Scott Brown is in It, Can He Win It?

Scott Brown will soon confirm what everyone has long understood, that he will officially run for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire. WMUR reports this morning that Brown, now a resident of Rye, is definitely in the race for the Republican nomination.

Brown is currently on a Main Streets and Living Rooms tour as part of an exploratory committee. 

Signs of an impending campaign run were everywhere, including having Brown hire staff.

"I don't think it's a surprise to anybody," Tom Rath, a long-time Republican leader in New Hampshire, said in an interview with Patch on Wednesday.

Brown comes to the race with decent name recognition, but it will be "no coronation," Rath said.

The GOP primary field includes former U.S. Sen. Bob Smith, former state Senator Jim Rubens, and conservative activist Karen Testerman. The state primary, scheduled for Sept. 9, could be a favor to Brown and help him win establish himself in the New Hampshire Republican Party, according to Rath.

Brown has previously conferred with New Hampshire's leading Republicans and inquired whether incumbent U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, is vulnerable.

Brown's entry brings further national focus to the race, and the likelihood of millions of dollars from outside New Hampshire to both Brown and Shaheen.

Smith, who lost his Senate seat in a bruising primary with John E. Sununu in 2002, greeted the news of Brown's forthcoming entry into the race with an email blast urging supporters to give to his campaign.

Shaheen, in response to the news, called again for Brown to sign the "People's Pledge" to limit third-party groups from outside New Hampshire from spending millions in New Hampshire. Mike Vlacich, Shaheen campaign manager, issued this statement: "In 2012, Scott Brown said Massachusetts voters deserved better than outside third-party attack ads. Well, the people of New Hampshire deserve better too. We hope, now that he is officially a candidate, Scott Brown will commit to the same standard he set in his last race on the other side of the border and tell the special interests to stay out."