Sullivan running for DNC seat

Former New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairwoman Kathy Sullivan has decided to run for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) seat being vacated by Anita Freedman.

The seat is one of two at-large seats that represents New Hampshire to the national party.

Sullivan cited the need to protect the New Hampshire primary as one reason why she is running.

"I'm running for a couple of reasons.  As chair of the party for 8 years, I served on the DNC, and I was a member of the Rules and Bylaws Committee, which draws up the rules for the presidential nominating process," Sullivan said in an e-mail.  "For that reason, I am pretty qualified to help our current Rules and Bylaws representative, Senator Martha Fuller Clark, in the effort we will be undertaking to keep New Hampshire first in the nation in 2012."

Sullivan said she would also like to see the national party expand into other states and become more responsive to state parties.

"I would like to see the DNC expand on the work that Governor Dean began with the "50 State Strategy", which has allocated resources to build the state parties across the country.  I would like to see the DNC become even more responsive to the state parties, because the state parties represent the grass roots of our party."

The other at-large seat is held by Gaetan DiGangi. State Senator Peter Burling (D-Cornish) has said he will challenge DiGangi and former party executive director Bob Quinn has cited interest in the seat.