Field Cleared For Shaheen in N.H.

Former Institute of Politics Director Jeanne Shaheen has emerged as the sole Democratic candidate in the New Hampshire Senate race against Republican incumbent John E. Sununu.

Jay Buckey, Shaheen’s former Democratic rival, announced his decision to withdraw from the Senate race on Tuesday, clearing the way for Shaheen to become the party’s nominee.

“Jay Buckey showed on the campaign trail that he has much to contribute to this state and country,” said Shaheen in a statement released Tuesday. “Defeating John Sununu will be no easy task, so having Jay’s support in this great effort to change the direction of the country means a great deal to me.”

Buckey, a former astronaut and Dartmouth Medical School professor, dropped out of the race because he lacks sufficient funds, according to the Associated Press.

“Dr. Buckey will be a New Hampshire leader for years to come,” Buckey’s campaign said in a statement Tuesday. “His breathtaking knowledge, life story and ability to clearly articulate a vision for a better New Hampshire will be a long lasting message.”

After serving as IOP director for two years, Shaheen resigned this September to make her second bid for the U.S. Senate. Shaheen, who served three terms as New Hampshire’s governor from 1997 to 2003, lost the 2002 race to Sununu by just four percent.

Shaheen is not the only Harvard-affiliated Democrat whose electoral fortunes in a Senate race have improved this week.

Mark Warner, a Harvard Law School graduate who served as Virginia’s governor from 2002 to 2006, won the Virginia primary on Tuesday, though his rival, Julien Modica, has yet to officially withdraw from the race.

—Staff writer Lindsay P. Tanne can be reached at ltanne@fas.harvard.edu.