Quick quiz: Which Senate Democrat will be speaking to a major fundraiser for the New Hampshire Democratic party this fall? If you guessed one of the four Democrats in the chamber running for president, you'd be wrong.

That's right, freshman Sen. Jim Webb will be heading north for the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner Oct. 20.

The Boston Globe broke the story yesterday.

Webb (D-Va.) has already enjoyed his fair share of the national spotlight after ousting Republican Sen. George Allen and handing the Senate over to the Democrats. He was tapped to give the reaction to President Bush's State of the Union address earlier this year.

The New Hampshire Democratic Party, which avoids offering the keynote to a presidential hopeful during an election year, chose Webb as part of their efforts to unseat Republican Sen. John Sununu in 2008.

"He was elected because veterans and working people in Virginia felt they didn't have a voice in Washington," said state party chairman Ray Buckley. "We've run into the same problem with John E. Sununu and I predict a similar outcome here in 2008."

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) spoke in 2006, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-In.) in 2005 and Gen. Wes Clark (D-Ark.) in 2004.

Don't read anything into the appearance in the Granite State, warned Webb spokesgal Jessica Smith, who found it amusing I asked about the senator's presidential ambitions.

"Senator Webb won a historic election in November on themes which increasingly resonate with the American people: economic fairness, government accountability and smart foreign policy grounded in diplomacy. He plans to deliver these same ideas at the JJ dinner in New Hampshire," Smith said.

Time will tell. There's been plenty of chatter about Webb's potential political future, including his mention as a possible vice-presidential pick.