Republican National Convention

U.S. Sen. John McCain and U.S. Sen. John Sununu

MINNEAPOLIS--U.S. Sen. John Sununu (R-Waterville Valley) issued a statement minutes after U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) finished his nomination before the Republican National Convention.

"John McCain's strength as a leader comes from personal experience and hard fought battles in which he has usually prevailed," Sununu said in a statement. "He's not afraid to stand alone, but he's also willing to reach across the political aisle."

MINNEAPOLIS--New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley issued a statement on the last night of the Republican National Convention arguing that U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is not the type of maverick McCain says he is.

"Sen. John McCain cannot run from his record," Buckley said in a statement. "He certainly has not been a maverick during the last eight years when it came to supporting the failed policies of the Bush administration. He has marched in lock step with George Bush as he has erased the budget surplus, led us into a costly and unnecessary war, and demonstrated a complete misunderstanding of the economic realities faced by middle class families."

MINNEAPOLIS--Former U.S. Rep. Chuck Douglas laid-out the keys to victory in the 1st Congressional District Republican primary next week.

Douglas, who has endorsed John Stephen (R-Manchester) and is a campaign vice-chair, said if a candidate wins certain parts of the district they are likely to win the primary.

MINNEAPOLIS--A New Hampshire delegate has been pulling double-duty this week.

John Lyons, chairman of the State Board of Education, has spent the week attending events as a delegate for U.S. Sen. John McCain, but he has also been giving a helping hand to the ONE campaign.

MINNEAPOLIS-- Former New York Gov. George Pataki began his speech to the New Hampshire delegation by remembering a former Granite State supporter.

"I can't think of New Hampshire without thinking about Mike Whalley," Pataki told delegates.

Whalley was the House Minority leader before his death in March. The Alton state representative was Pataki's before he decided not to run for the presidency. While exploring a presidential run Pataki opened an office for his political action committee in Manchester to help coordinate 2006 election efforts.

MINNEAPOLIS--Despite being stripped of half the delegation, during the roll call of the Republican convention, Peter Spaulding announced that the New Hampshire delegation's 24 votes went to U.S. Sen. John McCain.

When asked why he said 24 votes Spaulding told PolitickerNH.com, "cause I feel that we're entitled to 24 votes, how they count them is up to them [the RNC]."

MINNEAPOLIS-- Speaking at a breakfast for the New Hampshire delegation Steve Duprey, an adviser to John McCain's presidential campaign, said McCain and vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin will visit the Granite State "very soon."

"Governor Palin will visit the state very soon, and John will visit the state very, very soon," Duprey said but did not disclose details of the visits.

MINNEAPOLIS-- New Hampshire delegates will return home with countless stories, but state Sen. Bob Letourneau (R-Derry) might have the best story of all.

After returning from the convention hall, Letourneau, along with other delegates, met Gov. Sarah Palin who was signing autographs and taking photos at the Hilton. According to Letourneau, Palin said she remembered the state senator because he was sitting in the front row of the New Hampshire delegation.