Former New Hampshire Gov. John H. Sununu, the current Republican state party chairman, told the Portsmouth Herald during an editorial board meeting earlier this week that his son, former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu, will soon decide whether to enter the 2010 Senate race.

And the elder Sununu, a former governor, added that he expects the GOP field to clear for his progeny.

"I will use my warmth and my charm to make sure that if it is a primary, there is a constructive primary or if a primary can be avoided, I will do that," Sununu said. When asked if he would prefer to avoid a primary between his son and Republican state Attorney General Kelly Ayotte, he responded: "I think if my son runs, there will not be a primary."