WASHINGTON – An announcement by the National Republican Senatorial Committee that it will not give money or support to the Senate campaign of Kelly Ayotte or any other Republican Senate candidate running in a primary contest in 2010 makes no difference to the campaign, according to an Ayotte spokesman.

NRSC Chairman Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told ABC News that endorsements are "overrated," considering their potential for negativity and that his committee "will not spend money in a contested primary. There's no incentive for us to weigh in."

►Ayotte raising money on Capitol Hill (9)

As both parties scrambled yesterday to react to Cornyn's statement, they disagreed sharply over the impact of his words.

New Hampshire Democratic Party spokesman Derek Richer argued that the announcement was "devastating" for Ayotte and that her four potential primary opponents "must now smell blood in the water."

Cornyn's statement came on the heels of the GOP's Tuesday defeat in upstate New York, where a historically reliable Republican House seat was lost to a Democrat after a fight among Republicans over who should be their party's candidate. The moderate Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava quit the race at the last minute after conservative grassroots organizations and national figures such as Rush Limbaugh rallied around a more conservative candidate.

Brooks Kochvar, the campaign manager for Ayotte, who stepped down as state attorney general in July to run for the Senate seat, said the NRSC's announcement will not change what's going on in New Hampshire.

"It doesn't have any impact on our race at all," Kochvar said. "Her campaign has been focused on New Hampshire."

New Hampshire Democrats, in a statement Wednesday night, called the announcement a "serious blow" to Ayotte and questioned whether Cornyn should ask Ayotte to return the $10,000 he has donated to her campaign from his leadership political action committee.

"He can't say on the one hand he isn't involved in the primary while giving Ayotte $10,000 with the other hand," Richer said yesterday. "Half of that money is earmarked for use in the primary."

Kochvar said that if individual senators want to help or contribute to Ayotte's campaign, she welcomes their support, but she's focused right now on New Hampshire voters.

The Senate seat is being vacated by Sen. Judd Gregg. Second district Rep. Paul Hodes, currently in his second term in the House, is the only announced Democratic candidate.

"Paul Hodes and the Democrats can say what they want, but the fact is Kelly Ayotte has significantly more support from the state of New Hampshire," Kochvar said. "Paul Hodes's campaign is desperate. He's trailing in the polls, and they try to manufacture stories about her being a Washington candidate when Paul Hodes has never met a liberal special-interest group he doesn't like."

Sean Mahoney, a Porstmouth businessman and one of Ayotte's potential primary rivals, said the national committee's action will not affect his decision-making as he explores a possible Senate candidacy.

Nevertheless, Mahoney said, he appreciated Cornyn's remarks.

"New Hampshire has a long tradition of campaigns rooted in retail, grassroots campaigning, and I'm heartened to see the Washington elite recognize the vital role that grassroots Republicans will play in the primary next September," he said in a telephone interview.

Republican businessman Bill Binnie of Rye declared his candidacy for the seat on Wednesday and said yesterday that he also supports Cornyn's decision.

"The NRSC recognizes this campaign will be competitive and ultimately needs to be decided by the people of New Hampshire," Binnie said in a statement. "This is the right thing to do."

Joe Markman is an intern with the Boston University Washington News Service.