They voted for the health care bill. With enough money behind the opposition, could they be voted out of office next year?

Republicans aim to find out with a new effort to raise campaign funds for challengers to two dozen House Democrats who voted for the health care bill earlier this month.

Reverse The Vote Victory Committee was established this week with the Federal Election Commission as a joint fundraising committee that will collect contributions to distribute among 24 GOP challengers.

It's still months until the first nominees will be formally selected in primary elections, so the committee for the time being will give campaign funds to 24 separate "congressional victory committees" that in turn will deliver the funds to party nominees once they are determined.

Former GOP gubernatorial nominee Ovide Lamontagne is filing today to run for Senate in New Hampshire, adding to an already crowded GOP primary in the Granite State.

"I believe that I can build a coalition that not only can win in the primary but in the general election," Lamontagne said in a Monday phone interview.

Lamontagne has been exploring a bid for the last couple months, headlining events in both Washington, D.C. and New Hampshire.

EMILY's List is endorsing attorney Ann McLane Kuster in race for an open House seat in New Hampshire.

The race in the 2nd District, where Democrat Paul Hodes is retiring, is expected to be competitive, especially now that former Rep. Charlie Bass, a Republican, is exploring a bid for his former seat.

Kuster, a Democrat, announced her campaign for the seat in June, and raised $343,000 through the end of September.

Former Republican Rep. Charlie Bass has initiated a preliminary bid to reclaim the New Hampshire seat he held for a dozen years but lost in the 2006 election.

Bass' formation of a 2010 "exploratory" committee -- which usually is the precursor to a full-scale campaign -- will gratify national Republican Party recruiters who are trying to capture some Democratic-held seats and cut into the rival party's House majority in the upcoming midterm elections.

Bass announced his committee's launch Wednesday that in New Hampshire's 2nd District, which includes Nashua and the state capital of Concord. Bass, a center-right Republican, represented the district from 1995 through his defeat by Democrat Paul W. Hodes in the strongly Democratic year of 2006. Hodes has left the House seat open for 2010 in order to bid for the U.S. Senate seat of retiring Republican Judd Gregg.

The conservative Family Research Council's political action committee plans to target 16 congressional races in 2010. The group's president, Tony Perkins, said the PAC has a goal of raising $1 million to boost grassroots activity in targeted races.

The group wants to spend money to help favored candidates take over the seats now represented by:

Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat who is running for a full term in Colorado after his appointment this year;

Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, a Democrat who is running for re-election in Connecticut;

New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg, a Republican who is retiring;

Missouri Sen. Christopher S. Bond, a Republican who is retiring;

Rep. John Boccieri, a Democrat who represents Ohio's 16th District;

Businessman Sean Mahoney, a national committeeman for the RNC, confirmed Monday in an interview with UnionLeader.com that he is actively exploring a bid to represent New Hampshire in the U.S. Senate.

Mahoney's potential candidacy is the latest possible complication for former New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly Ayotte, who has been boosted by the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the U.S. Senate, though the committee has stopped short of an official endorsement. Ayotte is officially in the exploratory stage. Republican Ovide Lamontagne, an attorney who ran for governor in 1996, is also exploring a U.S. Senate candidacy.

The party is fighting to hold the seat currently represented by Republican Sen. Judd Gregg, who is retiring.

Democratic former state Sen. Mark Fernald has dropped out of New Hampshire's 2nd District race, citing family concerns.

"The demands of the race have overcome my attempts to balance family, work, and politics," Fernald wrote Wednesday in a message to supporters.

Fernald's exit is welcome news for the Democrats remaining in the open seat race, including lawyer and lobbyist Ann McLane Kuster, the top fundraiser in the race, according to reports filed through June 30.

Republican Frank Guinta is challenging two-term Democratic Rep. Carol Shea-Porter in New Hampshire's 1st District, and GOP officials are touting the mayor of Manchester -- the state's biggest city -- as one of their top recruits for the 2010 elections. But Guinta, whose campaign has had a bumpy start, filed an initial campaign finance report in which the numbers fell short of stellar.

Guinta reported receipts of $110,000 at the June 30 conclusion of the year's second quarter. That included a $20,000 loan he made to his campaign from his personal accounts after he formed his campaign committee at the end of April, nearly a month into the second quarter.

While Guinta's amount was close to the $120,000 that Shea-Porter raised during the same three-month period, the incumbent had an earlier start, and her combined total as of June 30 was $254,000 overall. Another key measure produced a similar gap, as Shea-Porter reported $211,000 remaining on hand and Guinta reported $93,000.

New Hampshire's state Democratic party released a web ad Wednesday comparing Republican state Attorney General Kelly Ayotte to Alaska Republican Gov. Sarah Palin.

Ayotte on Tuesday announced her resignation as Attorney General to explore a bid for U.S. Senate. Palin on July 3 announced her resignation as governor and has left the door open to future political endeavors, including a presidential campaign in 2012.

Palin received harsh blowback from some colleagues for leaving office mid-session.

Republican state Attorney General Kelly Ayotte announced her resignation Tuesday to focus on New Hampshire's 2010 U.S. Senate race.

"Recently, many New Hampshire citizens have urged me to run for United States Senate. I appreciate their confidence in me," Ayotte said in a news release. "After discussing this matter with my husband, Joe, and our family, I have decided to resign as Attorney General in order to explore a campaign for the United States Senate." Ayotte's resignation will be effective July 17.

Republican Sen. Judd Gregg is retiring in Jan. 2011, leaving open a seat in a highly competitive state. Republicans have been searching for a major GOP candidate to face Democratic Rep. Paul W. Hodes, who appears to face no strong competition for his party's nomination in the Senate race.