A small group, including a former adviser to Al Gore, met for lunch this week to discuss how they could get the former Vice President elected president.

The group casually met at the office of progressive business consultant Christopher Mackin in Cambridge on Wednesday, where they tried to figure out the best way to get Gore into the race.

"We all want Gore to run, but I wouldn't make too much out of our meeting," said Mackin.

John Pitkin, a demographer and blogger, said, "We discussed a wide range of options including different ways we could draft him into the race."

For example, Pitkin said, they could decide to put his name on the New Hampshire primary ballot and run a campaign without him or, more likely, create an online draft movement similar to how supporters of Wesley Clark urged him to get in the presidential race in 2003.

Among those at the meeting was Elaine Kamarck, a lecturer at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and a former senior policy advisor on Gore's 2000 presidential campaign.

Tonight MSNBC will host the first Democratic presidential debate in South Carolina. Nearly every Democratic campaign in New Hampshire will hold watch parties inside their state headquarters.

In addition to that the campaign staffs of Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Barack Obama will be holding separate "watch parties" in different parts of the state.

Chris Dodd's campaign will have one watch party from their Manchester headquarters, but the national campaign is going to try something unique. Instead of just issuing rapid response press releases they are going to have a live webcam where various campaign staff will rebut their rivals in real time.

They have also reached out to a progressive New Hampshire blog, Blue Hampshire, where members are encouraged to ask the campaign questions during the debate that might be answered on the live feed from the Dodd rapid response team.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- At a Portsmouth Rotary luncheon this afternoon, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney was asked point blank "Where do you get your hair cut and how much does it cost?"

Romney said, as he has before, that he pays $50 for a hair cut including the tip.

Then he quipped: "You know I think John Edwards was right. There are two Americas. There is the America where people pay $400 for a haircut and then there is everybody else."

Edwards became the topic of many stories last week for the fact he had his campaign pick up the tab for two $400 haircuts according to campaign finance records. He has since said he will reimburse the campaign.

STRATHAM, N.H. -- Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney got his perfect picture today, but he didn't get the story to accompany it. He emerged out of a garden shop on a sun-filled day and to the small crowd he held up his newly purchased white bird house ($29.99 and perfect for the White-breasted Nuthatch).

As he put down the bird house -- which he says will be a Mother's Day gift to his wife, Ann -- he made a few lighthearted remarks before calling over the store's owner to thank him for his hospitality. But this this isn't your average garden shop owner. This is Doug Scamman, the former two-time New Hampshire Speaker of the House and friend of President Bush.

About at the same time that Romney had his arm around Scamman, a message was hitting reporters' Blackberries saying Scamman was just named a statewide co-chair for Rudy Giuliani's campaign.

Besides the appearance at his store, Romney also headlined a fund-raiser at the Scamman farm last year for the New Hampshire House Republicans and personally gave significant money to the cause. At that fund-raiser, rain and high winds drenched Romney and nearly blew the tent he was speaking in out of the ground. (And ruined this reporter's notes.)

But this is not to suggest that all was lost for Romney's wooing. Doug's wife, Stella, a former state representative herself, told the Globe she hasn't made up her mind and that Romney just might be her guy.

Presidential candidates are already commenting on two pieces of legislation that passed the New Hampshire State Senate today and are headed to the desk of Governor John Lynch ,who is expected to sign them into law.

This morning, New Hampshire's Senate voted 19-5 to increase the state's minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 over the course of a year.

The same legislative body voted 14-10 to make New Hampshire the fourth state to allow civil unions between same sex couples.

Campaigning in New Hampshire today, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney made referenced to today's vote three times as a way of explaining how he "strongly opposed efforts to to allow gay marriage" while governor.

However, New York Senator Hillary Clinton applauded the vote.

“New Hampshire continues to lead the country in preserving the rights and freedom of all of its citizens," said Clinton in a statement.

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards released a statement applauding the increase of the minimum wage saying, "New Hampshire leaders have made an unquestionable commitment to justice and increased prosperity for New Hampshire’s workers."

Manchester lawyer and former New Hampshire Republican gubernatorial nominee Ovide Lamontagne endorsed Mitt Romney's presidential campaign today.

Lamontagne, who lost his race for governor to Democrat Jeanne Shaheen in 1996, currently serves as the state Republican Party's legal counsel.

Lamontagne is a shareholder in the same law firm where Romney state director Jim Merrill is taking a leave of absence.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. – Arizona Senator John McCain today formally entered the race for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination in New Hampshire, saying he was the most experienced candidate in the field.

“We face formidable challenges, but I’m not afraid of them. I’m prepared for them. I’m not the youngest candidate, but I am the most experienced,” McCain said in front of a crowd of about 300.

While McCain has said previously he would be a candidate, the formal announcement comes at a time when he is trying to jump-start his campaign. Over the course of the past year one Republican rival, Mitt Romney, raised more campaign funds McCain did in the first three months of this year. Another Republican candidate, Rudy Giuliani, has surpassed McCain in polls nation-wide.

The announcement in Portsmouth kicks off his announcement tour that will also take him to Iowa, South Carolina and Arizona.

In his 30 minute speech he discussed Iraq, government spending, securing entitlement programs, and tax cuts.

While he was joined by many who remain supporters from his 2000 campaign, many in the crowd said they were there out of curiosity to see a big political event in their hometown.

Among those was 24-year-old Joanne Pratt who walked from her downtown Portsmouth advertising firm to watch McCain.

“I think certain parts of what he said were interesting, but I wasn’t really sure what to think in the first place,” said Pratt.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- Shortly before Arizona Senator John McCain was scheduled to formally kick off his presidential campaign with a rally at a waterfront park here today, the crowd size for such a big event was relatively small.

According to Portsmouth police, about 250 people were at the event with plenty of media in tow. Many of those interviewed said they were at the event mainly out of curiosity, not necessarily because they were supporting McCain.

As a result, in this city where local parking issues dog the City Council, there were plenty of parking spots to be had in walking distance of the park about 45 minutes before the event started.

But this has all the signs for a made-for-TV event. There are plenty of McCain signs to wave in front of television cameras., and a large podium on a raised stage with prominent New Hampshire supporters behind him.

And above McCain's head will be a view of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

HENNIKER, N.H. – In his first New Hampshire town hall meeting, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani fielded questions on torture laws, abortion, and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. But there was something Giuliani felt he had to mention and get out of the way.

“Did anyone see what happened in the Yankees-Red Sox series this weekend,” asked Giuliani, the unabashed Yankees fan to the audience in Red Sox Nation.

After various members of the crowd reminded him that the Red Sox swept the three-game series, an audience member immediately asked for Giuliani to sign a baseball, which he did.

Standing on a platform in the middle of the room, Giuliani stressed tax cuts and fiscal conservatism, avoiding his position on the Iraq the war and his pro-choice stance.

There was a testy moment when Giuliani was responding to a question on torture laws and wiretaps.

Marty Capodice, the husband of Democratic radio host Arnie Arnesen, challenged Giuliani on whether or not the Bush Administration was taking away American rights.

“That's hardly no rights,” Giuliani testily replied, stressing that Americans have significantly more rights than citizens of other countries. That answer drew the largest response from the crowd.

Hillary Clinton's campaign released the names of 500 New Hampshire women who are supporting the campaign.

Among those 500 was freshman state Senator Betsi DeVries. DeVries, Manchester's first female firefighter, could have been expected to endorse Clinton all along. But her announcement at New Hampshire's State House today was less than four days after Clinton's rival, Senator Chris Dodd, headlined a campaign fund-raiser for DeVries.

Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain has announced that Nashua Mayor Bernie Streeter, Nashua Alderman Dave MacLaughlin, and former State Representative Paul LaFlamme will be his Nashua co-chairs.

LaFlamme is a well-known Republican activist in the Nashua area. He lost a close primary for the state Senate in 2004.

Others in Nashua supporting McCain are Aldermen-at-Large David Deane and Brian McCarthy, Alderman Robert Dion, Alderman Mark Cookson, Nashua Treasurer Dave Fredette, former state Representative Nelson Allen, former state Representative William Mosher, and grassroots activist Dot Nice

Former North Carolina senator John Edwards announced that three New Hampshire state senators, along with the biggest Democratic activist in the state's North Country, would head up his presidential campaign in the state.

State Senators Peter Burling, Joe Foster and David Gottesman have all supported Edwards for years, but the campaign announced in a conference call with reporters this afternoon that they would take on official campaign roles. Coos County Democratic Chairman Paul Robitaille is also on this committee.

Altogether, there are 42 members of his New Hampshire leadership team.

Illnois Senator Barack Obama became the first presidential campaign to launch a New Hampshire-specific website.

The goal of such sites, which nearly every presidential candidate had in 2004, is to be one-stop destination for all local information and local organizing tools.

You can see Obama’s New Hampshire site here.

While campaigning in New Hampshire Friday, we caught up with Democratic presidential candidate Chris Dodd. Amid questions on Iraq, health care, and the global economy, we asked how he, a Connecticut Senator, navigated the entrenched Red-Blue divide in his home state: the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry.

See his answer below.

HOOKSETT, N.H. -- Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, a Democratic candidate for president, said in New Hampshire today the presidency wasn't a place for on the job training.

"We need leadership and we need it now," said Dodd.

The comment might have been a subtle dig to Illinois Senator Barack Obama who was also campaigning in the state on Friday. Obama has been criticized by his rivals for not being experienced enough to be an effective president.

Dodd's speech to the World Affairs Council at Southern New Hampshire University kicked off three days of campaigning.

He will visit the state's North Country and western border of Vermont on Saturday and Sunday.

During his speech, Dodd repeated his support for a timetable to get troops out of Iraq in one year. He also said he supports alternative energy.

"Getting energy right is about the future," said Dodd.

Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign announced the endorsements of eight more state representatives supporting her, just one day before her rival Barack Obama is scheduled to campaign in the state.

Among those endorsing her were Catriona Beck of Bennington; James Cyr of Strafford; Eleanor Kjellman of Henniker; Lori Movsesian of Nashua; Barbara Shaw of Manchester; Mary Sysyn of Manchester; Janet Wall of Madbury; and Deborah Wheeler of Northfield.

Recently released campaign finance records show longtime Al Gore friend and confidant Debby Butler gave $1,000 to Illinois Senator Barack Obama’s campaign.

Butler, a Concord CPA who chaired both inaugural balls for Governor John Lynch and one for former Governor Jeanne Shaheen, was a key player in the Howard Dean presidential campaign in 2004.

Even after attending a Hillary Clinton rally in Concord and calling her “terrific” it appears that Obama is her candidate.

After Gore won the Oscar for his movie, "An Inconvenient Truth," she called Gore’s office just to check in and make sure he wasn’t interested in another run. They told her she was free to go with another candidate.

Hoping to increase the crowd size for a campaign kick-off event in Manchester next week, US Senator John McCain's presidential campaign sent an e-mail to supporters in Massachusetts offering to provide round-trip bus transportation.

The e-mail, sent yesterday, encourages recipients to "represent the Bay State" at the New Hampshire rally.

One of the favorite political pastimes in New Hampshire is to point out the number of out-of-state vehicles at political opponents' events. They do this as a way of implying the candidate doesn't have as much support among those who vote in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation presidential primary as it may look by judging crowd size.

McCain's New Hampshire spokeswoman confirmed the e-mail came from the campaign.

“The Senator enjoys tremendous support throughout New England, and we’re encouraging anyone who is interested in electing an experienced and consistent leader like John McCain to come to New Hampshire to help us kick off his campaign for President of the United States,” said McCain spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker.

McCain will be in the state Wednesday to hold an event in Portsmouth as well as Manchester.

New Hampshire's two freshman US Representatives, both Democrats, raised a fair amount of campaign funds in the first three months of the year.

US Representative Paul Hodes, of Concord, reported raising $283,000 in the first three months of the year. After expenses he has 202,000 of remaining cash on hand.

No candidates have announced their intent to challenge Hodes in 2008.

In her first quarter, US Representative Carol Shea-Porter raised $114,000 and has $128,000 cash on hand.

In her entire campaign for Congress last year, Shea-Porter only spent $360,000. In that race Shea-Porter defeated two term Republican incumbent Jeb Bradley. Bradley said in January he wanted a rematch in 2008 but he spent most of this year on vacation with his family in Europe, where his wife’s family is from. His report shows he raised just $7,600 and has $63,500 of cash on hand.

Republican Senator Lamar Alexander is calling around to former senior staffers of his presidential campaigns in New Hampshire, telling them they should get to know fellow Tennessean Fred Thompson.

Since Thompson, the actor and former senator, said he was thinking about a run for president, national polls have shown him running in second place for the Republican nomination, trailing only former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Two former staffers confirmed to the Globe they have talked to Alexander. Thompson has yet to make any calls to the state, but Alexander is encouraging his former supporters to “keep their powder dry.”

Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd is preparing to spend three days in New Hampshire this weekend as he seeks the Democratic nomination for president.

Dodd will in the state all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. On Friday, he will give a policy speech to the World Affairs Council at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester. He will spend the rest of the trip at small "kitchen table" events in Nashua, Manchester, Conway, Plymouth, Hanover, Littleton, and Claremont.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee will begin a day of presidential campaigning in New Hampshire with a five-kilometer "fun run" in the streets of Downtown Manchester.

In addition to local Republican runners, Huckabee will be joined by Republican state chairman Fergus Cullen, who is also the Kingswood High School cross country coach, and Concord Monitor beat reporter Melanie Asmar.

Later Huckabee will visit a music store to borrow a bass guitar to play with the band at Oyster River High School in Durham.

US Senator John E. Sununu, a New Hampshire Republican, has nearly triple the amount of campaign cash than his closest Democratic opponent for his 2008 re-election bid.

The race is expected to be one of the most closely watched and most expensive in the country, experts in both parties say.

Campaign finance records provided to the Globe show Sununu raised $540,397.61 in the first three months of the year. This means Sununu currently has roughly $1.25 million cash on hand.

So far, two Democrats are challenging Sununu. Former congressional candidate Katrina Swett raised $462,000 for the period and has $443,000 cash on hand. Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand raised $97,000 and has $86,000 cash on hand.

Last week, we brought attention to a report that Ohio Congressman and Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich was thinking about buying a second home in New Hampshire.

He told his hometown paper, the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, that he wasn't serious about it.

He said he was just being tongue-in-cheek when he said it at a New London bookstore. But activists tell the Globe he also said it at a stop in Keene.

According to first quarter campaign finance records released on Sunday, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney raised more money from New Hampshire residents than any other presidential candidate, Republican or Democrat.

Below is a breakdown of how much each candidate raised from Granite State donors that gave at least $200.

Romney: $130,250
Obama: $51,012
Clinton: $45,800
Edwards: $23,350
McCain: $18,332
Paul: $16,950
Hunter: $16,900
Giuliani: $13,300
Dodd: $12,800
Biden: $7,950
Kucinich: $7,850
Richardson: $7,700
Tancredo: $6,700
Gravel: $3,515
T. Thompson: $2,300
Huckabee: $1,375
Gilmore: $1,000
Brownback: $950

Former New Hampshire State Democratic Chairman Jeff Woodburn announced over the weekend he is supporting New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson's presidential campaign.

Woodburn was the state chair from 1997-1999. In 2004 he was the New Hampshire chairman for Senator Joe Lieberman's presidential campaign.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will return to New Hampshire on April 24.

While the campaign has not yet released a detailed itinerary, one stop will be at New England College in Henniker.

Ohio Congressman and Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich told a gathering of New Hampshire residents last weekend that he and his wife are considering buying a summer home in New Hampshire.

Kucinich regularly points out in campaign speeches he still lives in the same Cleveland home he purchased for $22,000 in the 1970s.

The New London (N.H.) Argus Champion newspaper reports Kucinich told a group of supporters at MainStreet BookEnds in New London that he was considering a summer home.

In the 2004 presidential primary Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman and his wife rented an apartment in Manchester's North End. Last year former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel, a Democratic presidential candidate, signed a lease for a house in Manchester for him and his staff.

New Hampshire Governor John Lynch's approval rating is now at 80 percent among likely voters in the Granite State.

A University of New Hampshire poll released Wednesday night shows Lynch, a Democrat, gained three points from the last time they polled the question eight weeks ago.

So far Lynch hasn't even hinted as to who he will endorse in the state's presidential primary or if he will endorse at all.

Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson said in an interview with Fox News Channel today he doesn't "crave" the presidency and implied that he would not be as visible on the campaign trail as others if he decided to run for president.

Thompson appeared in the rare interview today due to his announcement that he had lymphoma. The fact he announced his health condition and granted the interview is a significant sign that he is at least thinking of running.

He said he has a deadline for a decision to be made, but he wouldn't say what it was.

Asked if he was going to start behind other Republican candidates in terms of organization and fund-raising he dismissed that has "old book" thinking.

He said that he doesn't necessarily believe a presidential candidate needs to be on the road as often as they are.

"I don’t think it has to be done that way," said Thompson.

Polls have shown a hunger for a candidate like Thompson, who Republicans see as a true conservative.

US Senator Joseph Biden, a Delaware Democrat, will make two presidential campaign stops in New Hampshire Saturday.

Biden is scheduled to attend a house party in Concord and a town hall meeting in Laconia.

US Senator John McCain today picked up the endorsement of
Dr. George (Gus) E.R. Kinnear II, a retired US Naval Admiral and former interim president of the University of New Hampshire.

Kinnear will oversee McCain's efforts with vetarans in Maine, where he now lives.

New York Senator Hillary Clinton will return to New Hampshire Friday for three days of campaigning in the state, her campaign said Monday afternoon.

She is scheduled to be in Concord, Manchester and Hampton.

This is her fifth trip to the state since February.

Democrats Katrina Swett and Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand both announced they raised six-figure fund-raising numbers in the first three months of the year as they challenge US Senator John E. Sununu's re-election in 2008.

Swett's campaign announced that she raised $462,000 in the first quarter of the year. After expenses, the campaign has nearly $450,000 cash on hand.

Marchand raised a little over $100,000, his campaign said Monday. The campaign had about 250 donors.

Sununu has not released how much he has raised. Fund-raising reports aren't due at the Federal Elections Commission until April 15.

As a former Congressional nominee, the wife of a former Congressman and the daughter of a current one, Swett has been expected to out fund-raise Marchand.

Meanwhile, the liberal blog Daily Kos was talking up Marchand today.

New York today officially became the latest state to move its presidential primary to Feb. 5, 2008.

The Empire State now joins California and over a dozen states that will be holding their contests that day. The move is expected to help Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani since they both are from the state.

Yes, the Montel daytime television talk show is still on the air. And so is former New York Governor George Pataki.

How do we know? Pataki was a guest on the Montel show Tuesday for a segment addressing: "The American Dream...Shattered?"

Here's a link to the program. .

A Newsday blog noted Pataki did have some pointed comments:

"Take a look at Edwards or Obama. What is their experience? When have they truly been tested? When have they been called upon to lead in times of crisis?" he asked. "John McCain has served this country, and served in Washington very well as a bipartisan, nonpartisan leader. Rudy Guiliani. He was tested on September 11. The country saw that he was able to rise to the occasion and bring people together."

You may remember Pataki had expressed presidential ambitions last year and began building organizations in Iowa and New Hampshire. Now he says he is focused on policy issues, but still is not ruling out a run for the Republican nomination.

Americans United for Change, a Washington-based advocacy group against the Iraq war, announced today that it will purchase television advertising time to run ads against Republican US Senators John E. Sununu of New Hampshire and Susan Collins of Maine.

Both are up for re-election in 2008.

You can see the Sununu ad here and the Collins ad here.

HUDSON, N.H. -- During a visit to a gun store, Republican presidential candidate Tom Tancredo was asked by a reporter what he would do to make sure his vice presidential candidate had better aim than Dick Cheney. Cheney accidentally shot his friend last year on a hunting trip.

“It is a good question and I really haven’t thought about it,” said Tancredo, a Colorado Congressman. “I think maybe we should have a skeet shooting contest.”

Tancredo formally declared he was in the presidential race on Monday.

After visiting the gun store, he was scheduled to visit a cigar shop.

BEDFORD, N.H. -- Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who was campaigning today in New Hampshire for the Democratic presidential nomination, said the front-loaded nature of the primary calendar next year will help non-establishment candidates like himself.

At the Politics and Eggs breakfast in Bedford, Kucinich was asked how he viewed the changing schedule in which over 20 states will hold primaries two weeks after New Hampshire. Traditionally these primaries have been spread out over a few months.

“I like the way this is headed,” said Kucinich.

He said that party establishment may have had time to recover and defeat insurgent winners of New Hampshire primaries in the past, such as Gary Hart, Pat Buchanan and John McCain. But he said the new schedule of primaries means the establishment forces will have less time to exert their influence.

“When I run strong in New Hampshire and win New Hampshire it will propel me to be the nominee,” said Kucinich.

A CNN/WMUR poll of likely New Hampshire Democratic primary voters showed Kucinich only with marginal support.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- The White House criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Syria, but New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson defended the visit.

Pelosi met with Syrian officials on Wednesday. Democrats like Pelosi have argued for the Bush Administration to talk with Syria and Iran to see if it is possible to involve them in stopping violence in Iraq.

"The White House is not pleased, but we should be talking to Syria," said Richardson, who has negotiated with several countries. "My view is that you negotiate in a very tough way with Syria.

"She’s the Speaker of the House and she is making a statement. She is not saying anything that in my view is contrary to American foreign policy. She’s supportive of Israel. She knows Syria is a problem. Syria hearing our concerns directly instead of through the news media is much more effective," he said.

Richardson is making several campaign stops in New Hampshire Wednesday and Thursday.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. – Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards appears to be surging among likely Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire shortly after the announcement that his wife's cancer had returned in an “incurable, but treatable” form.

A WMUR/CNN poll released this afternoon shows Edwards shooting into second place ahead of Illinois Senator Barack Obama, though within the margin of error.

The poll, conducted by the University of New Hampshire, showed support for New York Senator Hillary Clinton dropping eight percentage points from two months ago, to 27 percent. Edwards is at 21 percent and Obama at 20 percent. Former Vice President Al Gore, who is not a candidate, received 11 percent. All other Democrats running were in the single digits.

The margin of error was +/- 5.3 percent.

Results for the Republican primary will be released tomorrow.

ROCHESTER, N.H. -- While Illinois Senator Barack Obama continues to keep secret the amount of money he raised in the first three months of the year, he is also not divulging another number: how much he won in the Senate’s NCAA pool.

Asked in an interview which team he was rooting for in the NCAA men’s basketball championship – since Ohio State and Florida are both from swing states – Obama didn’t avoid the question.

”I have to admit I was for Florida because their win allowed me to win the Senate pool,” Obama said.

He wouldn’t say how much he won but he did say that 25 people each pitched in $5. But we don't know if he was the only winner.

LONDONDERRY, N.H. – Elizabeth Edwards was campaigning in New Hampshire today. You knew it when camera flashes went off. You saw it when crowds gathered around to hug her.

Her husband John, the actual Democratic presidential candidate, was there with their three kids on a day of campaigning. (Their son Jack appropriately wore a Red Sox hat in conjunction with baseball’s opening day.)

But on her first trip to New Hampshire since announcing to the world that she had an “incurable, but treatable” form of cancer, Elizabeth Edwards was greeted like a star.

After a Town Hall-style event with mainly students at Concord High School, Elizabeth Edwards had as many people gathered around her as John did. She signed autographs, discussed cancer often, and received personal gifts such as a new necklace from friends she had met earlier on the trail.

Elizabeth Edwards said that for the most part she has received encouraging comments since disclosing the return of her cancer, but took aim at commentators who've suggested that the couple's decision to continue campaigning was motivated by ambition more than concern for her health or their children's wellbeing.

She said that some people who “were against John’s campaign have unfortunately used our decision to continue our campaign as a chance to score political points.”

She went on to tell reporters the decision to continue her husband’s presidential campaign was entirely hers.

“He asked me first what we should do and I knew it was on purpose that he let me speak first. He wanted to know what I wanted and not have to second guess if I was deferring to his wants,” she said.

Despite her cancer battle, Elizabeth Edwards remains focused on the campaign trail. Yesterday, she corrected her husband when he misspoke about how many years it would take to accomplish a goal. And at an event at Stonyfield Yogurt in Londonderry, she stood up from the front row and grabbed the microphone. She wanted to point out that, like the questioner, her father was having a hard time navigating his veteran’s benefits.

Among those who wanted to talk with her was John Cunningham, a Concord lawyer.

“I think she is truly an inspiration,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who is not supporting any particular candidate.

Former New Hampshire Congressman Norman D'Amours today endorsed Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd for the Democratic presidential nomination.

D'Amours was in Congress from 1975 to 1985. Currently he is a lobbyist in Washington.

Dodd is scheduled to campaign in New Hampshire Tuesday and Wednesday.

New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign announced Sunday afternoon that she raised a record amount in the first 10 weeks of her campaign.

With the fund-raising deadline set for last night, the campaign said Clinton raised $26 million and transferred an additional $10 million leftover from her 2006 Senate campaign.

"We are overwhelmed and tremendously pleased," Patti Solis Doyle, Clinton's campaign manager, said in a conference call with national reporters.

Clinton is the first presidential candidate -- Republican or Democrat -- to announce how much she has raised. Typically fund-raising numbers for the first quarter have been important in shaping perceptions about the candidates' abilities to attract donations.

Previously, the first-quarter fund-raising record was set by John Edwards in 2003, when he collected $7.4 million.