Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire: Another win for Sarah Palin?

In the battle of the election 2010 endorsements – tea party activists vs. Sarah Palin – it looks like Palin may have the edge in New Hampshire.

The seven-way Republican U.S. Senate primary came down to conservative attorney Ovide Lamontagne and former Attorney General Kelly Ayotte, with the race too close to call early Wednesday.

Lamontagne spokesman Jim Merrill said at about 2 a.m. that Lamontagne was calling it a night, but Ayotte campaign manager Brooks Kochvar said she was still watching results and was encouraged.

Ayotte held a slight lead – close enough for Lamontagne to legally request a recount if the margin held – with 85 percent of precincts reporting. Ayotte had 46,331 votes, or 38 percent, while Lamontagne had 45,352, or 37 percent.

Multimillionaire businessman Bill Binnie, who spent more than $5 million out of his own pocket pushing his jobs agenda, received 16,960 votes, or 14 percent, and conceded along with millionaire businessman Jim Bender, who got 10,507 votes, or 9 percent.

That left the two more conservative candidates to count votes into the next morning. Three others also were in the race but did not challenge for the nomination.
Lamontagne, who painted himself as the only true conservative in the race, held a slight advantage in early returns over Ayotte – former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's pick for the seat. But as the night wore on, Ayotte took a slight lead.

The winner hopes to win retiring GOP Sen. Judd Gregg's seat and face Democratic nominee Paul Hodes, who was unopposed.

Hodes said Tuesday night the Republican agenda is "extreme, radical and right wing." He said Republicans would take the country backward into the hole from which the nation is struggling to dig out.
"I'm running for the people of New Hampshire. I don't have to run against anyone," Hodes said.

Ayotte, 42, of Nashua, won the blessing from Palin, who calls her a "Granite Grizzly." Ayotte spent more than $2 million on her anti-Democrat, anti-federal spending campaign.

Lamontagne closed fast in the final days of the race despite spending only $400,000. Lamontagne, 52, counted on conservative groups, not money, to win the nomination.

"It's not how much money you have, it's the message," Lamontagne said Tuesday night.

In a fight over who is the most conservative, Ayotte won Palin's endorsement in July over Lamontagne, who courted tea party activists. Palin, the former vice presidential nominee, recorded telephone messages to voters that started Sunday praising Ayotte as "the true conservative" – a mantle Lamontagne had tried to claim as his throughout his campaign.

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