New Hampshire officials start endorsing their favorites

Two important endorsements came through today in the ongoing struggle for the political loyalty of New Hampshire's independent-minded voters.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson snared the endorsement Monday afternoon of Mayor Steve Marchand of Portsmouth, who praised the candidate's emphasis on diplomacy in the resolving the current situation in Iraq and establishing some kind of long-term stability.

Richardson hailed the endorsement as a "clear sign of momentum" for a campaign that could use some, both in the Granite State and nationally.

But in a public relations sense the Marchand endorsement was overshadowed by the day's announced endorsement of former Gov. Mitt Romney by New Hampshire's conservative Sen. Judd Gregg. Gregg, previously endorsed the candidacies of both George Bushes and, in fact, served as a primary debate preparer for George W. Bush in the 1999-2000 campaign.

Gregg, like Romney, is a former governor and the son of a former governor. Gregg was also elected to the U.S. House and is now in his third Senate term. "Mitt Romney embodies New Hampshire's values," Gregg said in a prepared statement, "values that stress government living within its means, lower taxes, a stronger military, and stronger families."

The popular Gregg is a fiscal conservative who lends credibility to Romney's conservative credentials at a time when the GOP race is tightening there and is expected to do considerable surrogate campaigning around his state. As he did with George W. Bush, Gregg had already loaned several staff members to the Romney campaign.

On the other hand, Gregg has not backed a winner in his state's primary. Both Bob Dole in 1996 and George W. in 2000 were upset.

--Andrew Malcolm