Frequent Rush Host Urged to Run Against Sen. Shaheen in N.H.

Would conservative writer and frequent Rush Limbaugh guest host Mark Steyn consider making a run for the U.S. Senate from New Hampshire?

The erudite political commentator and National Review columnist was rendered near speechless last week, laughing it off even as commentator Hugh Hewitt urged him to consider taking on Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the Daily Caller reported.

"Don't get me wrong, I love this state," Steyn, 53, said. "Certainly I regret that Jeanne Shaheen was able to defeat John Sununu."

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Shaheen, 66, has served in the Senate since 2009 after leading New Hampshire as governor from 1997-2003.

Even as the discussion  a lot of laughs, Hewitt is pushing a SteynForSenate.com website where those who'd like to see Steyn run can contribute to a possible campaign.

The Canadian-born Steyn, a father of three, did not rule it out, lamenting that the field of Shaheen opponents left much to be desired.

“[M]y heart sank somewhat when I read in the Union Leader, I think it was the other day, about those who were preparing to run against Jeanne Shaheen for U.S. Senate seat,” Steyn said. “And I wish this state was the way it was 20 years ago, but the New Hampshire Republican Party was too often was content to be in office rather than in power. That’s a problem with the Republican Party generally, I feel."

Steyn joked that his years as a writer offering up his opinion left him vulnerable to scrutiny. "One of the great things about writers running is they have hostages to fortune," he said. "They don't just have one damaging quote . . . they've like half a century of quotes."