National Republicans Want Scott Brown to Run in New Hampshire

Associated Press

Your daily dose of tea-leaf reading in the will-they-won’t-they relationship that is Scott Brown and a New Hampshire Senate seat comes courtesy of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. The Boston Globe reports that the national party wants Brown to run in New Hampshire.

“He knows of our interest in him pursuing this,” Sen. Jerry Moran tells the newspaper.

This isn’t jaw-dropping information. A September PPP poll showed Brown would be incumbent Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen’s strongest potential opponent in 2014. The hypothetical matchup between them showed Brown losing by just 4 points. The NRSC is interested  in expanding its ranks, which means its their job to urge the strongest candidate to get in the race. They care what’s best for the national party. Brown, of course, has to care about what’s best for his political brand, and losing a New Hampshire Senate race doesn’t feel like a great resume line. But  Brown has shown some interest, highlighting his roots in the state, publicly criticizing Shaheen, and putting his Wrentham house up for sale.

But his hesitation to jump all the way in thus far does have some conservatives a bit annoyed. As the state’s Union-Leader editors noted, the threat of a Senate run allows Shaheen, to raise money, and strengthens her against whomever ends up as her Republican opponent. If that’s someone more weakly positioned than Brown, well, then he hasn’t done his party any favors. If it is Brown, who was, after all, one half of the most expensive Senate campaign matchup in history, well then we imagine they’ll both be raising some serious cash.