WASHINGTON (CNN) – Judd Gregg made clear Thursday he would rather serve in the Senate than in the Obama administration, but the New Hampshire Republican said he “probably” will not seek a fourth term next year.
“Will I run? Probably not,” Gregg said at a press conference after withdrawing from the Commerce post. Gregg also told the New Hampshire Union-Leader earlier in the day that he does not intend to seek re-election.
If that’s true, it likely comes as good news to New Hampshire Rep. Paul Hodes, the Democratic congressman who emerged as a frontrunner for the seat after Gregg first decided to take the Commerce job. Hodes announced his intention to run for the Senate seat last week.
But if Gregg has a change of heart and decides to run again in 2010, Hodes has a tougher road ahead. According to an American Research Group poll released in late December, Gregg held a 47-40 lead in a hypothetical match-up with the congressman.
Even before Gregg said Thursday he won’t run again - but after he turned down the president - Hodes made it clear he still wants the seat.
“I will be a candidate for the United State Senate in 2010,” Hodes said in a statement Thursday afternoon. “I look forward to working every day to stand up for New Hampshire as we come together to confront the economic crisis facing our nation.”
Hodes would still need to secure the Democratic nomination, and may face a primary challenge from Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, who is mulling her own bid.
From CNN Politics
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The man is a quitter. President Obama chose him to join his administration and the wimp quit because he didn't like the stimulus package or some such nonsense. What is it with Republicans not wanting America to succeed just because the president is a Democrat. Judd, did Rush Limbaugh, the real head of the RNC, tell you to quit? For pete's sake, grown a pair.
President Obama needs to get a spine and stop trying to work with the Republicans who obviously want to see him and the American people fail. Pres Obama and the Dems won for a reason. It is their agenda and ideas that the American people overwhelming accepted. Treat the Republicans the same way George W treated the Dems.
I'm so proud of Obama... He never dumbs things down for us to understand. He lets us know what we already know and I find comfort in that he's feeling my joys and pains. What a breathe of fresh air from the last 8 years. Judd Gregg could have learned alot from him.
I'm voting in 2010 and 2012!!! Go Obama
WE, THE PEOPLE SAW WHAT WAS HAPPENING WHEN ONE OF THE LARGEST OIL COMPANIES, HA\LIBURTON MOVED THEIR OPERATIONS TO DUBAI. Dick Cheney said, "they did not see this crisis coming – yeah right!!!! Now just before he left office Mr. Bush doled out trillions of dollars to his friends because he knew that there would be "freezes" and "discoveries" when the new President took over. The Republicans are sore losers. While in power they "raped" the country and made the outside world believe that America was a "rich" country, so now that the world knows it was all a fake, they are shamelessly coming up with all sorts of "fickle" excuses not to help the Obama administration. But God put Mr. Obama in power and no one can make him fail. So these naysayers like Rush will sooner end up with some kind of terminal illness so they had better watch what happens when they are in that suspended state called "sleep" and their "spirits" can be tampered with.
CONGRESS TERM LIMITS . . . 12 YEARS, NO RETIREMENT!
Please go after the two GOP hacks here in Georgia.
I'll vote for you sir.
He will PROBABLY need too.
I advise president Obama to forget GOP. They are playing pure bad Politics.
Wow trying to leave the party is like leaving a gang.I bet he got alot of threats against his life ,and thats just from people he knows.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell welcomed Gregg's withdrawal.
The GOP only knows government by conflict, not compromise. They believe in total control, not tolerance. Kick those who gridlock government out of office
Good riddance!
Another FLAKE REPUBLICAN...
Another example of GOP bipartisanship?
A shining example and poster child for those who would rather see our President and the Nation fail rather than work together for the common good, and for what – partisan politics and a failed ideology.
Shame on the GOP!
USA wake up and be behind obama or lose the power and follow as you can not lead any more if you are not united you can nt stand for economy recovery and the world will not wait after Republicans nor Dems . The World will invent a new way if you are so much lost with tax problems for politicians and discord policies and ignorance of economy of GOP.
he is tied to the abramoff scandal, you ain't heard the last of that.
Hey CNN,
How about some real debate and story lines here?
Look, Obama was elected to shake things up.
Republicans were elected to hold the line.
There is going to be friction. There is nothing wrong with people on either side staying true to their constituants that voted them in. Doesn't matter which party they are in.
Me personally, I have never wanted my medical records to be electronic for HMO access, and I don't want to pay 50 billion dollars in a recession to get it.
Greggs an IDIOT!
Obviously he can be bullied by his kind...he showed us again why the republicans should not be running anything!
Good ridance to bad rubbish. He was nothing but another leach on the people of his district.
@Ellie, MD
The Republican Party says "no" to stupid ideas.
Barrowing and then spending $789 billion is a stupid idea.
Best case: situation is that obama is ignorant and inexperienced and doesn't have a clue to what he's doing.
Worst case: obama is purposely trying to destroy our country to replace it with socialism.
Anyone who has ethical bone in their body would not serve under obama. Just look at the lack of quality of his administration. Pitiful!
Gregg...Old Yeller!
USA is in hard time and republicans are playing politics instead of solving real problems. This way of acting is the way empires collaspe and disaprear year after year – soon – USA will be a small Republic of Banana like any other middle economic power in this world of competition and discord. If Obama does not get all people of America together behind him and help the Economy revovery, be sure that the USA power will be over very very soon. And the very first responsible of this crisis are guess who = Republicans (unwise on economy and with old ideas of power, ideas that do not fit with the world new time —
The Republican Party is doing every thing it can to stop president Obama from getting this Country out of this mess George Bush and the Republicans put this country in. They are talking about spending on the American people is too mush money. I wonder how mush are we spending in Iraq?
Look to his left and to his right, birds of a feather flock together.
HYPOCRITES