Giuliani's Bid to Woo New Hampshire Independents Centers on Health Care

Asked about the possibility, Udall spokeswoman Marissa Padilla said that "nothing has changed, and Tom Udall is not reconsidering."

Words matter in politics. The fact that Udall is not currently reconsidering the race does not mean he won't do just that in the coming weeks. Democratic insiders acknowledge as much in not-for-attribution conversations with The Sunday Fix.

Electoral politics is riddled with examples of candidates who ruled themselves out only to rule themselves in weeks or even months later. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), then in the House, ruled out a run against Sen. Mike DeWine (R) in August 2005 only to reconsider and jump into the race a month or so later. Brown went on to defeat DeWine -- an example, perhaps, that Democrats can use to tempt Udall.

At the moment, only Albuquerque Mayor Martin J. Chavez is seeking the Democratic nod. Democrats continue to woo Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, although reports conflict about whether she is genuinely interested. Denish had been pointing at the 2010 governor's race for quite some time and would probably have the primary field to herself with Chavez in the Senate race.

If Udall does run, it will ensure a complete turnover in the state's House delegation next year. Reps. Heather A. Wilson and Steve Pearce are preparing to do battle for the Republican nomination.

PLAYERS

Susan McCue couldn't stay out of the partisan fray for long. One of the brightest strategic minds in the Democratic Party, McCue stepped down as president of the One Campaign last week to open her own political consulting business. Her immediate task will be to help Democrats grow their Senate majority in 2008, but McCue is also expected to spend time helping to shepherd Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) to reelection in 2010. (She will also remain as a consultant to One).

McCue served as Reid's chief of staff before leaving for One. She joins an impressive group of strategists surrounding Reid, including Penny Lee, former executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, media consultant Jim Margolis and pollster Mark Mellman.

ONE DAY: MTV and MySpace hold an interactive town hall forum with Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. As an added bonus, The Fix -- along with screenwriter Gideon Yago and MTV veejay Sway -- will be moderating the event.

31 DAYS: Republican presidential candidates gather in Florida for the CNN-YouTube debate. After balking at the premise -- questions submitted by regular folks via video -- all of the major GOP candidates have agreed to participate. The last two holdouts, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and ex-Tennessee senator Fred D. Thompson, signaled late last week that they will attend.