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A new poll in the four-way New Hampshire primary released on Friday shows conservative attorney Ovide Lamontagne surging into second place, though still trailing GOP establishment favorite Kelly Ayotte by double digits.

The automated poll of 887 likely voters in the open Sept. 14 primary was conducted by the Republican-affiliated Magellan Strategies three days after the influential New Hampshire Union-Leader endorsed Lamontagne.

The poll showed Ayotte, the former attorney general whom Sarah Palin has endorsed, leading with 34 percent, while Lamontagne had the support of 21 percent of likely voters. Businessman Bill Binnie, who was in second place in the previous Magellan poll that was conducted in May, came in third with 17 percent, and Jim Bender was stuck in fourth place at 13 percent.

Eleven percent of likely voters were still undecided, and four percent supported another candidate. The poll's margin of error was +/- 3.5 percent.

Independents are permitted to vote in New Hampshire's semi-open primary system, and Ayotte is not doing as well among independents as she is with Republicans.

Among Republicans, Ayotte leads Lamontagne 37 percent to 21 percent. She has the support of 26 percent of independent voters, while Binnie and Lamontagne garner 24 percent and 21 percent of independents, respectively.

Lamontagne has trailed his opponents in fundraising but has enjoyed growing grassroots support from the Tea Party movement.

Appearing on ABC News/Washington Post's "Topline" on Friday, Lamontagne touted his endorsement by the conservative Union-Leader and dismissed Palin's backing of Ayotte.

"New Hampshire primary voters are notoriously independent; they don't want to be told by Washington, party bosses or big money people who to vote for," Lamontagne said.

While the Union-Leader's endorsement is always highly coveted by Republicans candidates in New Hampshire, the paper also endorsed Lamontagne during his failed 1992 House campaign.

Meanwhile, Binnie has been on the receiving end of recent negative press over reports, which he has denied, that as chief executive of a plastics firm 21 years ago he was responsible for closing a U.S. plant and opening a new one in Mexico, allegedly taking away American jobs in the process.

The Magellan poll found that only 30 percent of likely voters now hold a favorable opinion of Binnie, while 54 percent have an unfavorable view of him.

Binnie has invested $3.5 million of his own money into his campaign and has been battling it out over the airwaves with Ayotte.

The winner of the primary will face 2nd District Democratic Congressman Paul Hodes in the general election.