State House birthday party for Granny D

CONCORD- Campaign finance icon Granny D celebrated her 98th birthday with a party at the New Hampshire State House.

The party, held at the office of State Senators Betsi DeVries (D-Manchester) and Molly Kelly (D-Keene), featured an oil painting of Granny D, cake for guests and toasts from prominent politicians.

As one might expect most of the toasts praised Granny D's efforts and poked fun at her age.

"I will make no comments about her age because I'm trying to catch-up," said former Governor Walter Peterson.

House Speaker Terri Norrelli told the gathering of supporters "Thank you for making us all work hard for the right reasons."

Former Governor Jeanne Shaheen said "she is what I want to be when I grow up." In an interview with PolitickerNH.com Shaheen added "she is a great citizen of the state and a wonderful ambassador."

Shaheen said she is a supporter of campaign finance reform and cited the reluctance of presidential candidates to opt into accepting matching funds as evidence that the system is broken.

Yesterday, Shaheen, a Democratic candidate to run against U.S. Sen. John Sununu reported raising $1.2 million.

When asked how much money she thinks it will take to defeat Sununu, Shaheen said "a lot."