(CNN) -- Former New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly Ayotte has squeezed out a narrow GOP Senate primary win over conservative challenger Ovide Lamontagne, the New Hampshire secretary of state's office declared Wednesday. Ayotte, the favorite among establishment Republicans, held less than a 1,000-vote lead over Lamontagne, a Manchester attorney and the 1996 Republican nominee for governor, with 85 percent of precincts counted, AP reported. The difference is less than 1 percent of the vote. The New Hampshire race didn't grab the national spotlight like the Republican Senate primary in Delaware -- where the more conservative challenger won -- but shared a similar storyline.
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NEW: Kelly Ayotte narrowly defeats Ovide Lamontagne
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Tea Party groups backed Lamontagne in New Hampshire's primary
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Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin backs Ayotte, calling her a "Granite Grizzly"
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The winner in November will succeed retiring Republican Sen. Judd Gregg
Ovide Lamontagne
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Ovide Lamontagne
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But recent surveys in the Granite State indicated that @placeholder had narrowed the gap with Ayotte.
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New Hampshire
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Palin's endorsement earlier this summer and Ayotte's support by many national Republicans may have backfired in fiercely independent @placeholder.