Lamontagne, Ayotte Locked in Tight Race

In the choice between a Tea Party-endorsed candidate or a Sarah Palin-endorsed candidate, New Hampshire Republicans seem undecided. Ovid Lamontagne, a businessman, led early in the night in the state’s GOP Senate primary over Attorney General Kelly Ayotte. Ayotte is the less conservative candidate, but had Sarah Palin’s endorsement, even earning Palin’s favored “Mama Grizzly” nickname. With nearly 51 percent of precincts reporting, Ayotte eked out a minor lead with 38.5 percent of the votes, compared with Lamontagne's 38.2 percent. Not only was Lamontagne favored by the Tea Party, he also was endorsed by the state’s largest –and one of the country’s most conservative – newspaper, the Manchester Union-Leader. Although a Republican has held onto the New Hampshire Senate seat for more than 30 years, Lamontagne has been trailing the Democratic candidate, Paul Hodes.