Republican Sen. John Sununu showed yesterday that he is readying for what might be a fierce re-election battle against former Democratic governor Jeanne Shaheen, who formally entered the race a day earlier and has yet to secure her party's nomination.

Sununu, a first-term senator who is among the top targets for national Democrats, said he's ready to fight Shaheen based on a comparison of their records. The two faced each other in 2002, and a potential rematch already appears under way.

"Jeanne Shaheen was governor for six years and completely failed to deal with education funding, the state's highest priority," Sununu said. "When it comes to government not working, she obviously knows what she's talking about because that was a failure of leadership."

On Sunday, Shaheen said that Washington wasn't working and that Sununu had lost sight of his service to constituents - a charge, Sununu quickly responded to.

"There are a lot of things that aren't working about Washington," Sununu said. "The Democratic leadership is trying to increase spending and increase taxes. That's wrong for the country, and it's wrong for New Hampshire."

Sununu pointed to his legislative accomplishments to protect the White Mountain National Forest, strengthen small businesses, expand funding for women's businesses and protect civil liberties under the Patriot Act.

"When it comes to providing leadership and providing results, I've stepped up, time and time again, for priorities that fit New Hampshire's values," Sununu said.

Shaheen, who called for an end to the war in Iraq, faulted Sununu for not doing more to end the unpopular conflict. But Sununu said he has done as much as is prudent.

"Eight months ago, I said that we shouldn't be increasing troop levels until the Iraqis have done more to deliver on their responsibilities for security, political reform and governance," he said. "The question now is how do we get the Iraqis to take more responsibility? How do we shift responsibility as quickly and effectively as possible to the Iraqi army, the Iraqi security forces and the politicians there?"

He also said the U.S. commitment is not open-ended, as Gen. David Petraeus's testimony last week indicated.

"We're going to begin withdrawing troops this month," Sununu said. "Those will continue for the next six to eight months."

Shaheen, the first woman elected governor in New Hampshire, enters the race with high name recognition, an experienced staff and the ability to raise money nationally. Another Democratic challenger, Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand, dropped out and endorsed Shaheen on Saturday. Former astronaut Jay Buckey remains in the race, while activist Katrina Swett has been unclear about whether she still is running.

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By PHILIP ELLIOTT

The Associated Press