WE'RE BACK. It's good to be back after a month away, and both of our U.S. senators top this week's political news.

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HONORING AYOTTE. The conservative issues group Americans for Prosperity-New Hampshire is looking to duplicate the successful “Conservative of the Year” banquet it held last April, honoring current candidate for governor Ovide Lamontagne.

With several presidential candidates on hand, the event was viewed as the unofficial kickoff of the first-in-the-nation primary campaign. It also turned out to be the unofficial launch of Lamontagne's campaign.

This year's event, set for April 20 at the Grappone Center in Concord, will honor U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who narrowly defeated Lamontagne in the 2010 September primary and has emerged as a key player, especially among freshmen Republicans, in the Senate.

“It's very hard for people to question Kelly Ayotte's conservative credentials,” AFP-NH president Corey Lewandowski told the Granite Status. “She has been a great leader in the Senate and a great asset to New Hampshire. This is a chance to recognize all of her work.”

AFP-NH has invited presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum as well as Ayotte colleagues U.S. Sens. Scott Brown of Massachusetts and Marco Rubio of Florida.

If the two senators do appear, both (especially Rubio) would get special attention as a potential GOP vice presidential candidate this year and possible future presidential hopeful.

The event's co-chairs and host committee members are a “Who's Who” of state Republican politics.

Co-chairs include U.S. Reps. Charlie Bass and Frank Guinta; former Govs. Steve Merrill and John H. Sununu; and former U.S. Sens. Judd Gregg and John E. Sununu.

The host committee includes House Speaker Bill O'Brien, House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt, Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley, RNC member Steve Duprey, state Sen. Jeanie Forrester, former state Sen. Bob Letourneau, conservative leader Jennifer Horn, Lamontagne, fellow GOP candidate for governor Kevin Smith, former RNC member Sean Mahoney, Deputy House speaker Pam Tucker, AFP-NH honorary chairman Tom Thomson, former state GOP Chairman Wayne Semprini, Executive Councilor Ray Wieczorek and former U.S. Rep. Bill Zeliff.

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SHAHEEN'S LEADERSHIP ROLE. Four years ago, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen was focusing on her own election during the general election campaign. In this election, she will have a leadership role in President Barack Obama's reelection campaign.

Obama for America says Shaheen has been named one of 35 national campaign co-chairs. She is among only three sitting U.S. senators in the group, along with Michael Bennet of Colorado and Dick Durbin of Illinois.

The news comes as Democrats gear up for Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Manchester today. During the campaign stop at the New Hampshire Institute of Art, Biden is expected to rally supporters and talk about jobs and the economy.

In an interview, Shaheen said Obama “is working hard to ensure that we restore a middle class in this country. It has been the foundation of America.

“His interest in education and energy and the economy is very important as we put people back to work,” Shaheen said. “We're beginning to see some progress, but there is a lot more work to be done.

“His efforts to help with the auto industry have been critical,” Shaheen continued. “Focus on the economic agenda has been important for us to continue.”

Shaheen said the presidential general election will be “hard-fought” nationally and in New Hampshire, “and the President has indicated he's going to work very hard to earn the country's support again. Having Joe Biden here on Thursday is an indication that they are taking New Hampshire very seriously.”

According to the Obama campaign, the national co-chairs will serve as “ambassadors for the President helping to engage and mobilize voters across the country.”

They will also advise the campaign on key issues, host campaign events and lead organizing efforts in all 50 states.

For the full list of all co-chairs and their biographies, visit www.barackobama.com/cochairs.

The Obama campaign in New Hampshire will soon roll out its state leadership team.

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70 FOR SMITH. Republican Kevin Smith today will officially release his first group of public supporters in his bid for the GOP nomination for governor.

Smith, who will face Lamontagne and, most likely, businessman Steve Kenda, in a gubernatorial primary in September, provided the list exclusively to the Granite Status yesterday before posting it on his Facebook page, where the full list now can be viewed.

Key players on the list include Paul Chevalier of Hudson, a long-time GOP activist and past State Commander of the New Hampshire Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). He has chaired state veterans coalitions for GOP presidential hopefuls George W. Bush, John McCain and Jon Huntsman.

Also among Smith's supporters are Tom Mullen of Campton, owner of the Owl's Nest Resort; Luke Freudenberg of Wolfeboro, the former Carroll County Republican Committee Chairman; John Labombard of Dalton, who initially backed Lamontagne and is known for driving his distinctive bus for George W. Bush during the 2000 presidential campaign; Amherst GOP vice chairman Bill Modis, long-time Manchester activist Marti Steiner Jones, retired police chief Chip Sawyer of New Hampton, Portsmouth business owner Brian Semprini, and former Londonderry Town Councilor Marty Bove.

Also on the list are four state House members: Reps. Duffy Daugherty of Colebrook, Robert Greenmore of Meredith, Dave Lundgren of Londonderry and Todd Smith of Hooksett.

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OVIDE'S FINANCE COMMITTEE. Lamontagne yesterday announced the initial 60 members of his Finance Steering Committee.

Lamontagne, who has already announced a broad steering committee, now has a finance committee that includes Nashua developer and former state GOP chairman John Stabile, who said he has been “impressed at the campaign's level of fund-raising organization.”

Other key players on the list include engineer and long-time GOP fund-raiser Robert Cruess of Amherst, Jackie Eastwood of Durham, who chaired Mitt Romney's 2008 and 2012 New Hampshire finance committee; real estate industry leader Tom Farrelly and businessman Bill Grenier, both of Bedford; attorney David Horan of Manchester, who was candidate for governor John Stephen's campaign treasurer in 2010; former New Hampshire Commissioner of Environmental Services Mike Nolin, construction executive Rob Prunier of Hollis, Concord attorney Jim Steiner; and Paul Young, former state GOP executive director and top strategist to several presidential campaigns.

The campaign has hired Stefanie Webb, a recent Plymouth State University graduate and former student body president, as a finance staffer.

For the full list of those to be announced as members of Lamontagne's finance committee, see www.ovide2012.com.

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BACKING BRAGDON. State Senate President Peter Bragdon, R-Milford, facing primary opposition from Merrimack Town Councilor Dan Dwyer in the newly redrawn state District 11, has picked up two key endorsements from Dwyer's home town.

Former state Rep. Maureen Mooney and second-term state Rep. Dick Hinch have signed on.

The new District 11 includes Milford, Merrimack, Amherst and Wilton. The former District 11 included Milford, Amherst, Wilton, Peterborough, Temple, Sharon, New Ipswich, Greenville, Jaffrey and Rindge. Most of those towns are now in District 9.

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BACKING BERGERON. Behind the scenes, the state GOP race to succeed Phyllis Woods as Republican National Committeewoman is getting quite active, even though the election is not until April 14.

So far former Chesire County GOP Chair Juliana Bergeron and Deputy House Speaker Pam Tucker are the announced candidates for the seat.

This week we've learned that Bergeron picked up the key endorsement of Donna Sytek, the former House speaker and former state Republican Party chair.

We've also learned that two past state Republican National Committeewomen, Nancy Merrill and former state Rep. Ruth Griffin, will be announced shortly as Bergeron backers.

Sytek, in a letter to state committee members, said Bergeron “has the right background, experience, and personality to serve our state well and preserve our treasured first in the nation primary.”

She said Bergeron “has been recruiting Republican candidates, raising funds, and supporting our nominees at the local, county, state, and national level for over 30 years.” She has “a clear understanding of the operation of the party and the players at all levels,” Sytek wrote.

Sytek also cited Bergeron's private experience as an investment manager and as a fund-raiser and her temperament, which, she said, is “easy-going and friendly, but (she) also has a certain gravitas that commands respect of anyone she meets.”

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A MISUNDERSTANDING? J.P. Marzullo, a conservative former member of the Republican State Committee, was involved last week in a misunderstanding with the leadership of the key state group working to keep the state's same-sex marriage law on the books.

In news release announcing new members of its leadership council, Standing Up for New Hampshire Families mentioned Marzullo among a group of “notable Republicans” who were “already” on the council. Marzullo had been announced as a member of the council back in October.

Trouble was, Marzullo said that while he gave clearance last fall for a statement from him to be included on the October release in support of the current law, he did not, he said, tell the group that he would be a member of the leadership council.

Standing Up sees it differently, saying it would never have identified Marzullo as a member of its council without his permission.

After some discussion between Marzullo and Standing Up officials, all sides simply called it a misunderstanding and Marzullo's name was removed from the list of members of the leadership council on the Standing Up website.

Marzullo is now a field volunteer for Lamontagne's campaign. He said he continues to support the law and also said that Lamontagne, despite being a supporter of repeal, has no problem with him having a different view while working on the campaign.

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