The sitting Republican Senator from New Hampshire, Judd Gregg, is being considered for Secretary of Commerce in the Obama Administration. The Commerce position was originally offered to Gov Richardson of NM, who had to withdraw due to an investigation of him back in NM.
IF Gregg were to take the appointment, his senate seat would be vacated. The governor of NH, a Democrat, would appoint a successor to his seat. It is assumed she would appoint a fellow Democrat.
A Democrat appointment in NH would provide the Democrats in the US Senate with 60 seats, a fillibuster-proof majority. The GOP dodged that bullet with the runoff re-election of Saxby Chambliss in Georgia. With the MN race still up for grabs, the GOP cannot afford to lose one Senate seat to the Dems.
It’s all about the balance in the Senate.
Didn’t Judd Gregg accept the Cabinet position? Oh fey, feckless man. It seems like a liberal plot to me.