BEDFORD, N.H. -- Scoring one of the last major endorsements in New Hampshire, Mitt Romney announced Saturday night that he has been endorsed by Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas with exactly one month to go until the first-in-the-nation primary.

Gatsas, who leads the state's largest city and has served as the state Senate president, said Romney's electability was a deciding factor.

“After spending 25 years in the private sector as a successful businessman, Mitt knows how to balance budgets, fix broken enterprises and create jobs. He is also the strongest Republican candidate with the best organization to take on President Obama in 2012,” Gatsas said in a statement to NBC News.

“I am also impressed with the time and effort that he has invested in New Hampshire,” Gatsas added.

Gatsas, who endorsed John McCain in 2008 over Romney, will appear with the former Massachusetts governor on Monday morning at Manchester's Chez Vachon restaurant, a frequented stop on the New Hampshire campaign trail.

Romney also recently cemented the support of Sen. Kelly Ayotte, Rep. Charlie Bass and state Senate President Peter Bragdon -- and he has won a majority of key local endorsements.

"As a successful entrepreneur, Ted understands the challenges facing small business owners, and he has supported pro-growth policies tha twill help them create jobs,” said Romney. “I am proud to have earned Ted’s support."

Gatsas was reelected as mayor in a landslide in November. Before assuming public office, he co-founded Staffing Network, a company that became one of New England's largest employers. Gatsas has said publicly that he is considering a run for New Hampshire governor, to be vacated next year by Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat.

With the New Hampshire primary four weeks away, most of the major GOP endorsements have been snapped up. Two major players remain unaffiliated: Congressman Frank Guinta and state House Speaker Bill O'Brien.

O'Brien is widely expected to back another House speaker -- Newt Gingrich. Guinta recently told NBC News that he has whittled his list down to Romney, Gingrich, Jon Huntsman and Rick Santorum.

New Hampshire voters go to the polls Jan. 10.

GOFFSTOWN, PLYMOUTH, and DURHAM, NH -- Just days after Mitt Romney's New Jersey surrogate, Gov. Chris Christie, hit the road for Romney in Iowa, another New Jersey leader, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, yesterday campaigned for President Obama here in New Hampshire, where he criticized of Romney's oft-cited "private sector experience" and issued a few jabs at Christie himself.

"I like to punish people with facts," Booker told students at University of New Hampshire on Friday. "The other side often tries to distract you from the facts. Look at Mitt Romney's first ad! Blatant lies. You can't let people get away with that."

Booker, seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, questioned the flagship credential of Romney's campaign: business and private-sector experience.

“There is no natural correlation between private sector business experience and how you’re going to do,” Booker told reporters in Plymouth.

“Unfortunately New Jersey is seeing that right now with the private-sector business experience of our former governor and the challenges that he’s facing right now,” Booker added, citing former New Jersey Gov. and Sen. Jon Corzine (D), who has found himself in the epicenter of a controversy surrounding MF Global, a brokerage firm. “Is it the private -ector business experience of a Bernie Madoff?”

“Now, I’m not comparing Romney to those folks with all due respect," Booker said. "But I'm saying to you if you look at the presidents we all respect: Abraham Lincoln was a failure at business, was one of our greatest presidents. FDR didn't have private-sector business experience, but did a great job. John F. Kennedy was a phenomenal president that didn't have business experience. Those are false arguments. The reality is who has the better plan for the United States of America."

The Newark mayor, who has been considering a run for Senate and New Jersey governor, also jabbed his state's chief executive, Gov. Christie. Booker joked with students in Durham, "There's a very shy governor of my state -– you probably haven't heard of him because he's very soft spoken."

"My governor is a very pugilistic man, and he's up here punching at my president like crazy, saying outrageous stuff," Booker added. "I can't believe.. that the president is an 'appeaser.' I'm going to keep punishing people with the facts."

The Romney campaign was quick to respond to Booker's comments.

"The Obama Campaign’s decision to deploy a top surrogate to disparage private sector experience is insulting to New Hampshire small business owners and reminds voters of how out of touch this Administration is," Romney spokesman Ryan Williams said in response to Booker's comments.

Booker did not stop at Romney. He bluntly criticized the entire Republican presidential field.

"Most of them don't even believe in global warming. The other side doesn't believe that we should have expanded Pell grants," he said at Plymouth State University. "The other side doesn't believe that we should have greater equal rights for all Americans. The other side is attacking things that would help the middle class like having a payroll tax cut.

At each stop, Booker implored students and voters across New Hampshire to get out and fight against a "state of sedentary agitation" that he sees in the United States. He admitted Obama's health-care plan "was not perfect," but reminded voters that "change" required a sustained effort and a second term for Obama. His three-stop tour of Saint Anselm College, Plymouth State University, and University of New Hampshire was an effort to help win back young voters Obama may have lost during his first term.

"But I'm not just here to say vote for this guy," Booker said. "This is a state where we need people to get more organized, more involved. Wherever this state goes, it could take the whole country as well. The leadership in this state is critical in the coming months."

CONCORD, N.H. -- With polls showing Newt Gingrich surging ahead as the first candidate to be within 20 points of Mitt Romney in New Hampshire, Romney is kicking his campaign in the Granite State into high gear, as he hopes to close the deal a month out from the primary.

The former Massachusetts governor's campaign is blanketing the state's 10 counties with its first endorsement-focused mailer. According to the campaign, Sen. Kelly Ayotte -- who recently endorsed Romney -- and her husband will be featured prominently on one side of the all the literature. On the flip side, Romney will appear in a photograph with a Republican leader from each respective county, including sheriffs, state representatives and executive councilors. The postcard is expected to land in mailboxes this week. (Here's the mailer.)

Romney worked with hundreds of volunteers and knock on doors last Saturday in Manchester. The campaign said the volunteers also made thousands of phone calls as part of an effort that Romney hopes will demonstrate he is not taking his support for granted this cycle.

"Our campaign has spent months recruiting and building a strong grassroots organization," Romney spokesman Ryan Williams. "In the final weeks, we intend to activate our grassroots network in order to ensure Gov. Romney wins the primary. Our grassroots is second to none in New Hampshire."

On Sunday, Romney returns to the Granite State to take questions from New Hampshire voters in a town hall-style meeting at the Hudson VFW as part of conservative activist Jennifer Horn's final event in the "We the People Freedom Forum" candidate series.

The mailer and town hall come in the midst of Romney's on-air blitz, featuring a new ad, "Leader," airing across the state.

Meanwhile, other presidential campaigns are also doubling down in the final stretch to the Jan. 10 primary. Jon Huntsman will participate in a town-hall meeting in Milford Thursday evening. Gingrich returns to New Hampshire on Monday for a town hall and Lincoln-Douglas style debate with Huntsman, along with an editorial board meeting with the Nashua Telegraph.

MANCHESTER NH -- The Huntsman campaign has lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. The cash-strapped one-state operation will be seeing more of its candidate's face on the air -- thanks to a holiday television ad buy from the pro-Huntsman Our Destiny PAC.

According to a source familiar with the ad buy, Our Destiny PAC spent $650,000 to run television ads on broadcast and cable stations across New Hampshire from November 24 to 27. Another source puts the buy's size at $671,000.

The ad the Super PAC will air is the same "Someone" spot that debuted earlier this month, featuring actors' testimonials on the economy followed by a bold, flashy list of Huntsman's credentials. The spot will air in 30-second and 60-second variations.

This is the second ad buy by Our Destiny, a super PAC that is believed to be funded in part by the former Utah governor's billionaire father. Earlier this month, Huntsman told reporters he had not spoken to his father about advertising or the PAC.

"Anything from the outside that serves to bolster our efforts in New Hampshire, I am mighty grateful for," Huntsman said after a town hall meeting in Portsmouth.

The question remains how effective this advertising is for Huntsman, who remains in single digits here in New Hampshire. In today's New Hampshire Suffolk University/7News poll, Huntsman received support from just 9% of likely Republican primary voters, whereas Mitt Romney leads with 41%.

These numbers have not stopped Huntsman from barnstorming the state in the final seven weeks of campaigning, hoping to scoop up support from the wide swath of undecided voters. Huntsman has held more than 105 events in the Granite State, and many of the stops are populated with handfuls of curious undecided voters still searching for a candidate to back. The campaign says it's seizing on the opportunity to win over independents, and in step with that strategy, it has planned an aggressive town hall schedule this weekend across New Hampshire. The first-in-the-nation primary is Jan. 10.

Tonight's GOP debate on foreign policy and national security is also another opportunity for Huntsman to break out into more public view. Huntsman -- who has served as ambassador to China and Singapore -- has by far the lengthiest foreign policy resume of the field.

"Gov. Huntsman will demonstrate he has unique, deep foreign policy experience and distinguish his view of the United States' role in the world from the others on stage," spokesman Tim Miller told NBC News.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Mitt Romney remains the overwhelming favorite in New Hampshire with less than eight weeks to go before the first-in-the-nation primary, according to a new poll released Wednesday.

Forty percent of likely Republican primary voters named Romney as their choice in a nominee, according to a new Bloomberg News poll. But many voters also haven't made up their minds; 10 percent of voters are undecided.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul is in second, trailing Romney by 23 points, at 17 percent. Paul regularly hosts hundreds of supporters at campaign stops, and has been polling in the teens since this summer.

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich comes in third place with 11 percent, a significant increase from other New Hampshire surveys this fall that had him polling in the single digits. It's good news for Gingrich, who just last week opened his state headquarters and hired several new staffers. Another addition to his Granite State team are expected this week, along with a roll out of a New Hampshire-centric volunteer platform.

Eight percent of Granite State voters expressed support for Herman Cain in the aftermath of sexual harassment allegations against him. Cain will return to New Hampshire on Thursday for what his campaign is calling a "major rally" with several hundred voters.

Huntsman, who last night hosted his 100th campaign stop in New Hampshire, garnered 7 percent, to slide into fifth place.

Other candidates all fell below 5 percent. Texas Governor Rick Perry, who is campaigning in the state today and has aired television advertisements for more than a week, fell to 3 percent. Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann is polling at 2 percent and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum at 1 percent.

Bloomberg News surveyed 504 likely Republican primary voters by phone in New Hampshire from November 10-12. The margin of error is +/- 4.4 percent.

New Hampshire holds its primary on January 10, exactly one week after the Iowa caucuses.

HUDSON, N.H. -- Presidential candidate Rick Perry's gaffe during Wednesday's CNBC debate sent at least a few of his New Hampshire supporters running in the opposite direction. Tonight, a couple of them showed up at Jon Huntsman's town hall meeting at the Hudson American Legion in search of a new candidate.

Mike Valade of Hudson called himself a "Reagan conservative" who has voted in every New Hampshire primary since 1980. Until two nights ago, he was an ardent Perry supporter.

But not anymore. Friday evening, he said, he was "out shopping." He wasn't alone.

"We're looking for a clear articulate conservative spokesman for the Republicans against Obama," Valade said of his fellow New Hampshire Republican voters.

"Gov. Perry, who was a leading contender for that role, has fallen -- splat -- flat on his face in the mud. Nose in the mud," Valade told NBC News.

Citing Perry's last three debate performances, Valade said the Texas governor's inability to recall the third federal department he would eliminate was the last straw in what he called "distracted" appearances.

Jim Cole / AP

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Republican presidential candidate, smiles as Carter Mead shows off the decorations on his prosthetic leg during a tour of Next Step Orthotics and Prosthetics, Friday, in Manchester, N.H. Huntsman later held a town hall meeting in Hudson. Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, second from right, later introduced Huntsman at the Hudson meeting.

"Gov. Perry was the man. He had the political belief and the experience and background," Valade said with a sigh. "But he's proven he doesn't have the one vital element to make it happen. He can't stand up there and explain himself very well at all ... it's going to be required in this campaign, clearly."

Standing in the back of the American Legion banquet hall, Valade wondered aloud if the former Utah governor could win him over and feasibly snag the nomination.

According to the latest CBS/National Journal poll, Perry has dropped to garner just 8 percent of likely Republican voters, while Huntsman flounders at 1 percent nationally. In New Hampshire, both Perry and Huntsman got 4 percent in the Harvard/St. Anselm College poll last month.

Valade admitted Huntsman's tenure as Obama's top envoy to China bothered him a "little bit." At this point with his choices however, he does not consider it a deal-breaker.

"Romney doesn't have the views. Since Perry has self-destructed, I guess many people here are looking at maybe Gov. Huntsman to be that man," he said before the town hall began. Valade is also taking a second look at former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, a candidate who aggressively campaigns in New Hampshire but has fallen off the national radar in polling.

When Huntsman walked into the room, Valade stood in the back row and watched former Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge introduce the former ambassador to China.

Huntsman gave his standard stump speech in bits and pieces, using questions as prompts. He said he relished his underdog position, promising, "We will win New Hampshire."

As usual, Huntsman was wonkish on China, touted his Wall Street Journal-endorsed economic plan, and lacked specifics on social security and health care in what sounded like the umpteenth introduction of himself in a state in which he has focused his entire campaign. (Huntsman has done nearly 100 events here since June.) About 70 voters attended, a far cry from Perry's Granite State campaign stops which have attracted four times that. Several voters identified themselves as registered independents.

Meanwhile in the back row, Valade hoped to ask a question on tax reform. Ultimately he didn't get called on.

Eighty minutes of voter questions and answers ranging from drug legalization to campaign finance reform to foreign policy to job creation later, Valade seemed to have found a new home for his vote.

He sought out this reporter in the dispersing crowd to deliver his verdict. "Worthy!" he said excitedly.

"Huntsman is worthy," Valade reiterated as he rushed out the door. "Probably going to get my vote."

That is, for now.

CONCORD, N.H. -- After much political wrangling and calendar jockeying, the last piece of the presidential primary puzzle was finally put into place. The New Hampshire primary has been set for Jan. 10, one week after the Iowa caucuses, according to Secretary of State Bill Gardner.

"I was sort of on the edge of a cliff," Gardner said. "I was hoping if I had to move there would be a puddle of water to jump into."

The Jan. 10 date was widely expected. The way was cleared for New Hampshire to set its date after Nevada moved back to Feb. 4. Gardner had threatened to move the New Hampshire primary to as early as December of this year. Today, Gardner claimed his counterparts in Iowa and South Carolina were prepared to appear in New Hampshire to "stand in solidarity" with the Granite State, before Nevada pushed its date back.

"I want to point out, our friends in Iowa and South Carolina, particularly the state Republican chairs there," Gardner said, "they were very helpful at the critical time during the last month and ... demonstrating the solidarity of the early states. Both were willing to come here to demonstrate solidarity, if necessary."

According to state law, Gardner -- who has unilateral authority to set the date -- must schedule the primary at least seven days before any "similar event." But in 1996 and 2000, New Hampshire went just four days before Delaware. Many have argued Nevada was not a similar contest, because it is a caucus.

But shrugging off the controversy surrounding the date, Gardner said this wasn't even the most difficult decision he's had to make in setting the date, since he's been doing so since 1976.

"In my opinion, the most difficult was 1984," he said, adding, "We've been closer, if you consider the cliff being going the year before."

"I thought after the next cycle we wouldn't have to face this a again and I'm hopeful in the next cycle we won't have to face this again, but there is no simple answer."

Gardner also praised pressure brought on Nevada by the Republican National Committee.

"What they demonstrated, they were willing to do," he said, "help in that process. It was a good thing."

And, of course, he stressed the importance of the Granite State's primary.

"No one has finished below second and become president since we've started listing the candidates," Gardner said.

DURHAM, N.H. -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry will go on the air with his "I'm a doer not a talker" ad starting tomorrow in New Hampshire, according to the Perry campaign. The same ad began running in Iowa this week.

Senior Perry adviser Paul Young called this move a "significant statewide buy" that will put Perry on New Hamphire's WMUR new station and radio waves. The ad will also be aired on cable. The campaign would not elaborate on how much was spent.

Perry is currently polling in the single digits in New Hampshire.

By NBC's Jo Ling Kent and Alex Moe

CONCORD, NH and DES MOINES, Iowa-- While filing papers for the New Hampshire primary Tuesday, Newt Gingrich announced his campaign fundraising totals this month alone have surpassed the amount raised in the entire third quarter.

"As of today, [we] raised more money in October than we raised in the entire last quarter.  And we have more donors as of 2 days ago than we've had all the last quarter," Gingrich said.

Campaign spokesman R.C. Hammond confirmed to NBC News that Gingrich "surpassed the $800,000 mark today." According to the campaign, they have received 11,200 donations this month at an average of $75. Three out of four donors are first-time contributors.

This comes after Herman Cain said he'd been raising $1 million a week since Oct. 1. Gingrich's team gave no indication of how much exactly they've raised, just that it was more than the $808,000 it took in from July to September.

"There was a long stretch where we didn't have much resources and a lot of people thought we were dead," Gingrich told reporters.

Gingrich - who recently expanded his staff and hired a New Hampshire state director, Andrew Hemingway - also hired a former Michele Bachmann staffer. Matt LeDuc recently left the Bachmann campaign in the Granite State during the staff exodus this week, Hemingway confirmed to NBC News today.

The former House Speaker called this an "upward swing that gives us the resources to be more competitive" across the country. The Gingrich campaign's Iowa headquarters will be officially opening in the coming weeks.

"If we continue to improve at this pace, I think we'll be able to run a full-blown campaign and be totally competitive in terms of advertising and other things by the time we get to early January," Gingrich said.

“Money translates into ground game and ground game is important in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina,” Hammond said. The addition of paid Iowa staffers is forthcoming.

Gingrich also declared his commitment to competing in the New Hampshire primary, arguing that front-runner Mitt Romney will face a challenge in the state's contest despite the former Massachusetts governor's strong poll numbers that put him in a double-digit lead in the state.

"I do not believe that Governor Romney has a lock on this state," Gingrich said. "The governor has a strong lead here, but the campaign has only begun in terms of ideas and issues and drawing contrast." 

Gingrich is polling nationally at 8 percent, according to a recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

When asked why he felt momentum in his campaign, Gingrich credited his recent debate performances and criticized his fellow candidates.

"I do think that bickering is destructive for the Republican Party," he said of the debates. "I think that it diminishes the respect people have for the process..I think it's bad for the party."

CONCORD, N.H. -- New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner will likely end months of speculation surrounding the Republican primary season when he sets the first-in-the-nation primary date early next week.

Gardner originally signaled he would set the date today and went as far as preparing a press announcement, but ultimately decided wait until after the presidential primary filing period ends this Friday. The Secretary of State's office said Gardner wants to avoid any conflict with candidates coming into the office to file.

Gardner, who has served as secretary of state since 1976, set the 2008 primary date the day before Thanksgiving in 2007 for Jan. 8. He is widely expected to select Jan. 10 for the 2011 primary.

As of Monday night, 20 total candidates had registered to appear on the ballot and paid the 1000 dollar fee: 18 Republicans and 2 Democrats. Newt Gingrich files this afternoon; Michele Bachmann will file by mail; and Rick Perry will register noon Friday.