New Hampshire, like many states with competitive Senate contests, includes a tough GOP primary that won't be resolved until September. But a new Rasmussen poll (500 LVs, 1/12, MoE +/- 4.5%) finds that one candidate in that field -- former state Attorney General Kelly Ayotte -- looks to be the party's best shot at holding Judd Gregg's Senate seat in a race against U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes (D).

General Election Matchups
Ayotte 49 -- Hodes 40 -- Und 8
Hodes 45 -- Lamontagne 38 -- Und 11
Hodes 43 -- Binnie 37 -- Und 15

Ayotte led Hodes 46-38 in a September Rasmussen poll. She leads Hodes by 7 in the RCP Average.

It's notable that Hodes caps out at 45 percent, a possible sign that Democrats' long win streak in the state since 2004 is in danger of ending. Aside from Gregg's re-election against a 94-year-old opponent, since 2004 Democrats have carried the state twice in presidential races, won and then held the governorship three times, and seen the three remaining Republicans in Washington ousted.

President Obama remains relatively popular, with 52 percent approving of his job performance and 47 percent disapproving. Gov. John Lynch (D), who may seek a 4th term this fall, also fares well considering the challenges he and other state leaders are facing, with a 58 percent approval rating. On health care, 46 percent support the Democratic plan while 52 percent oppose it, including 44 percent who oppose it strongly.

Favorable Ratings
Ayotte 60 / 21
Hodes 49 / 43
Lamontagne 38 / 35
Binnie 34 / 29

This is most certainly a sign that the world is coming to an end this year and not in 2012 as the Mayans prophesied:

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich will be unzipping his lip again.

Sneed hears the disgraced ex-gov will get a crack at hosting a late-night Internet talk show complete with a band, celebrity guests and opening monologue. [snip]

The show will feature a "Blago's Book Club" segment and a roundtable discussion on hot topics. Viewers will also be able to dictate content by voting online. Choices will include hearing Blago sing an Elvis song, recite a poem or movie monologue, or dish advice on subjects ranging from relationships to job searching.

Rasmussen is out with a new survey of 500 likely Nevada voters showing Senator Harry Reid's already low numbers sinking even further against his two most likely Republican opponents in November.

Reid can muster just 36% against either candidate and now trails Sue Lowden by 12 points and Danny Tarkanian by 14:

Lowden (R) 48 (-1 vs. last poll December 9)
Reid (D) 36 (-7)

Tarkanian (R) 50 (+1)
Reid (D) 36 (-7)

Equally as bad for Reid: 47% of Nevada voters now have a "very unfavorable" opinion of him, while less than half that number (23%) view him "very favorably."

Forty-five percent "strongly oppose" the health care reform Reid is currently shepharding through the Senate, while another 9% "somewhat oppose" it. Twenty-one percent "strongly favor" the bill and 18% "somewhat favor" it.

The poll was conducted on Monday, January 11 - just days after news reports broke about Reid's controversial comments regarding President Obama. It's unclear what effect those statements might have had on his numbers, but 55% of those surveyed said they had been following the story "very closely" with another 24% saying they were following the story "somewhat closely."

Lastly, President Obama's job approval in Nevada is at 49%. Of the 51% who disapprove of the job Obama is doing, 41% say they "strongly disapprove."

On "Imus" this morning, New York Gov. David Paterson (D) reacts to the portrayal of him on "Saturday Night Live."

"I can take a joke about my disability. I make fun of my own disability," he says. "I don't bounce off walls. And if anyone at Saturday Night Live would like to have me on, we could find out.  Maybe I could bounce of few left hands off of them.”

He goes on to say that nearly 70 percent of blind people are not working, and that spoofs like the one on "SNL" perpetuates a stereotype that someone who's blind can't contribute.

"They need Sarah Palin to come back on," he says in one last parting shot about their ratings.

Paterson also talks about his support from the White House, saying President Obama never personally asked him not to run for a full term. Asked if Obama would campaign for him, he said, "If I'm the Democratic candidate, I wouldn't think he'd have a problem doing that."

Here's the latest "SNL" Paterson spoof from this weekend's show.

"What a horrible woman." Ouch. That left a mark.

Eric "We are a Nation of Cowards When It Comes to Matters of Race" Holder defends Harry Reid.

A new Quinnipiac national survey shows the public evenly split on President Obama's job approval rating. The 45% job approval is his lowest to date in the Quinnipiac poll, and his 45% disapproval rating is his highest.

Overall, Obama's job approval is now 47.6% in the RCP Average and his disapproval is at 45.8%.

The public is equally split at 45/45 on the question of whether President Obama's first year in office was "mainly" a success or a failure. Among the crucial group of registered Independents, 40% view Obama's first year as a success while 47% view it as a failure.

Obama's handling of specific issues declined again this month, reaching new lows across the board:

Creating Jobs: 34% approve (-3 vs. last poll 12/09)/59% disapprove (+3)
Health Care: 35 (-3)/58 (+2)
Economy: 41 (-3), 54 (+3)
Afghanistan: 45 (-2)/45 (+2)
Foreign Policy: 45 (-1)/46 (+2)

Other notables from the Quinnipiac poll:

Democrats in Congress currently have a 32% job approval rating, down from a high of 45% last March.

Republicans in Congress have an equally anemic 32% job approval rating, but that actually represents their best showing to date in the Quinnipiac survey.

Only 2% are "very" satisfied with the way things are going in the country, with another 25% "somewhat" satisfied. On the other hand, 41% are "very" dissatisfied with the direction of the country and another 31% are "somewhat" dissatisfied.

Despite Obama's sinking approval ratings, 43% still rate him as "better than George W. Bush," while 30% say his is worse than Bush and 23% say he is "about the same" as Bush.

35% believe the country would be "better off" if John McCain had won the 2008 election, 37% believe we'd be "worse off" and 17% believes it didn't make a difference.

Among the few bright spots for Obama, large majorities still regard him favorably as a person. 56% say he is "honest and trustworthy" and 66% say he has "strong leadership qualities."

Perhaps the worst news for Obama is that a majority (53%) believe he's been "fiscally irresponsible" during his first year in office, including 58% of Independents.

Have you heard this story before? He's a slick, super-talented Democratic politician from the South with a burning desire to be president and a zipper that won't stay closed. His wife is also a supremely political animal who despite her pleasant public persona is an F-bomb dropping nightmare to staffers behind the scenes who struggles with her husband's infidelity but has made a Faustian bargain to support his political career.

Indeed, one couple fitting this description went on to serve two terms in the White House and - despite the sordid details and public drama of it all - remain a powerful and admired force in American politics. The story of the other couple ended in total disgrace for the husband and misery for the wife.

With one week to go in the special election race in Massachusetts, Democrat Martha Coakley holds just a 2-point lead over her Republican oppponent, according to a new Rasmussen poll (Jan. 11, 1000 LV, MoE +/- 3%).

Coakley 49 (-1 vs. last poll, 1/5)
Brown 47 (+6)
Kennedy 3
Und 2

The latest result shows a significant margin decrease from the polling firm's survey last week, when Coakley led by 9 points. It's also the second poll in the last few days to show the race within the margin of error, as PPP recently found Republican Scott Brown ahead by 1 point.

For more on the race, click over to Politics Nation.

Conan quits NBC in a statement that is candid and classy.