CNN

Dodd meets with supporters in New Hampshire.

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (CNN)– ­Outside Chez Vechon, a favored French-Canadian restaurant in Manchester, Sen. Chris Dodd announced a key endorsement from friend and former Manchester state representative, Jim Craig.

"I'm very honored to have Jim Craig support my candidacy for the Presidency," Dodd told reporters Saturday.

While Craig was quick to enumerate Dodd's credentials, he admitted that it was Dodd's character that helped him make his decision.

"Personally, I have to say that I'm looking for someone who's a real person. And I've met most of the candidates last year and this year," Craig said.
"Everybody's on your side when you're running but when you lose, your friends stick around. And the only person who really reached out to me after my defeat was Chris Dodd and that says a lot to me on a personal level."

Craig lost to Rep. Carol Shea Porter, D-New Hampshire, in the 2006 congressional primary.

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– CNN New Hampshire Producer Sareena Dalla