As of press time, Ayotte led Lamontagne by little under 1,000 votes, taking 38 percent of the vote to Lamontagne's 37 percent, the Associated Press reported. The winner will compete against outgoing Representative Paul Hodes '72, D-N.H. for the Senate seat vacated by three-term Senator Judd Gregg. Hodes was the only Democrat running for the position.
Lamontagne, who sought the support of Tea Party activists, was considered a more conservative candidate than Ayotte, who was formally endorsed by former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin in July.
The Republican candidates in New Hampshire's senatorial race spent more than $9.5 million combined on their campaigns, according to the Boston Globe.
Multimillionaire and businessman Bill Binnie who according to The New York Times had received 14 percent of the votes as of press time spent the most on his senate campaign, with total costs of $6 million, more than $5 million of which came out of his personal coffers, according to the Globe. Ayotte spent $2 million and Lamontagne spent only $400,000 in campaign costs.
Attorney and public policy advocate Ann McLane Kuster '78, mother of Zach Kuster '11, won the race to fill the seat vacated by Hodes with 71 percent of the vote as of press time, according to the AP.
Democratic opponent Katrina Swett former National Co-Chair of Joe Lieberman for President and wife of former 2nd district Congressman Richard Swett received 29 percent of the Democratic vote, the AP reported at press time. Katrina Swett previously ran unsuccessfully for the same House seat in the 2002 primary.
The race between the two Democratic candidates was considered close in early August, as they had similar polling figures and fundraising totals, The Dartmouth previously reported.
"Ann McLane Kuster has done a lot for college students, and whenever I have met with [Kuster] in groups, she's really seemed to bode well with crowds," College Democrats President Ryan Tincher '12 said. "I feel like overall, Dartmouth would probably support [Kuster] more, partially because she is an alum and partially because she has done a lot for college students."
More than 1,000 grassroots activists and community leaders from more than 100 towns endorsed Kuster, according to her campaign website.
However, she was also criticized for her opposition to New Hampshire House Bill 1346 in the 2006 legislative session, which "declares that prescription information shall not be used, transferred, licensed, or sold for any commercial purpose except for limited purposes."
"A lot of really good people support Kuster, but the fact that she supposedly lobbied for drug companies just about did me in," said Jane McCarthy, a New Hampshire resident who voted at Hanover High School.
Charlie Bass '74, long considered the frontrunner among the Republican candidates, won the Republican 2nd district nomination, according to the Associated Press. Bass, who represented New Hampshire's 2nd district in the House of Representatives from 1995 to 2007, received 43 percent of the vote, The New York Times reported as of press time.
Republican races have seen mixed results with the introduction of insurgent conservative candidates.
In an upset in Delaware, candidate Christine O'Donnell, endorsed by both Palin and the Tea Party supporters, defeated Representative Michael Castle with 53 percent of the vote to win the Republican nomination to fill the seat left empty by Senator Edward Kaufman, D-Del., who is not seeking election, according to the New York Times. Former Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich won his bid in the Maryland gubernatorial race with 76 percent of the vote, despite Palin's endorsement of his opponent, Republican Brian Murphy.
Incumbent New Hampshire Governor John Lynch won the bid for the Democratic nomination in his fourth gubernatorial race, according to the AP. No previous New Hampshire Governor has served four consecutive terms, The Dartmouth previously reported. Lynch will compete against former Health and Human Services Commissioner and Assistant Attorney General John Stephen to serve New Hampshire in Concord, according to a report by the AP.
Tincher said he would not be surprised if Lynch received the Democratic nomination and said he anticipates that Lynch will win in the general election.
"Especially in this really tough election cycle for Democrats, [Governor Lynch has] held his own better than a lot of others, and I think that speaks to how well the people of New Hampshire think he's doing," Tincher said.
Former Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta will face off against Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, D-N.H., the uncontested incumbent for New Hampshire's 1st district Congressional seat. Guinta received 32 percent of the votes, the Times reported at press time.
In late 2009, Guinta was the anticipated winner of this close election. He defeated New Hampshire business executive Rich Ashooh and Sean Mahoney, publisher of Business NH Magazine.
Secretary of State Bill Gardner predicted an above-average turnout of 24 percent of registered voters, with 222,000 casting ballots in the Republican primary and about 152,000 voting for Republican candidates, according to the Union Leader.
Approximately 50,000 independents were expected to vote on election day, with 80 percent casting votes on Republican ballots.
Gardner predicted that most undeclared voters will vote in the Republican primary due to the more contentious nature of the GOP races, according to the Union Leader. Gardner also noted that "Democrats have never outvoted Republicans in a September primary," based on a review of New Hampshire elections since 1910, according to NH Insider.
This high rate of republican turnout corresponds with a nationwide trend. A report by the Center for the Study of the American Electorate indicates that the percentage of the of-age voting population casting ballots in both Democratic and Republican primaries has decreased since 1966. The trend has been steady and dramatic for the Democratic party, while less even and substantial for the GOP, according to Five Thirty Eight, the New York Times' political blog.
Members of the Dartmouth College Republicans and representatives from the several campaigns could not be reached for comment.
Staff writer Paulina Karpis contributed reporting to this article.
