Secretary of State

CONCORD-- Secretary of State Bill Gardner was unanimously elected to a 17th term as secretary of state.

Gardner has been serving in the position since 1976 and is currently the longest service secretary of state in the country.

Kathy Sullivan and U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes (D-Concord) are praising President-elect Barack Obama for naming U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton's (D-N.Y.) his nominee for secretary of state.

"It is a great appointment," Sullivan, Clinton's former New Hampshire co-chair, said Monday in an e-mail to PolitickerNH.com. "Hillary Clinton is smart, experienced and well liked and respected around the world.  It is a tough job, especially given the number of crises facing us today, but she certainly is up to the challenge."

The first week of recounts has been completed and there have not been any changes in the winners.

Last Friday, the secretary of state completed recounts for state representative races in Merrimack District 13 and Hillsborough District 15.

After the second day of recounts, there has still not been a change of winners in any of the contested elections.

Yesterday, the secretary of state conducted recounts for state representative races in Rockingham District 8 and Sullivan District 2.

Concord--State Sen. Joe Kenney (R-Wakefield) officially filed for governor with the Secretary of State today.

CONCORD  — Former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D-Madbury) officially filed to be U.S. Senate candidate today.

Shaheen was greeted by several hundred enthusiastic supporters who lined the State House halls wearing green and white t-shirts and held banners. It was a scene more reminiscent of a presidential candidate filing for office than that of a U.S. Senate candidate. The hall leading to the Secretary of State’s office roared with chants as she walked down the corridor