb. 11, which is a Saturday. If Gardner also follows the tradition of scheduling the primary for a Tuesday, the date would be Feb. 7, which is only one day after the Iowa caucuses. That would force Iowa into January and in violation of the RNC rules.

- - - - - - - -

GARDNER: MISSOURI, WISCONSIN. But the maneuvering of the other, more populous states, he said, is “why I've not focused on Nevada.

“In the end, if it's Nevada going on the 18th, then we're not going on the 14th, but I don't think it's going to be Nevada in the end” that prompts an earlier date for New Hampshire.

He noted the New Hampshire law not only requires a seven-day window prior to any “similar election,” but it also requires Gardner to act to “protect the tradition” of the primary.

And traditionally, no state has ever held a major event within a week of the primary.

Arizona Gov. Brewer's decision to set the date for Feb. 28 rather than Jan. 31 “makes it a little less likely our primary will be in early January,” said Gardner. “If they had gone on Jan. 31, then we'd probably be right back to where we were last time.

“If Florida decides to wait until late February,” Gardner said, “that also makes it even less likely” that the primary will be held in early January.

- - - - - - - -

NO SANCTIONS, PLEASE. Said new state GOP Chairman Wayne MacDonald, “I certainly hope we can work something out” that will not cost New Hampshire its any of its delegates.

State RNC member Phyllis Woods said New Hampshire Republicans are entitled to bring 20 delegates to the convention, in addition to the three RNC members, Steve Duprey, MacDonald and herself, for a total of 23.

If the state party is sanctioned because the primary is held prior to the first Monday in February, it could lose as many as half of its delegates,with the final determination made by the RNC's Rules Committee, Woods said.

“I know there was a lot of disappointment on behalf of the folks who were looking forward to being delegates to the last convention,” said MacDonald.

Instead, in an effort to appease them and still comply with the RNC penalty, then-chairman Fergus Cullen named the delegates who were left out “Honored Guests.”

MacDonald noted the “guests” were not mentioned in the “green book” the RNC keeps as a historical record of the convention, which was a slight to them.

“I certainly hope this can work out in a way that we can maintain our full delegation,” he said.

Woods said there are “two schools of thought” in the RNC on sanctions on the four early states.

On one hand are “those who say that we would be following the spirit of the rule by going earlier and should not be punished by other states moving up in violation of the rule.”

Duprey said a resolution to that effect was brought up at the RNC's recent meeting in Tampa, but was never acted on, leaving New Hampshire “subject to the delegate forfeiture rule.”

“Obviously,” Woods said, “we'd fight tooth and nail to preserve the carve-out.”

Duprey said that if other states refuse to comply with the rule, “I think the early primary states will start asking candidates if they are going to be campaigning in Arizona and do they think Arizona should stay on Feb. 28. That may generate some heat.”

Duprey said Florida would not be out of compliance with a technicality of the RNC rule if it held its primary on Thursday, March 1. Florida would then have “a boatload” of delegates available and could probably convince candidates to bypass the previous day's Arizona primary, said Duprey.

“The next big move is going to be Florida,” said Duprey. “Do they move to Feb. 28 or Feb. 27 or Feb. 26? Or do they move to March 1?

“Obviously,” Duprey, “based on what they do, then everybody else will do what they need to do in reaction. It's gummed up like it always is every four years.

“Bill Gardner has perfected the art and science of protecting the primary,” Duprey said. “The calendar we envisioned is a good calendar and it's disappointing to see that Arizona, after having voted for these rules, at this point in the game would try to change them.”

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