Former Sen. John Sununu (R) will not run to succeed retiring Sen. Judd Gregg (R) in New Hampshire in 2010, according to the Associated Press.

With Sununu’s decision out of the way, Republicans are trying to recruit a top-tier candidate to run against Rep. Paul Hodes, who is all but certain to be the Democratic nominee next year.

National Republicans have been wooing New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly Ayotte to run, while businessman Fred Tausch has been airing television advertisements critical of Democrats. Former Republican gubernatorial candidate Ovide Lamontagne and Republican National Committeeman Sean Mahoney are also interested in running.