October 5, 2007
Posted: October 5th, 2007 09:10 AM ET

Who will win the coveted support of the former head of New Hampshire's Democratic Party?

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (CNN) - Kathy Sullivan is a big fish who swims in a small but very important pond, and she is ready to be landed.

The former head of the New Hampshire Democratic Party is a “prize political catch” well known for her grassroots approach to campaigning and willingness to get her hands dirty. Up until now, no presidential candidate has been able to win her backing. That is about to change.

Sullivan told me she is getting ready to get back in the game and is committed to helping her candidate win the Democratic presidential nomination.

“I am thinking, because we are getting into October, the election is three months away,” she said last week during a meeting at her law office. “So, if I want to have any fun in terms of getting involved in the campaign, I better hurry up.”

The timeframe? “Probably the next couple of weeks,” she said.

Sullivan said she is “leaning” towards one candidate, but is guarding that name until she is ready to publicly announce it. If you listen closely to Sullivan discuss what she is looking for in a candidate, it sounds as if the person she is “leaning” towards is Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York.

“A lot of people talk about change. This is the change election,” she said. “What I am more concerned about isn’t change. My concern is more fixing and cleaning up. That we have had enough in Washington, and we have got to clean up a mess.”

“Change” has been a major theme for Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, and former Sen. John Edwards, D-North Carolina, while Clinton has been emphasizing her experience on the campaign trail.

And there is a path already blazed to Clinton’s campaign headquarters, if Sullivan chooses to follow it. Earlier this year, Clinton lured two of Sullivan’s top aides at the state party to join her campaign. Nick Clemons is Clinton’s state director and Kathleen Strand is her state spokeswoman. Clemons and Strand left their posts at the state party, just as Sullivan was stepping down after eight years of battling Republicans back home as well as the Democratic National Committee in an effort to preserve her state’s unique role in helping select the presidential nominees.

The former state party chair couldn’t have gone out on a bigger high when she retired from her post in March. Five months earlier, she witnessed the Democratic governor win re-election and her party take control of the House, Senate, and Executive Council as well as defeating the state’s two GOP congressmen.

Sullivan told me she purposely has stayed out of the primary battle to spend more time with her husband, focus on her job as a real estate attorney and simply recharge the batteries.

“While I missed most of the political stuff, it was great knowing that even if there was an event someplace on a Saturday I didn’t have to be there,” Sullivan said. “I could go do something else.”

She added, “I know that I missed a lot in terms of getting involved in a campaign and the strategy and the rest of that, but you know what? I did that for eight years on the state level.”

Sullivan was able to keep the candidates from calling her for most of the summer by telling everyone she was working to try and convince former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen to seek a rematch against Sen. John Sununu for his seat. Last month, Shaheen jumped into the race.

The former state party chair sought to downplay how important her endorsement will be and instead suggested the governor, two congressmen, top state lawmakers and Shaheen carry much more weight than she does.

But Sullivan is important because she can serve a candidate in two very important ways: she is a big name in New Hampshire Democratic political circles, and she is willing to knock on doors.

“So, it seems as if Clinton is the logical choice,” I said as we wrapped up our talk.

“That is true,” Sullivan responded with a smile. “But I know people in a lot of campaigns.”

–CNN Political Editor Mark Preston

Filed under: Hillary Clinton • New Hampshire • Reporter's Notebook


Mike Hussey, Washington, D.C.   October 9th, 2007 11:03 am ET

With great respect to Kathy, who has done a great job as party leader, history shows that endoresements in NH, might deliver the person's family,,,maybe. Born and raised in NH, I can say without hesitation that NH people are independent and libetarian, not conservative or incapable of making their own decisions. The move toward the democratic party in NH is due not to the influx of Mass people into the state, which we have been hearing about for 30 years, but the Iraq War, plain and simple.

Mavis K. Malone, Elk Grove, CA 95624   October 8th, 2007 2:29 pm ET

Hopefully, this election will be about who is best qualified to clean up the mess of the last 7 years. We need someone strong enough to stand up to the pressures a president faces to lead our country in a new and positive direction. Hillary has shown that she can take it, think healthcare and zippergate. She came through admirably! She has shown that she has the strength, intelligence and experience to lead the USA back to its former standing as a respected, strong and moral world leader.
Gender has no place in this election as shown by the numerous female leaders of other countries. It's time that we, the USA, rid ourselves of the "good ol' boys" thinking and enter the real world.
Hillary Clinton in 2008!
Mavis M.

Jerry H   October 5th, 2007 7:50 pm ET

WOW, after watching these debates I've changed my opinion...

VOTE FOR HILLARY

san antonio, texas   October 5th, 2007 5:45 pm ET

I believe the writer of this comment:
"Can we take any woman seriously who wears those silly pointy shoes?"
shows complete disregard for women. Have you bothered to mention those "funny" shoes men wear? You should get informed about the issues and then stick to those issues prior to sounding off in such a chauvinistic manner.

Jon, Sacramento ~ Ca   October 5th, 2007 4:46 pm ET

Anyone notice how much EMPHASIS democrats place on "endorsements"? Oprah, Magic Johnson, Unions, Hollywood, etc. What's the big deal? They're ALL going to endorse a democratic candidate – does it really matter which one? And does it even matter to the average voter??

The only endorsement that matters is the majority of voters and the corresponding Electoral Votes.

But – considering highly celebrities and political party leaders think of themselves... we'll continue hearing the useless prognostication.

Ryan Indianapolis   October 5th, 2007 3:49 pm ET

Hillary looks like she got her outfit from DUMB AND DUMBER film set, can this woman really fool that many people out there????

Daniel   October 5th, 2007 3:48 pm ET

Odds are it will be Hillary. WHy? Because Hillary's sense of inevitability means she is likely to build up endorsements, making that sense even stronger, in what is a momentum cycle Obama and Edwards will have to know how to break. More analysis here.

Dan, Tx   October 5th, 2007 1:00 pm ET

The reality is that Sullivan can't do any more to help a campaign than any other person. If you back a candidate, and really care about this race, you can do as much as anyone else. You just have to find the time and be willing to work hard.

Having said that, Sullivan can do a lot, ANYONE could do a lot to help a campaign. So getting Sullivan on board would be a big boost to any campaign.

OBAMA'08

Mike, Athens OH   October 5th, 2007 12:48 pm ET

Why isn't Mike Gravel in this picture? Just another way the mass media gatekeeps, I guess..

RuthieM   October 5th, 2007 12:31 pm ET

I hope she endorses Barack Obama.

Robert   October 5th, 2007 11:40 am ET

I wonder just how much Bill and Hillary gave to this person when they were in office. Don't you just love how our candidates are bought and paid for!

James Claremont, CA   October 5th, 2007 10:57 am ET

CNN, next time show a little class and not cut Mike Gravel from the picture. I'm sure you would have cut Kucinich as well, but he's between two of the annointed ones.

monica, rochester new york   October 5th, 2007 10:45 am ET

I would also have to guess the candidate she'll support will be Hillary, otherwise CNN wouldn't be positioning the story this way. It would be inspiring if Sullivan put aside politics as usual herself and supported the candidate of the people (Barack Obama), but I won't hold out too much hope of that.

Ella Syracuse, NY   October 5th, 2007 10:01 am ET

I'd think that as a news channel, CNN would know already that there are more than 3 democratic candidates running for the nomination. Yet the way this article ran, there was a basic assumption that Ms. Sullivan would only ever consider jumping onto the campaign of one of the so called "top tier". They're only "top tier" because CNN and other news media treat them as such. Biden, Dodd and Richardson have all got ground campaigns in the first four states and have been receiving backing from various leaders and unions in each state. CNN should avoid showing its biases.

b-rocks New York, NY   October 5th, 2007 9:53 am ET

When the former democratic chair of the Iowa Democratic Party endorsed Barack Obama recently, CNN barely wrote anything about it.

Now they're making a dramatic feature story out of a likely Hillary Clinton endorsement.

Iowa comes before New Hampshire anyway...

Pete, Washington   October 5th, 2007 8:16 am ET

As a woman, she is almost "required" to endorse Hillary. It's a no-brainer.
But, if she is really honest about cleaning up Washington and the lobbyist mess, then the obvious choice is Barack Obama...Most people say that she has the courage to pick the right candidate and not 'jump on the Hillary Bandwagon', so we shall see if 'INTEGRITY' and 'JUDGMENT' are characteristics that Sullivan is looking for in a candidate for the highest office in America.

dodacrazy   October 5th, 2007 1:41 am ET

Oh i get it like having full coverage insurance then they introduce you to pro rate ! Right

Bradley Schaubs, Greeley, CO   October 5th, 2007 1:37 am ET

Hopefully, Barack Obama is her choice. HRC is a female, Democratic version of president Bush, and none of the other candidates score high enough in the polls to be taken seriously.

Did she say the elections were three months away? But I thought the elections were always in November...?

kevin, San diego, Ca   October 5th, 2007 1:21 am ET

Anyone ever wonder why democrats don’t win presidential elections? It's because we nominate candidates who don’t have convictions. If you’re a democrat and are against the war, why in the world would you vote for Hillary. How bout us democrats stop voting for candidates’ who we perceive to be best prepared to win a national election and start voting for candidates who actually stand for our values.

Stephen, Naples, Florida   October 5th, 2007 12:50 am ET

Every fresh Democratic candidate New Hampshire has chosen in the last seven elections has failed to become President. If the Democrats stopped obsessing about New Hampshire, they might actually get to see a Democrat in the White House again. Who cares what this woman thinks. But with Howard Dean as Chairman of the DNC it will be the same old same old "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory" and "the election was stolen" mantra. Democrats are too busy revising history to learn from it. No wonder the Republicans are so complacent.

laurinda,ny   October 5th, 2007 12:18 am ET

Did you know that someone from a special law enforcement bureau is coming over here tomorrow morning to check into this? Did you know that the district attorney has all ready got papers we filed? Did you know that we plan to take civil action and cnn will have all there blogs taken out? And the state police will take it from there? Well, you are aware of it now. Good night.

laurinda,ny   October 5th, 2007 12:10 am ET

Did you know that there are people on here from both partys using all kinds of different names? If you go on the blue things they post that you get a virus.

Jeff Spangler, Arlington, VA   October 5th, 2007 12:01 am ET

Can we take any woman seriously who wears those silly pointy shoes?

Expat Teacher, Washington DC   October 4th, 2007 11:39 pm ET

If she wants someone that has a track record of cleaning up messes, she isn't talking about Hillary. She must be talking about Governor Richardson if she wants someone with a plan to clean up America's image abroad and our domestic insecurity at home..

Wouldn't that be a real political coup.

Washington, DC   October 4th, 2007 11:30 pm ET

wow. i mean she only repeats that to everyone - and every reporter - she talks to mr. "scoop" CNN.

Cathy M in Tn   October 4th, 2007 11:21 pm ET

Sullivan.....Please choose any candidate except H.Clinton. Please!

RS, Dallas, TX   October 4th, 2007 11:04 pm ET

Oh wow, a long-time Democratic Party insider is going to back Hillary.

I am SHOCKED. This is HUGE news NO ONE could have seen coming!

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