Contraception

Republicans Try To Erase The Contraception Wars

Sahil Kapur | April 10, 2012, 5:56AM

After a series of public embarrassments, and faced with polling data that suggests the GOP agenda is driving women toward the Democratic Party, Republicans may be tacitly acknowledging that kowtowing to their conservative base in an election year has some ugly ramifications.

But that doesn't mean they're chastened. They're just hoping everyone forgets.

Congressional Republicans abandoned their push to roll back the Obama administration's contraception guarantee for female employees weeks ago. But now they're hoping that they can wipe the crux of what Democrats have termed the GOP "war on women" off the books entirely.

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John McCain

McCain: GOP Needs To Give Up On Contraception

Sahil Kapur | March 18, 2012, 11:48AM

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)

Republicans need to "get off" the issue of contraception and "fix" the perception that the party has spurned women, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) declared Sunday.

The party's 2008 standard-bearer, now a Mitt Romney surrogate, was asked by David Gregory on NBC's Meet The Press whether he thinks that "there is something of a war on women among Republicans."

"I think we have to fix that," McCain said. "I think that there is a perception out there, because of the way that this whole contraception issue played out. We need to get off of that issue, in my view. I think we ought to respect the right of women to make choices in their lives, and make that clear, and get back on to what the American people really care about: jobs and the economy."

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Violence Against Women Act

Dems See Another Opening With Violence Against Women Act

Sahil Kapur | March 16, 2012, 7:39AM

Senate Democrats are pushing for Congress to reauthorize the normally noncontroversial Violence Against Women Act. But thanks to some expanded provisions that are inviting Republican objections -- along with a heightened political atmosphere that has made anything women-related volatile -- it has become plenty controversial.

Dems intend to exploit GOP divisions on the measure and portray some members' newfound opposition as evidence that the party intends to continue waging a "war on women."

"It will be very hard for Republicans to come out and oppose VAWA now after all they've done over the last few weeks to alienate women," a senior Senate Democratic aide told TPM. "This bipartisan bill should be a no-brainer, and hopefully Republican leaders see that and allow it to pass."

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contraception

Senate Republicans Backing Off Contraception Wars

Sahil Kapur | March 7, 2012, 5:30AM

From one top GOP senator openly lamenting the fallout of the ongoing fight over contraception, to the author of the controversial legislation at the heart of that fight effectively conceding defeat in the upper chamber, signs mounted Tuesday that suggest Senate Republicans want to put the birth control controversy to bed.

"You know, I think we've got as many votes as I think there were to get on that," Senate GOP Conference Vice Chairman Roy Blunt told TPM Tuesday afternoon after a weekly Capitol briefing. "I think the House side may take some further action. That debate will go on for a long time, though I don't know that there's anything else to happen in the Senate in the near future."

The concession marks a departure for the GOP leadership, which as recently as last week insisted that Republicans were on the right side of the issue and would fight on.

Last Thursday, after his amendment was narrowly tabled 51-48, Blunt vowed that, "The fight is not over." He had maintained that he wants to tack it onto legislation the president cannot veto. But on Tuesday, after a meeting with his caucus, he dialed down expectations for any further action in the Senate.

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Lisa Murkowski

Murkowski: GOP Has Spun Out Of Control On Contraception

Sahil Kapur | March 6, 2012, 4:38PM

Shortly after Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) admitted to her home-state paper that she regrets voting for the GOP's Blunt amendment, which was aimed at rolling back President Obama's contraception rule, she explained to TPM why the issue has weighed heavily on her -- and why she thinks it's damaging her party.

"I heard a lot [from my constituents] because it was in the news this weekend," Murkowski told TPM Tuesday afternoon after attending a weekly GOP policy lunch. "I will tell you, it's not so much just the discussion about contraception that the Blunt amendment precipitated. There's just an awful lot that's been going on. There have been some comments made by some of our presidential candidates. There was the incendiary comments made by Rush Limbaugh."

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Debt Ceiling

Democrats Eye Potential GOP Supporters Of Reid's Debt Limit Bill

Brian Beutler | July 29, 2011, 4:38PM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

John Boehner's debt limit bill, dead-on-arrival in the Senate, is on autopilot for passage in the House this evening. If as expected he sends it over to the upper chamber to be killed, he will actually speed up the process by which the Senate can pass its final debt limit bill, for parliamentary reasons outlined at the bottom of this post.

So the great guessing game in the Capitol right now is figuring out 1). Which Republican Senators will ultimately support Harry Reid's debt limit bill, and 2). What changes will have to be made to it between now and midnight to make sure enough of them are on board so the bill doesn't go down in flames in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

Right now, Democrats are looking to about 11 gettable GOP votes: Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME), Bob Corker (R-TN), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Scott Brown (R-MA), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Tom Coburn (R-OK). The last three were the Republican members of the Gang of Six deficit reduction group.

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Medicare

Senate Republicans Vote Overwhelmingly To End Medicare

Brian Beutler | May 25, 2011, 5:52PM

Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

The GOP continued its bloody walk into the Medicare buzzsaw Wednesday, when 40 out of 47 Senate Republicans voted in support of the House GOP budget, and its plan to phase out and privatize the popular entitlement program.

The test vote failed by a vote of 57-40. But the roll call illustrates that Medicare privatization -- along with deep cuts to Medicaid and other social services -- remains the consensus position of the GOP despite the growing political backlash against them.

Voting with all of the Democrats against debating the plan were Sens. Scott Brown (R-MA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME) -- both 2012 incumbents -- along with Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). Rand Paul (R-KY) voted against it because it wasn't radical enough.

Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Pat Roberts (R-KS), and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) did not vote.

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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Republicans Make Power Play To Gut Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Brian Beutler | May 6, 2011, 4:11PM

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL)

On Thursday, while House Republicans were dealing with a small Medicare privatization snafu, their Senate counterparts laid down an impossible marker. Forty four of their 47 members have signed on to a letter threatening to filibuster any nominee to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau unless it is dramatically weakened.

"We will not support the consideration of any nominee, regardless of party affiliation, to be the CFPB director until the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is reformed," reads a letter, co-authored by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), ranking member of the Banking Committee.

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Joe Miller

AK Elections Report: Even With Procedure Changes, Joe Miller Still Would Have Lost

Jillian Rayfield | April 4, 2011, 1:59PM

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

Alaska Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwall released the findings of a review of state election laws and proceedings on Friday, in the wake of the 2010 senatorial race contested by Republican candidate Joe Miller.

The report recommends a number of changes to election proceedings, but notes in the findings that "perhaps the single most important finding in the review is that no change in procedure or state law recommended would have changed the outcome of the 2010 General Election."

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AK-SEN

Joe Miller's AK-SEN Lawsuit Cost The State $100K

Jillian Rayfield | January 27, 2011, 11:57AM

Senate candidate Joe Miller (R-AK)

The state of Alaska paid about $100,000 to fight Republican senate candidate Joe Miller's failed challenge of Sen. Lisa Murkowski's win in November, according to testimony by an assistant attorney general.

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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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Death Panels

GOP Could Force Vote On 'Death Panels'

Brian Beutler | December 28, 2010, 12:55PM

President Barack Obama

Republicans could turn the cooked-up controversy over end-of-life counseling into a "Death Panel" vote next year.

If they fully embrace their new strategy, outlined here, Republicans could cherry pick politically-charged executive branch regulations and put vulnerable Democrats, particularly in the Senate, in a bind: vote for regulations that are unpopular with their constituents; or rebuke President Obama as he attempts to govern from the White House.

One of those regulations -- scheduled to take effect January 1 -- would achieve the Obama administration's goal of encouraging end-of-life planning. It works by paying Medicare doctors for counseling patients with terminal illness on their medical options -- including advance directives compelling doctors and families to forgo certain medical interventions like feeding tubes, IV fluids or respirators. Obama and congressional Democrats tried to include these incentives in their health care law, but were forced to nix it after Sarah Palin and other Republicans started referring to the provisions as "death panels" that could "pull the plug on grandma."

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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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Lisa Murkowski

Murkowski On Voting With Dems: No Biggie!

Brian Beutler | December 23, 2010, 8:45AM

One of the lame duck's biggest surprises was how reliably Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted with Democrats. Her "yes" votes on DREAM and DADT repeal arguably put her to the left of Democrats Jon Tester and Joe Manchin -- during the lame duck, at least.

As she darted out of the Senate chamber Wednesday afternoon TPM asked her if those votes would've been harder to cast if she'd never been primaried and was still a member of GOP leadership.

"Nah," she said, as the elevator doors closed.

So I guess that answers that.

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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START treaty

Dems Close In On START Ratification

Brian Beutler | December 21, 2010, 10:12AM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and President Obama

At this point it's all but certain that the Democrats will be able to ratify the new START treaty before the end of the week. Yesterday was a breakthrough, as key on-the-fence Senators announced their support or near support. But the dam fully broke this morning when Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) -- the Senate's third-ranking Republican -- broke with his leadership team, including anti-START ringleader Jon Kyl, to announce his support.

"I will vote to ratify the new START treaty," Alexander said on the Senate floor. Even after the arms reductions the treaty demands, Alexander said, the US will still have enough weapons to blow "enemies" to "kingdom come."

He joins Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) as the most recent Republican to announce their intent to support the treaty; Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) is widely expected to solidify his support for the treaty as well.

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Spending

How Mitch McConnell Convinced Republicans To Derail Dems' Spending Plan

Brian Beutler | December 17, 2010, 2:25PM

Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell approached the microphones for his weekly press conference on Tuesday with more sense of purpose than he's had since he tried -- but failed -- to derail the health care law in March. His goal this time was to kill the Omnibus spending bill, which his Democratic counterpart Harry Reid had just unveiled. Just as earlier this year, though, he didn't sound like a party leader who was certain he had the votes to kill it.

"I am actively working to defeat it," he said.

At that point, it looked like the package would sneak by with the help of a half-dozen or more Senate Republicans who don't have a religious aversion to earmarking. On Thursday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released a statement describing it as "on a glide path to passage." But as the week dragged on, more and more of those members started inching away from the spending bill.

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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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Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Murkowski: I'll Vote Yes On DADT Repeal If Debate Is Long Enough

Evan McMorris-Santoro | December 8, 2010, 3:59PM

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) has climbed off the Don't Ask, Don't Tell fence and decided to cast her vote for repeal. That makes her the third member of the Republican caucus -- behind Scott Brown (MA) and Susan Collins (ME) -- to say they'll vote to end the military's ban on openly gay service members, a number that should give proponents of repeal much to celebrate. It seems entirely likely now that Democrats have the necessary votes to block a filibuster of the defense authorization bill that includes the DADT repeal language.

But like Collins, Murkowski's vote comes with the stipulation that Democrats allow enough amendments for the debate to be deemed "open." Exactly what number that may be is the subject of much gnashing of teeth up here on Capitol Hill today.

As Greg Sargent reports, Murkowski's staff hasn't spelled out what her magic number of amendments is.

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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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Joe Miller

Miller: I Can Sue Over This Election But Murkowski Can't!

Jillian Rayfield | November 29, 2010, 6:03PM

Republican candidate for US Senate in Alaska Joe Miller

In the latest filing in the lawsuit over the Alaska Senate race, Joe Miller argues against Sen. Lisa Murkowski's motion to intervene in the suit, because she has not shown that the state cannot "represent her interests adequately."

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AK-SEN

Murkowski Files To Intervene In Joe Miller's AK-SEN Lawsuit

Jillian Rayfield | November 26, 2010, 10:10AM

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

Sen. Lisa Murkowski filed a motion on Wednesday to intervene in Joe Miller's lawsuit against the state of Alaska and the Alaska Division of Elections, arguing that she deserves to be a party to the suit "to keep those thousands of voters from being disenfranchised by Mr. Miller."

In the motion, Murkowski's attorney Scott M. Kendall wrote that "there are numerous critical issues facing our nation and Alaskans deserve to have full representation in the United States Senate."

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AK-SEN

Norm Coleman To Joe Miller: It's 'Time To Move On' (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | November 24, 2010, 2:23PM

Fmr. Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN)

Even Norm Coleman thinks it's time for Joe Miller to give up his Alaska Senate fight. "I think that race is over," Coleman said in an interview that will air this Sunday on C-SPAN's Newsmakers. "I think the counting's been done I'm not sure there's anything that would change that."

"It should be time to move on," he said. "There's not much that you can gain by extending the process."

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AK-SEN

Miller And Murkowski Squabble Over Court Location For AK-SEN Hearings

Jillian Rayfield | November 24, 2010, 10:31AM

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

In the latest dispute in the Alaska Senate race, Joe Miller and Lisa Murkowski are debating where to hold the hearings over Miller's lawsuit in state court. Murkowski, who announced Monday that she would attempt to intervene as a party on the state's side of the case, argues that the case should be heard in Juneau, where the write-in vote count was held. Miller wants the suit heard in Fairbanks.

The tea party-backed Miller won a surprise victory over Murkowski in the Republican primary, only to fall short to her historic write-in bid in the general election. Murkowski has declared victory and the AP has called the race for her -- though the state hasn't certified the result yet.

The court has yet to decide whether to accept Murkowski's attempt to become a part of the suit, which she said was an attempt "to keep those thousands of voters from being disenfranchised by Mr. Miller."

Her campaign manager Kevin Sweeney says the campaign will file a motion over the location if the state won't, KTUU reports.

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AK-SEN

Joe Miller's New AK-SEN Claim: Multiple Ballots Had The Same Handwriting

Jillian Rayfield | November 23, 2010, 10:46AM

Republican Joe Miller filed his lawsuit in state court yesterday, after a federal judge ruled that his complaints over the Alaska Senate race were under the state court's jurisdiction.

In the latest filing, Miller makes two new arguments, including the claim that in several precincts, "the handwriting on many or all of the write-in ballots appears to be from the same person, or the same small group of 2 to 4 people," therefore signifying that the write-in vote was not written by the voter him or herself.

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AK-SEN

Which GOPers Have Abandoned Joe Miller's Alaska Senate Fight?

Jillian Rayfield | November 23, 2010, 8:32AM

Mike Huckabee, Joe Miller, and Jim DeMint

Republican Joe Miller is not showing any signs of giving up his fight against Sen. Lisa Murkowski's win in the Alaska Senate race. But the sounds of silence from his Republican (former?) friends is starting to speak volumes...

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AK-SEN

Joe Miller Will Likely File Suit In State Court Today Over Alaska Senate Race

Jillian Rayfield | November 22, 2010, 10:44AM

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

Today is Joe Miller's deadline for filing suit in state court over the Alaska Senate race, following a federal judge's order that the election certification be delayed pending a review by the state court.

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AK-SEN

Colbert: Congratulations On Your Win, Joe Miller (VIDEO)

David Taintor | November 19, 2010, 11:30AM

Stephen Colbert

Stephen Colbert last night had a bit of breaking news, declaring "tea party favorite and groomed yeti" Republican Joe Miller the winner in the Alaska Senate race.

The AP has already declared write-in candidate and incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski the winner, and the Alaska GOP has urged Miller to concede gracefully. But that didn't stop Colbert from celebrating.

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