Dodd makes first trip to NH as an official candidate

NASHUA, N.H. – Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, a Democrat, said he often thought about what it would be like to stand in front of an audience of an early primary state as an announced candidate for president.

He got that wish over the weekend in New Hampshire with a busy schedule of events all over the state on Saturday and Sunday. But as he kicked-off his first event, a breakfast with 60 Democratic activists in Nashua, the discussion wasn’t so much about him as it was about Senator Hillary Clinton, who less than an hour earlier announced she was forming a presidential exploratory committee.

Dodd didn’t specifically reference Clinton in his remarks but appeared to refer to her when he asserted that he was playing it straight with voters in the Granite State by being a full-fledged candidate and not someone exploring the presidency, as Clinton is doing.

“I am not much for sticking your toe in, then your ankle and then your knee. You either make the decision to do it or not to do it and I made the decision to be a Democratic candidate for president and I am going to be asking for your help,” said Dodd.

What seemed to bother Dodd more than Clinton, however, was the breakfast menu. As he rose to the podium at the Nashua Crowne Plaza, he held up his plate of eggs, bacon, and potatoes.

“I suspect that someone is trying to do me in here,” joked Dodd.