NH Senate President Peter Bragdon announces endorsement of Mitt Romney

By Shira Schoenberg

December 1, 2011

2 minutes to read

New Hampshire Senate President Peter Bragdon will endorse Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney today.

“Governor Romney has the experience, skills and background required to address the economic challenges facing our country today,’’ Bragdon said in a statement. “As a successful businessman and a fiscally responsible governor, Mitt knows how to balance budgets, cut spending, and turn around struggling enterprises. He is head and shoulders above the rest of the Republican field and clearly the strongest candidate to take on President Obama in 2012.’’

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, praised Bragdon as someone who has “consistently fought to reduce the size of government and control runaway spending in Concord.’’

While New Hampshire voters do not generally vote based on endorsements alone, endorsements give candidates access to large networks of local supporters, and may influence voters to take another look at a candidate.

The endorsement comes on a day when Romney is trying to draw attention away from criticism of his performance in a recent interview with Fox News, and from Democratic-sponsored ads portraying him as a flip-flopper.

Bragdon is a major name in the first-in-the-nation primary state.

He has served in the state Senate since 2004 and was elected Senate president when Republicans took control of the body in 2010. He took a lead role in state budget negotiations in 2010, which ended up significantly cutting state spending and state services.

Under his leadership, the Senate earned a reputation as a more moderate body than the House.

A former high school teacher and local newspaper publisher, Bragdon has also been a member of the Milford School Board for 15 years.

In a phone interview, Bragdon said he met Romney for coffee at a Milford diner two months ago, but only decided to back him recently after considering all the candidates. “The biggest thing on people’s minds is the economy, jobs, and employment,’’ Bragdon said. “My feeling is Romney has the best experience to guide the country in taking on those specific issues.’’

Bragdon said he is not concerned that Romney’s rivals are painting him as inconsistent. “People are entitled to look at the facts and change their mind over the course of many years based on learning new things,’’ Bragdon said.

Bragdon is the ninth of 19 Republican state senators to endorse Romney, who leads by large margins in New Hampshire polls. Others include Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley and Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Morse.

Romney has also gotten support from nearly 50 state representatives, including House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt (the 400-member House has slightly fewer than 300 Republicans). Romney has also received support from two of three Republicans in the state’s congressional delegation.

On Saturday, Romney plans to visit New Hampshire, bringing former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty with him.

Romney also announced additional endorsements in Missouri today, including House Speaker Steven Tilley, former US ambassador George H. Walker III, and several current or former state legislators.