By Shahram Vahdany

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By JOSEPH W. MCQUAID
New Hampshire Union Leader Publisher 

SARAH PALIN'S endorsement of Kelly Ayotte for U.S. Senate should neither surprise nor upset the other campaigns. The race will be won by the candidate who impresses New Hampshire voters, and New Hampshire voters are rarely impressed by what outsiders have to say.

This is to take nothing away from Ayotte. She is a formidable first-time candidate and a legitimate contender for the Republican nomination.

But former Gov. Palin isn't making these endorsements because, as she claims, she has spent time in New Hampshire and thus knows that the people here are a lot like Alaskans. She spent a few hours here on one day during the 2008 Presidential election. That's still more time than she spent getting to know Ayotte, but it takes quite a bit longer to know New Hampshire.

A word of advice for supporters of Messrs. Bender, Binnie, Lamontagne and Hodes (sounds like a law firm, doesn't it?): Don't fret over what a "Mama Grizzly'' from Alaska does. Right now, Granite Staters have more to worry about in keeping bears away from bird feeders.