AK-SEN

Joe Miller Ends Legal Challenge To Murkowski's Write-In Victory

Eric Kleefeld | December 31, 2010, 7:04PM

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Joe Miller

Alaska Republican Senate nominee Joe Miller, the Tea Party-backed (and Sarah Palin-backed) insurgent who defeated incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski in the Republican primary, only to then lose to Murkowski's write-in campaign for the general election, has now announced that he is ending his legal challenge to Murkowski's victory -- effectively conceding the race and ending the 2010 election right on New Year's Eve.

As the Anchorage Daily News reports:

Miller thanked his supporters and said the time has come to accept the "practical realities" of court decisions that have been unanimous in ruling against his challenge. He said he would remain a voice for smaller government, less federal spending and other issues favored by the tea party.

...

Miller, a self-proclaimed expert in Constitutional law, had his challenges to Murkowski's election thrown out by an Alaska Superior Court judge from Ketchikan, a unanimous Alaska Supreme Court, and a U.S. District Court judge in Anchorage. The federal judge, Ralph Beistline, said the case against Miller was so overwhelming that he ruled before the state even filed all its arguments opposing Miller's claims.

2010 elections

TPM Approves These Messages: Five Great Ads Of 2010 (VIDEOS)

Eric Kleefeld | December 31, 2010, 3:07PM

With the year 2010 coming to a close, and a truly raucous election season behind us (and another set to begin), let's take a look at a real highlight of the cycle: A sampling, even just a small one, of some great campaign ads we got to see over the past year.

Unlike some of our other lists, we're not talking about a mix of great ads and awful ones that took on a kitsch value. (I'm looking in your direction, "I'm not a witch. I'm you," and also at you, "Aqua Buddha.")

No, here we're talking about truly great ads that applied ingenuity, creativity and pure guts to an election. We're talking about the ones whose creators deserve accolades and good spots on campaigns for 2012 -- and might just get them.

So get out your popcorn and your New Year's alcohol, and watch our five picks.

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AK-SEN

Lisa Murkowski Certified As Winner In Alaska Senate Race

Jillian Rayfield | December 30, 2010, 3:32PM

The state of Alaska has certified Sen. Lisa Murkowski as the winner of the 2010 Senate race, following an almost two-month long court challenge by her opponent, Republican Joe Miller.

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AK-SEN

Federal Judge Throws Out Joe Miller's AK-SEN Lawsuit -- Murkowski To Be Certified

Jillian Rayfield | December 29, 2010, 9:04AM

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Joe Miller

A federal judge has dismissed Joe Miller's lawsuit over the Alaska Senate race, and has lifted his block on Lisa Murkowski's certification to her Senate seat.

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AK-SEN

Miller Won't Fight Murkowski Certification -- But Will Challenge In Federal Court

Jillian Rayfield | December 27, 2010, 12:07PM

Joe Miller and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

Joe Miller says he won't object to the state certifying Sen. Lisa Murkowski's apparent victory in the Alaska Senate race -- but that's not going to stop him from continuing his election challenge in federal court.

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AK-SEN

Alaska Supreme Court Rules Against Joe Miller

Jillian Rayfield | December 22, 2010, 5:39PM

Joe Miller and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

In a crippling setback for Joe Miller, the Alaska Supreme Court has ruled against him in his opposition to Sen. Lisa Murkowski's apparent Senate win, saying there are "no remaining issues raised by Miller that prevent this election from being certified."

Miller's suit argued that it was against state law for misspelled write-in ballots to count as votes for Murkowski.

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AK-SEN

Judge: AK Senate Race Should Be Certified By January 3rd

Jillian Rayfield | December 15, 2010, 10:08AM

Joe Miller and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

Alaska federal Judge Ralph Beistline set an expedited briefing schedule yesterday for Joe Miller's state Supreme Court appeal over the Senate race, and said that "most certainly, Alaska should have a Senator certified by January 3, 2011, even if subsequent events require that the Senator be replaced."

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AK-SEN

Joe Miller Appeals Election To AK Supreme Court

Jillian Rayfield | December 14, 2010, 8:51AM

Candidate for U.S. Senate Joe Miller (R-AK)

Last week, an Alaska judge ruled against Joe Miller in his suit over the Alaska Senate race. But Miller isn't letting a little thing like that stop him from continuing his fight, and yesterday he filed an appeal with the state Supreme Court.

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AK-SEN

Cornyn: I Hope Alaska Can Have Full Two Senators Soon (Really?)

Eric Kleefeld | December 10, 2010, 12:11PM

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has expressed his hope that litigation in the Alaska Senate race -- where Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski's apparent victory as a write-in candidate is being challenged by the Tea Party-backed GOP nominee Joe Miller -- ends soon and the state has full representation in the Senate. Hmm...

As Roll Call reports:

"We just have to be patient and wait for the judge to decide," said Cornyn, a former judge. "I understand that could be as early as [Thursday], and I hope it doesn't go on much longer because I think the people of Alaska deserve to have a Senator when we reconvene again in January, and not still have that up in the air."

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AK-SEN

Murkowski And Miller Lawyers Clash In State Court

Eric Kleefeld | December 8, 2010, 6:38PM

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Joe Miller

Attorneys for Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) faced off in state court today against the legal team of Republican nominee Joe Miller, in Miller's attempts to defeat Murkowski's write-in campaign. No ruling will come immediately today, but is expected to come by Friday.

As KTUU, the local NBC affiliate in Anchorage, reports:

Miller argues that write-in votes must name "Lisa Murkowski," exactly as her name appears on her declaration of candidacy, to be counted.

Murkowski's lawyers, who have intervened in the lawsuit, turned to a dictionary for their argument and say the word "appears" means "seems to be" and therefore allows elections officials to assume voter intent.

The state's attorney, Joanne Grace, agreed and says Miller's "standard of perfection" clearly disenfranchises voters.

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AK-SEN

Joe Miller: Nobody's Proven It'll Hurt Alaska If Senate Race Continues (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | December 6, 2010, 5:46PM

Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller (R)

Alaska Republican Senate nominee Joe Miller appeared today on Fox News with Neil Cavuto, and brushed off concern that his legal maneuvering to try to stop the apparent victory of incumbent GOP Senator and write-in candidate Lisa Murkowski would damage the state, by depriving it of a second Senator. Furthermore, he seemed to say that Alaska having a full complement of senators would only further the "fiscal destruction of the nation" if the other senator is Murkowski.

Cavuto asked about comments today from Alaska's Democratic Sen. Mark Begich, who called upon Miller to concede and not hold up the certification of Murkowski's win: "I'm sorry, but are you concerned, as Sen. Begich pointed out, that whatever your reasons -- and they might be perfectly justified -- Alaska stands a pretty good likelihood now of having just one senator for a while, when some of the biggest issues of our time are being debated."

"Yeah, and I guess the question becomes, is that one extra vote gonna be used to continue to grow government, continue the largesse, to continue earmarks -- to basically continue the fiscal destruction of the nation?" Miller responded. "And frankly, I don't think we need that.

"But you know, getting more to the point, I don't think anybody's actually proven there's gonna be adverse impact. Hopefully, this process can be resolved quickly, and before, you know, the January swearing-in date."

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AK-SEN

Alaska Dem Sen. Begich Calls On Joe Miller To Concede

Eric Kleefeld | December 6, 2010, 3:11PM

Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK) and Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller (R).

Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK) is now wading into the intramural Republican battle in Alaska, calling upon GOP Senate nominee Joe Miller to concede the race against incumbent GOP Senator and write-in candidate Lisa Murkowski.

As the Anchorage Daily News reports:

Begich, though, said it's time for Miller "to put Alaska interests ahead of personal ambition and allow the State of Alaska to certify Lisa Murkowski as the winner."

"Failure to certify the election could prevent Senator Murkowski from being sworn into office in early January when other new senators officially take office," Begich said.

...

"Without both senators, Alaska's interests will be at risk on critical issues from energy development to job creation and reducing the national debt in a way that's fair to Alaskans," he said.

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AK-SEN

Joe Miller Blames Native Alaskan Groups For 'Writing In Corruption'

Eric Kleefeld | December 6, 2010, 11:14AM

Senate candidate Joe Miller (R-AK)

In a column on Friday in the Washington Times, Alaska Republican Senate nominee continued to rail against the apparently successful write-in campaign by incumbent GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski. In this new column, entitled "Writing In Corruption," Miller blames the federally-charted Alaska Native corporations, which have a big presence in the state, for supporting Murkowski. They did this, he writes, in order to maintain a pipeline of federal earmarks that sustain them.

In this effort, he says, they formed a "super-PAC" called Alaskans Standing Together, which conducted all sorts of underhanded activities for Murkowski -- such as running an ad campaign against him, educating voters on how to cast a write-in vote, and getting out the vote with rides to the polls.

"AST hit the airways with hundreds of thousands of dollars in attack ads, making numerous false allegations regarding my positions and background. Within a mere three weeks, AST spent $1.2 million, inundating the Alaska market," Miller writes. "It also hired dozens of workers to travel to the villages to teach people how to vote for Lisa Murkowski. They even painted vans with AST's logo to bus people to the polls."

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AK-SEN

Miller: Murkowski's Seniority Doesn't Matter ... Because Earmarks Are Done (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | December 3, 2010, 10:35AM

Candidate for U.S. Senate Joe Miller (R-AK)

Republican Joe Miller argued yesterday that expediting his Alaska Senate lawsuit is unnecessary because there's no "evidence at all" that suggests Sen. Lisa Murkowski will lose her seniority if she's not seated by January 3. But even if she did, Miller said, who cares, because the House might ban earmarks anyway.

"What exactly are we getting for it?" he asked.

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AK-SEN

Judge Allows Murkowski To Intervene In Alaska Senate Lawsuit

Jillian Rayfield | December 2, 2010, 3:38PM

Joe Miller and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

An Alaska judge has allowed Sen. Lisa Murkowski to intervene in Joe Miller's lawsuit against the state over the results of the Alaska Senate race.

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AK-SEN

Judge Fast Tracks Hearings Over Joe Miller's AK-SEN Lawsuit

Jillian Rayfield | December 2, 2010, 10:49AM

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Joe Miller

An Alaska judge has expedited the schedule for Republican Joe Miller's Alaska Senate race lawsuit, setting arguments for next Wednesday and asking that attorneys on both sides complete any filings as quickly as possible.

Despite Miller's objections, Judge William Carey said: "We need to resolve this matter at this state court level just as soon as we can."

Miller's suit argues that the state acted unlawfully in counting misspelled ballots for write-in candidate Sen. Lisa Murkowski. He also alleges that Murkowski's ballots were held to a different standard because they were counted by hand, while his were counted by machine.

Murkowski waged a write-in campaign after losing the Republican primary to Miller, and managed to come out ahead by over 10,000 votes in the general election. Two thousand of those votes went uncontested by the Miller campaign in the initial count.

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AK-SEN

Joe Miller's Security Firm Won't Be Charged For Handcuffing Journalist

Jillian Rayfield | December 1, 2010, 10:39AM

Tony Hopfinger (right) and William Fulton (inset)

DropZone Security, a private security team hired by Republican Joe Miller for an October town hall, won't be charged for handcuffing and detaining Alaska Dispatch editor Tony Hopfinger.

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