Voters in New Hampshire’s primary chose Sarah Palin–endorsed Kelly Ayotte over Ovide Lamontagne as the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate by a small margin. Palin, who dubbed Ayotte a “Granite Grizzly,” recorded telephone messages sent out to voters this Sunday calling Ayotte “a true conservative.” Ayotte spent more than $2 million on her campaign against the Democrats and federal spending. Lamontagne, who also billed himself as a conservative and courted the tea party, lost by a margin of 1.5 percent. Lamontagne’s advisers say he’s still debating a recount. [CBS News]