Despite pundits' reaction, Judd Gregg would have been easy to beat in 2010

BE-ELECTED
by Chad Rubel

Imagine if you are Bonnie Newman. You think you have a really good shot at being named interim U.S. Senator to replace Judd Gregg. Then the roof caves in.

What was amazing was how much the pundits talked about how getting Gregg out of the seat, even if the seat was filled with a Republican, was good because Gregg would likely win re-election. From the start, that opinion seemed like a smoldering pile of horse apples.

Now that Gregg is back in his Senate seat, and likely prepared to vote NO on the stimulus package, he says he won't even run for re-election.

Gregg may understand that the writing was on the wall long before the word Commerce entered his life. There is already one strong challenger from the Democratic aisle: Rep. Paul Hodes. There is a chance that Rep. Carol Shea Porter may join the race.

And Gregg may not have wanted to join the list of John Sununu, Lincoln Chafee, Chris Shays, and many more New England Republicans who were asked to leave by the voters.

The GOP can't be happy about yet another open Senate seat (joining Mel Martinez, George Voinovich, Kit Bond, etc.). And the Judd Gregg fiasco gave the Democrats momentum to get the ball rolling, especially since if Gregg doesn't run, there is no obvious challenger for the Republicans.

The Democrats are going to need extra napkins to wipe away the drool at such a prospect in 2010.

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