"Today, we are standing up for the liberties of same-sex couples by making clear that they will receive the same rights, responsibilities - and respect - under New Hampshire law.

"Today, we are also standing up for religious liberties. This legislation makes clear that we understand that certain faiths do not recognize same-sex marriage, and it protects them from having to participate in marriage-related activities that violate their fundamental religious principles.

"With the signing of this legislation today, New Hampshire will have taken every action possible to ensure that all families have equal rights to the extent that is possible under state law.

"Unfortunately, the federal government does not extend the same rights and protections that New Hampshire provides same-sex families, and that should change.

Rep. Hodes commented;

"I am pleased with the result reached by our legislature and Governor. This legislation will ensure that all Granite Staters have equal rights under the law. It gives legal protection to religious institutions and organizations. And the law is consistent with the spirit of New Hampshire expressed in our state motto 'Live Free or Die.' At times the legislative process on this bill appeared difficult, but the outcome it produced was the right one for equality and justice for New Hampshire residents. I will continue to work in Washington for those same principles."

h/t to Blue Hampshire, one of the 2008 Democratic National Convention credentialed blogs, for their coverage and the quotes above.

"We think the House is probably going to go along with the Senate version because they want a version to pass and to go to the governor's office," said Kevin Smith of Cornerstone Policy Research. "We think this will eventually get to the governor's office, and it will be in his hands."

"I know the governor is a thoughtful person," said Sen. Margaret Hassan, D-Exeter. "I know he'll take this all into account. I know he'll reach out to many different constituencies and make a thoughtful decision."

“I believe Senator Obama is the best prepared to lead this country at a time when we are in desperate need of strong leadership on everything from women’s rights to the war in Iraq. I am extremely worried that with the wrong choice this fall, Roe v Wade could be overturned and our government could take away a woman’s right to make what is a very personal decision about when and how to raise a family. I also share his concerns for our environment and endorse his support of efforts to find alternative sources of energy. Finally, we need a President who will be able to work well with others both at home and abroad to restore respect for our nation. Senator Obama and I are both convinced that it is time to end this war and bring our brave young men and women home.”

Her husband Walter Peterson served as honorary chairman of John McCain's campaign during the New Hampshire Primary, but is also chair of Republicans for Lynch, a group endorsing Democratic Governor John Lynch.

The slide from red to blue is slow, and Smith anticipates New Hampshire still will be a battleground state in the 2012 presidential election. But come 2016, the state likely will be voting Democratic, Smith predicted.

"The kind of shift we are seeing is less than 1 percent a year," he said. But in 10 years, we could be a "pretty solid Democratic state."

We need a new economic direction. No more country-club economics at the expense of working families and no more tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. Instead, we’ll cut taxes for middle-class families and small businesses and get our economy moving.

We need a new energy direction. No more billion-dollar subsidies for oil companies. Instead, we’ll invest in clean, homegrown energy that will make us energy independent, create jobs and combat global warming.

We need a new national security direction, making America safer by rebuilding our alliances, refocusing on terrorism, and bringing our troops home from Iraq.

All of us have been inspired by Senator Obama’s history-making candidacy and this nomination. But our work will not be over until we elect Barack Obama the next President of the United States!

I know something about making history. More than a decade ago, I was the first woman elected governor of New Hampshire. With your help, I will become the first woman senator from New Hampshire!

Thank you. Now on to victory!

But today I have traveled from my home in New Hampshire to declare myself a proud member of the Democratic Party and to endorse Barack Obama for President of the United States. Why? Because the Republican Party I once knew has become something different, something I no longer recognize. The “Grand Old Party” is no longer grand. It’s just old. The same old, failed policies. The same, old Washington culture.

Instead of new ideas and innovation, they offer trillion-dollar tax breaks for the very rich at the expense of the middle class, a deficit out of control and a government unable to help its most vulnerable citizens after Hurricane Katrina. Instead of inspiring the world with the power of American ideals, they offer war as a first resort, an overstretched military, justification for torture and trampling of civil liberties.

From the invasion of Iraq to the devastation of Katrina, I see arrogance abroad and incompetence at home. And I simply cannot tolerate, and America simply can’t afford, more of the same. Any other time, I might have given up on politics, convinced that nothing would ever change. But this year, a new leader offers the change we need.

Barack Obama’s ideas and ideals are not tired and old. They are rooted in the timeless values that define our great nation: unity, optimism, faith. He is a leader who challenges us to put aside old divisions of party and region and race and unite around a common purpose. A leader who will replace the old politics of special-interest influence with fiscal responsibility and shared prosperity, including freedom from the tyranny of foreign oil.

A leader who as commander-in-chief will keep our military strong, stop spending $10 billion a month in Iraq, start bringing our troops home responsibly, and win the war against those who attacked us on 9/11.

As an old Navy veteran, I know change isn’t always easy. But sometimes it’s necessary. And this is such a time. In Barack Obama I see judgment, character, courage, and principle over politics and partisanship. In Barack Obama, I see the change America needs.

The failed policies of George Bush and John Sununu have driven our economy into the ground and doubled the national debt to over nine trillion dollars. They have protected billions in tax giveaways for Big Oil and tax loopholes for businesses who ship jobs overseas rather than making a serious commitment to the development of clean alternative energy that can transform our economy and create thousands of new jobs. But just over a week from now, Republicans will assemble at their convention, and ask you for four more years of the same.

They’ll nominate John McCain to lead them. John McCain, who said he doesn’t know as much as he should about the economy. That’s certainly clear. Senator McCain keeps talking about the great progress our economy has made over the past eight years. He doesn’t get it. His economic plan is four more years of George Bush’s economic plan. Four more years of record spending, record deficits, record giveaways to the special interests and a reckless disregard for the middle class. But when Americans speak up and demand action, the Republicans tell us to be quiet. McCain’s chief economic advisor called America “a nation of whiners.” John Sununu told a group of small business owners in New Hampshire to “stop complaining about health care costs.”

Well, we will not stop speaking out until we fix this economy and make it work for the middle class again. This week, you’ll hear something different. In Denver, Barack Obama will lay out a new direction for jumpstarting our economy and rebuilding a strong middle class. It’s long past time for real action. Families don’t need more of the same old Bush-McCain-Sununu agenda – they need relief and they need it now.

That’s why I have proposed tax cuts up to 50% on health care premiums paid by small businesses for their employees and tax incentives to move small businesses toward energy efficiency. It’s why I have proposed a simplified and expanded tuition tax credit to help middle class families send their kids to college. It’s why Barack Obama has a plan to cut taxes for middle-class families and small businesses that puts up to $1,000 in the pockets of 95 percent of Americans – a plan that cuts taxes for middle class families three times as much as the Republicans would.

And we’ll do all this while bringing down the budget deficit, cutting unnecessary spending and government waste in Washington, and responsibly ending the war in Iraq. This November, the choice will be clear. We can’t afford a third Bush term and in New Hampshire, we can’t afford another six years of a Senator who supports the failed Bush economic policies that have devastated our economy. We’ve tried things their way, and they don’t work. I think it’s time for a new direction for America’s middle class families, and I hope you do, too.

This is Jeanne Shaheen from New Hampshire. Thank you for listening.

In several states, including the traditional battlegrounds of Nevada and Iowa, Democrats have surprised their own party officials with significant gains in registration. In both of those states, there are now more registered Democrats than Republicans, a flip from 2004. No states have switched to the Republicans over the same period, according to data from 26 of the 29 states in which voters register by party. (Three of the states did not have complete data.)

In six states, including Iowa, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, the Democratic piece of the registration pie grew more than three percentage points, while the Republican share declined.

Given the way Republicans governed over the last seven years, these kind of stories make perfect sense, but to put it into historical context, this is a major shift in the political landscape.

But for a shift away from one party to sustain itself — the current registration trend is now in its fourth year — is remarkable, researchers who study voting patterns say. And though comparable data are not available for the 21 states where voters do not register by party, there is evidence that an increasing number of voters in those states are also moving away from the Republican Party based on the results of recent state and Congressional elections, the researchers said.

“This is very suggestive that there is a fundamental change going on in the electorate,” said Michael P. McDonald, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and an associate professor of political science at George Mason University who has studied voting patterns.

"In Iowa and New Hampshire, young people have demonstrated again that we are a powerful voting bloc in America and are making our voices heard," said Lauren Wolfe, National President of the College Democrats of America. "Young people are supporting Democrats in record numbers because we want change, not a third Bush term like we'd get with any of the Republican president candidates."

"Young people are proving the pundits wrong in this election: it's clear we're committed to changing America," said Alec Schierenbeck, president of the Iowa College Democrats and a junior at Grinnell College in Iowa. "Young people are no longer just helping hands on Election Day, we're a major force."

"We've consistently seen youth turnout for Democrats increase in the past two elections, but Tuesday's results show that we are well on our way to unprecedented numbers in 2008," said Wolfe. "We are building a new progressive majority so that Democrats continue to win."

Last year, New Hampshire:

• Threw out two Republican Congressmen (replacing them with Democrats).
• Took control of both houses of the state legislature for the first time since the 19th Century.
• Re-elected their Democratic governor by the largest margin in their history, 48 points.

We're making gains in all 50 states, but New Hampshire has a particularly good trend.