Just a few weeks ago, the Alaskan Republican primary election for United States Senate seemed all but wrapped up. It looked to everyone like Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) was going to clinch the nomination and be the heavy favorite in the general election. Yet as of today it looks like the daughter of the former governor of Alaska may concede her race to the previously unknown attorney Joe Miller (R-AK). With the help from a few key endorsements and nearly $600,000 of Tea Party money, it seems Alaska may have a new Senator in Joe Miller.
Primary Peril
Over night Joe Miller went from the distant second for the Republican Senatorial Primary Election, to becoming a potent force and rivaling the incumbent, Senator Murkowski. The change occurred swiftly and the shift was even more dramatic. With endorsements coming in from Mike Huckabee (R-AR) and with nearly $600,000 of money being poured into his campaign by the Tea Party Express, Joe Miller moved steadily towards catching his opponent. His campaign relied heavily upon the idea that Murkowski had lost touch with her constituents and was a RINO (Republican in Name Only).
Perhaps the single most influential development in the race was the July endorsement from Sarah Palin (R-AK) for Joe Miller. The still popular, and electorally powerful former governor of Alaska threw all of her political weight behind him and helped him climb drastically in the polls. Just as she had done for Nikki Hayley (R-SC), John McCain (R-AZ), and Michelle Bachman (R-MN) Palin recorded a robo-call message asking people to vote for Joe Miller. Her and her husband also campaigned along side him and Todd Palin even wrote a fundraising letter for Miller's campaign. The combination of money, endorsements, and Palin power seems to have possibly overwhelmed Senator Murkowski. Counting restarted this morning for the nearly 15,000 absentee and early voting ballots that will inevitably break the tie.
News Flash
A few hours after initially writing this post Senator Lisa Murkowski conceded the race to Joe Miller. Although she stopped short of endorsing him, Murkowski said she had contacted Joe Miller and let him know her decision. According to unofficial results, Miller beat Murkowski by 1,668 votes as of last night when she conceded the race. Joe Miller is now the official favorite in the general election which pits him against Sitka Mayor Scott McAdams (D-AK).
Later,
Cody
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