Exclusive: Clinton gets key New Hampshire endorsement

New Hampshire state Senate President Sylvia Larsen, of Concord, formally endorsed Hillary Clinton for president this afternoon, marking one of the biggest endorsements for the New York senator thus far.

The announcement came at a press conference shortly after 2 p.m. this afternoon in New Hampshire. The Globe had reported earlier in the day that Larsen was expected to formally voice support for Clinton.

Larsen has been one of the biggest players in New Hampshire Democratic politics for a decade. In 2004, she was the first person to endorse John Kerry’s presidential campaign and helped guide him to his eventual victory in the New Hampshire Primary.

Larsen joins fellow state Senator Betsi DeVries, a Manchester Democrat, in her support of Clinton. Three other state senators have endorsed John Edwards’s campaign and yesterday the Barack Obama campaign announced that state Senator Martha Fuller Clark, of Portsmouth, had agreed to serve as one of four co-chairs of his New Hampshire organization. Freshman State Senator Harold Janeway is also reportedly with Obama.