Citing seriously ill family members, State Senate Majority leader Jeb Bradley says he won’t seek statewide office in 2014. As NHPR’s Josh Rogers reports, Bradley’s announcement ends months of speculation he would run for US Senate or Governor. Top Republicans were talking up the prospect of Jeb Bradley running for major office right up until Bradley announced he wouldn’t. Bradley told the N.H. Union Leader he only came to his decision over the weekend, after talking it through with family. Bradley is serving his 3rd term as a State Senator. He’s also served in the N.H. House and two terms in Congress, before losing the first district seat to Democrat Carol Shea-Porter, who also defeated Bradley in 2008. Since then, Bradley has been a key Republican leader in Concord, where he could remain, as he hasn’t ruled out a 2014 run for State Senate. But while GOP officials are praising Bradley for putting the needs of his family first, he is just the latest prominent republican to forgo a run for major office. Former U.S Senator John Sununu has already passed on a U.S. Senate run. Last month, former N.H. House Speaker Bill O’Brien pulled the plug on a possible run in the Second Congressional District. Former GOP State Senator Gary Lambert, of Nashua, meanwhile, is slated to announce his candidacy in the 2nd CD tomorrow morning.
I cover campaigns, elections, and government for NHPR. Stories that attract me often explore New Hampshire’s highly participatory political culture. I am interested in how ideologies – doctrinal and applied – shape our politics. I like to learn how voters make their decisions and explore how candidates and campaigns work to persuade them.
