Senate prez Bradley won't run again
May 2—CONCORD — Senate President Jeb Bradley says he will not seek reelection this fall, throwing wide open the leadership of the upper chamber in 2025.
The Wolfeboro Republican made the announcement at the close of Thursday's session with his wife, Karen, in the Senate chamber.
"All we are is glorified volunteers with a fancy schmancy license plate that get paid $100 a year. Don't ever change that," Bradley told his colleagues, who gave him a standing ovation.
Bradley ruled out running for public office again or serving in a Republican administration in Concord, as other legislative leaders have done after turning in their gavels.
"I will be somebody people want to call and pick my brain for whatever there is to pick," Bradley said.
Bradley, 71, has served in the state Senate since he won a special election in 2009.
Bradley said former Gov. John H. Sununu called Bradley's mother before "he called me" to persuade him to run in that special election.
He became Senate president for the current session after incumbent Chuck Morse of Salem ran unsuccessfully for a U.S. Senate seat in 2022.
For 10 years, Bradley served as Senate majority leader.
He called his decision "bittersweet."
"It is very rare you see spite used in this chamber against another member," Bradley said of the 24-person Senate.
"This room is very special, so it is a bit bittersweet in some ways to be moving on."
Gov. Chris Sununu, who also is leaving office at the end of the year, said Bradley will be missed.
"Sen. Jeb Bradley's career has been marked by his service to New Hampshire— always engaged, always involved. Senator Bradley has been there time and time again to find consensus, get the job done, and deliver results for Granite State families. We wish him well," Sununu said.
Bradley earned a reputation as a solid Republican who often sought bipartisan compromise on a variety of issues, including the state budget, services for the state's most vulnerable and initiatives to encourage economic growth.
He became a central figure in the debate over expanding Medicaid coverage to low-income adults while Democrat Maggie Hassan was governor.
Plenty of praise
Senate Democratic Leader Donna Soucy of Manchester has worked with Bradley since she started in the House in 1990.
"From his time as the Chair of the House Science and Technology to his time as the Senate President, I have always known Senator Bradley to sincerely dedicate himself to finding bipartisan solutions, especially on the most challenging issues," Soucy said.
In the Senate, members of both parties over the years have employed the phrase "a Bradley special" to describe an amendment that he worked out to resolve differences on a controversial issue.
Bradley insisted that bipartisan spirit will continue.
"I am just one person here. There are a lot of good people here and they will do just fine, just fine — trust me — and you will hold them accountable when they don't," Bradley said.
Both political parties have become more polarized, Bradley said, but the State House remains a place where consensus can be reached as long as the lines of communication remain open and their leaders listen to each another.
Bradley said he "definitely will" endorse someone to replace him in Senate District 3, which encompasses many Lakes Region communities.
As for who would succeed him as the leading Senate Republican and perhaps Senate president, Bradley said "anointments don't work."
A native of Rumford, Maine, Bradley first won election to the U.S. House in the 1st Congressional District in 2002.
After serving for two terms, he lost to Rochester Democrat Carol Shea-Porter in 2006 and again in a rematch two years later.
In Congress, Bradley was viewed as a moderate member on social issues — he supported abortion rights — while racking up a strong record as a fiscal conservative.
Bradley first won election to the Planning Board in his hometown of Wolfeboro in 1986 as a registered Democrat.
He switched to the GOP in 1989 and went on to win five terms in the New Hampshire House.
