The Republicans now have a candidate in the 2010 New Hampshire Senate race, where three-term GOP incumbent Judd Gregg is retiring in a state that has swung significantly to the Democrats over the last few years.

State Attorney General Kelly Ayotte has announced her resignation, effective July 17, and that she will explore a Senate bid. The presumptive Democratic nominee is Rep. Paul Hodes.

The Dems have already moved to hamstring Ayotte on the issue of credibility, with Democratic Gov. John Lynch's office saying that he'd reappointed her, despite being a Republican who had first been appointed by his much more conservative predecessor, with her promising that she would serve her full-term through 2013. (New Hampshire cabinet officers are appointed to fixed-length terms by the Governor, with confirmation by a separately elected Executive Council.)