The fact that Bernie Sanders’ 48-year-old son, Levi Sanders of Claremont, doesn’t live in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District apparently hasn’t deterred him from wanting to jump into the crowded Democratic field of candidates who want to succeed U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter.“Oh, absolutely. I’m definitely considering it. I’m excited, motivated and interested in the race,” Levi Sanders told Vice News Thursday. “I’m just dotting my i’s and crossing my t’s.”Supporters of Bernie Sanders told WMUR as far back as October, when Shea-Porter announced she will not seek re-election, that Levi Sanders was considering a bid for the seat. The younger Sanders could not be reached for comment for this report.While his father calls himself an independent, WMUR confirmed that Levi Sanders is a registered Democratic voter in Claremont. Bernie Sanders defeated Hillary Clinton by a lopsided margin of 60 percent to 38 percent in the 2016 first-in-the-nation presidential primary. While Levi Sanders may be hoping to capitalize on his famous last name, there are already seven Democrats and three Republicans in the congressional race. One of the Democrats, state Rep. Mindi Messmer of Rye, a Bernie Sanders supporter, called the news “interesting,” and added, “I don’t know why he wouldn’t run in his own district.”“I just think that New Hampshire people, people in this district, will ultimately make the decision, and I continue to work on helping the people of my district,” Messmer said.The younger Sanders resides in the 2nd District, which is represented in the U.S. House by three-term U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, who is seeking re-election. But he is not required to live in the congressional district he wants to represent.The U.S. Constitution requires that members of the House live in the state they represent, but not the districts.New Hampshire candidates have occasionally run for a congressional seat while living in the other district. In 2012, for instance, Dennis Lamare, as a resident of Lee, which is in the 1st District, challenged and lost to then-2nd District U.S. Rep. Charlie Bass in a Republican primary. Lamare received 4,263 votes, while Bass received 39,605.Secretary of State William Gardner told WMUR on Thursday night that in his 42 years as New Hampshire’s top election official he could recall no major Democrat or Republican candidate running for a New Hampshire U.S. House seat while living in the other district. “It’s very infrequent,” Gardner said. “It’s not common.”Sanders’ announcement did not go unnoticed by some key Democrats who backed Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid and are now on board with announced congressional candidates.Kurt Ehrenberg, Bernie Sanders’ New Hampshire political director in 2016, is now directing the campaign of former AFL-CIO president Mark MacKenzie, who also backed Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid. The MacKenzie campaign has hired the same consulting firm that handled Bernie Sanders' campaign.Executive Councilor Andru Volinsky was legal counsel for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign and is now endorsing fellow Executive Councilor Chris Pappas’ congressional campaign.Ehrenberg and Volinsky declined to comment on Levi Sanders.State Rep. Renny Cushing of Hampton, who was also a Bernie Sanders supporter, is solidly on board with Messmer.“I work every day with Mindi and see her fighting for a clean environment and health care and against income equality right here in the 1st District, and that’s who I’m supporting,” he said. “I’m not sure we need to have another candidate parachute into the 1st District to compete for the carpetbagger appeal.”“I don’t think it’s a good idea, but he can do what he wants,” added former state Sen. Burt Cohen, a Bernie Sanders backer who is now also supporting Messmer. “He can of course do what he wants, but wow … I just know that we have some great candidates in the race already.”Sources say that also last fall, Levi Sanders was considering running for the District 1 Executive Council seat, but decided against it.