New Hampshire: Will GOP's pick or 'tea party' favorite win?
Most political eyes are on Delaware this Tuesday, wondering if Christine O鈥橠onnell can pull off one of the biggest upsets of the primary season in her race against GOP Rep. Michael Castle.
But six other states are holding primaries Tuesday, marking the virtual end of the long-running primary season. (Hawaii still remains; voters go to the polls there on Saturday.)
And in New Hampshire, another close race is being decided 鈥� also involving a "tea party" candidate taking on the establishment. But in this case, the dynamics are a bit more complex.
For one thing, backers are more split. Former state Attorney General Kelly Ayotte may be the GOP establishment's pick to take over Judd Gregg鈥檚 Senate seat, but she also has Sarah Palin鈥檚 endorsement. Ovide Lamontagne is the challenger to watch. He has the backing of most tea-party voters as well as the backing of Sen. Jim DeMint (R) of South Carolina, who, like Ms. Palin, has been busy backing national 鈥渁ntiestablishment鈥� candidates this election season.
"Kelly is one tough 鈥楪ranite grizzly鈥� who has broken barriers, fought off and locked up criminals, and stood up for New Hampshire families," Palin said in a robocall message to voters on Sunday. "She's the true conservative running for the US Senate in New Hampshire."
It鈥檚 always hard to gauge how much sway endorsements from national figures really have in a race. But it sets up an interesting test for Palin.
Ms. Ayotte is more moderate than Mr. Lamontagne, but this isn鈥檛 the first time Palin has gone against the typical tea-party choice. Also, she occasionally favors women who aren't as conservative as their opponents.
Ahead of the primary, gave Ayotte a slim lead. If she takes the nomination, she鈥檚 likely to breeze to a victory in November over Rep. Paul Hodes, the uncontested Democratic candidate. Lamontagne, on the other hand, might face more of a battle.
