CT-SEN

Poll: Dems Hold Double-Digit Leads In Race For Lieberman's Seat

Jon Terbush | March 24, 2011, 8:44AM

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT)

A new PPP poll of registered voters in Connecticut shows Democrats with big leads in hypothetical match-ups for the seat being vacated by Sen. Joe Lieberman (CT-I).

In the poll, two potential Democratic candidates, Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz and Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT), comfortably led a number of potential GOP challengers, posting double-digit leads in every potential match-up included in the survey.

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ND-SEN

Kent Conrad To Retire

Eric Kleefeld | January 18, 2011, 9:56AM

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)

In a big development for the 2012 Senate races, Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) is set to announce that he is retiring, the Washington Post reports -- opening up a red-state seat that could be very tough for the Dems to hold.

A moderate Democrat, Conrad was first elected to the Senate in 1986. He initially retired in 1992, but was then elected to the state's other Senate seat in a late 1992 special election -- making him the only person to have ever held both of his state's Senate seats during the same day, when he was sworn in from one to the other. He was re-elected easily in 1994, 2000 and 2006.

He was one of the Democrats who helped sink the public option during the health care reform debates, but also helped to provide the 60th vote to pass the health care bill that ultimately did pass and was signed into law by President Obama.

His historically Republican state took an even bigger swing to the right in the past year, though. His fellow Dem Senator Byron Dorgan retired, with Republican John Hoeven easily winning the seat, and Democratic Rep. Earl Pomeroy was defeated for re-election.

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CT-SEN

Report: Dem Susan Bysiewicz To Run Against Joe Lieberman

Eric Kleefeld | January 18, 2011, 9:44AM

Former Connecticut Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz (D)

Former Connecticut Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz (D) is set to declare that she is running for the Senate seat now held by independent Sen. Joe Lieberman -- who, of course, still sits as a member of the Senate Democratic caucus.

The Connecticut Mirror reports:

A friend briefed on her Senate plans said that Bysiewicz, who won statewide races for secretary of the state in 1998, 2002 and 2006, intends to circulate a pollster's memorandum detailing findings that she remains well-known and popular.

Her announcement is likely to nudge U.S. Reps. Chris Murphy and Joe Courtney, who also are considering a run for the Democratic nomination for Senate, toward a decision.

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TX-SEN

Texas Sen. Hutchison Won't Run Again In 2012

Eric Kleefeld | January 13, 2011, 1:25PM

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)

We now have an open Senate seat in Texas -- which should likely be a safe GOP hold, but also provide a lot of fun in the 2012 primary season. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has officially announced her much-expected retirement.

The Dallas Morning News reports:

In a letter to supporters, Hutchison said she enjoyed serving Texas.

"I am announcing today that I will not be a candidate for re-election in 2012," she wrote to supporters. "That should give the people of Texas ample time to consider who my successor will be."

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NV-SEN

What The Cluck? Lowden Ready To Run Again (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | January 7, 2011, 6:37PM

Sue Lowden

Sue Lowden might not be done kicking up the dust in Nevada politics. In an interview just now with Chris Matthews, the former Nevada Senate candidate, who lost the Republican primary last year, was asked whether she might run for the Senate in 2012, if scandal-plagued incumbent Republican Sen. John Ensign were to retire. And on top of that, you might be surprised to hear what she's doing now.

"If John Ensign doesn't run, and Congressman Dean Heller decides not to throw his hat in the ring, I would think about it seriously," said Lowden.

"But you don't want to beat Heller?" Matthews asked

"I don't think I can beat Heller," Lowden said, laughing. "I mean, that's an honest answer it's a very honest answer."

What's the matter, Sue Lowden -- chicken?

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2010 elections

Neva-d'oh! 68% Of Nevadans Regret Nominating Sharron Angle

Jon Terbush | January 7, 2011, 8:45AM

Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle (R)

If Nevada voters could do it over again, they'd really, really like to nominate someone not named Sharron Angle, according to a new PPP poll.

In the poll, 68% of Nevadans said they think Republicans should have nominated someone other than Sharron Angle to challenge Sen. Harry Reid last year. Only 21% said the GOP did the right thing in nominating Angle, and 11% had no opinion.

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2010 elections

Feingold, Specter To Teach law

Eric Kleefeld | January 6, 2011, 12:41PM

Former Sens. Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Arlen Specter (D-PA)

Two former U.S Senators who lost their seats in 2010 are landing on their feet -- they can no longer make the law, but they will now teach it in their home states.

Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), who was defeated in November by Republican Ron Johnson, is now going to be a visiting law professor at Marquette University. As the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports:

"I'm really excited about trying out some new things," the former Democratic senator said in an interview Wednesday, speaking in some detail about his future for the first time since he was defeated by Republican Ron Johnson in November. "I'm going to be very, very happy to be in Wisconsin almost full-time for the first time in many, many years."

It makes a lot of sense that Feingold would become a law professor back home, given the support he long enjoyed from students. Also, all those ethics laws he passed would probably make it hard for him ever get a job on K Street.

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Ben Nelson

Ben Nelson's Office Reposts CQ Rating As Most Independent Dem

Eric Kleefeld | January 4, 2011, 2:54PM

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE)

You might have seen that Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) has been rated by CQ as the Democratic Senator most likely to cross party lines. And if you haven't heard about it, it turns out that his office is also stepping in to publicize it.

The ratings found that Nelson voted with the Democrats on just under 54% of "party unity" votes -- Senate motions where a majority of the Democratic caucus votes opposite to a majority of Republicans. The runner-up was Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN), who has retired, and who sided with the Dems on 68% of party unity votes.

Today, Nelson's Senate office reproduced on their "Nelson In The News" section an article from the Omaha World-Herald, the state's largest newspaper, which picked up on the story.

I asked Nelson's communications director Jake Thompson, was the office trying to send a particular message by reposting that article on their site? "No, not really," said Thompson. "If you look, it's really just case by case, I thought it was an interesting article. CQ is something you have to subscribe to, so people might not have access to the numbers. I thought it was a way to let people know about it."

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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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Congress

On The Floor: Ten Great Moments From Congress In 2010 (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | December 27, 2010, 8:33AM

As the year comes to a close, and we look ahead to all the wild and wacky things that are sure to happen in the new Republican-controlled House and only narrowly Democratic-controlled Senate, let's take a look back at the past year. A whole lot of amazing and memorable moments happened not only on the campaign trail, but on the two Congressional floors in the Capitol itself.

We've gathered together 10 unforgettable moments from the House and Senate in 2010. Some of them are great -- while others are just so bad that they're good.

But all of them give some perspective on the people who have been running our government, or who are about to have even more power next year. So sit back, relax, and laugh -- because it's better than crying.

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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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MO-SEN

PPP Poll: Dem Sen. McCaskill Faces Tough Race In 2012

Eric Kleefeld | December 1, 2010, 4:00PM

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO)

A new survey of Missouri from Public Policy Polling (D) shows a close race in 2012 for Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill.

McCaskill was tested against three potential Republican nominees, with all trial heats ending up within the margin of error: Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder leads McCaskill 46%-44%; McCaskill edges former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman, who just declared her candidacy today, by 45%-44%; and former Sen. Jim Talent, who lost to McCaskill in the Democratic wave year of 2006, leads her 47%-45.

The survey of registered voters has a ±4.3% margin of error.

A key number here is that President Obama's approval rating in this perennial swing state is currently at just 43%, with 52% disapproval. McCaskill's approval rating as a senator is also only 43%, with disapproval at 44%.

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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Polling bias

Pew Study Finds Republican Bias In Landline-Only Polls

Marc Kilstein | November 23, 2010, 8:18AM

For years, people have contended that a right-leaning bias exists in public opinion polls that fail to consider cell phone users. This argument has some new backing-- a Pew Research Center report released Monday suggests that polls based on landline-only samples do, in fact, suffer from a Republican bias.

The report, which confirms findings from a mid-October study, suggests that support for Republican candidates is significantly higher when a survey's sample is composed only of landline telephone respondents, rather than both landline and cell phone users ("dual frame samples"). Pew calculates a bias among likely voters in 2010 that is about twice as large as the statistical skew evident in 2008 landline-only election surveys.

In the October study, Pew looked at four 2010 election polls and found that in three of them, "estimates from the landline samples alone produced slightly more support for Republican candidates and less support for Democratic candidates, resulting in differences of four to six points in the margin." In the latest study, it was determined that Republicans were favored in landline-only likely voter surveys by an average of 5.1 percentage points more than they were in polls with dual frame samples. In the 2008 presidential election, Barack Obama's lead over John McCain was on average 2.4 percentage points smaller in landline samples.

For a single-poll example of this trend, Pew's final pre-election poll found Republicans leading the congressional generic ballot question 51%-39% for the landline-only sample, whereas the lead narrowed to 48%-42% when cell phone interviews were also considered. Currently, the analysis notes, House Republicans lead by a seven-point margin.

While Americans are undeniably growing more reliant on cell phones, there are still those who have access to both a landline and cell phone ("dual users"). The report suggests that dual users who are reached by cell phone differ demographically and attitudinally from dual users reached on their landlines. As such, another bias emerges-- those reached by cell phone, who "are younger, more likely to be black or Hispanic, less likely to be college graduates, less conservative and more Democratic," gave the GOP a five-point advantage in the congressional generic ballot question, whereas Republicans led by 12-points among dual users reached by landline. Pollsters are thus faced with yet another bias to counter, as polling for the 2012 elections is already well underway.

For Pew's complete report, click here.

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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Tim Profitt

Kentucky Stomper's Attorney: Tape Shows 'My Client Is Justified' (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | November 19, 2010, 11:41AM

Tim Profitt, the former Rand Paul county coordinator who stomped on a MoveOn activist's head outside the final debate of the Kentucky Senate race in October, finally got his day in court yesterday. And though Profitt didn't say much, his lawyer told reporters that the notorious video of Profitt's foot crushing down on MoveOn activist Lauren Valle actually shows Profitt had been subject to a smear campaign.

Profitt appeared in a Lexington, KY court and pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge stemming from the incident, which briefly defined the Kentucky Senate race before Paul, the Republican nominee, won in a landslide Nov. 2.

The court was packed with folks trying to catch a glimpse of the Kentucky Stomper, according to reports from the ground. And though Profitt's been willing to discuss the incident before (like that time when he blamed a bad back for stepping on a woman that was being held down on the ground,) in court and afterward he kept his mouth shut.

His lawyer, however, laid out a defense to the charges that partly hinged on the video that got Profitt in trouble in the first place.

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AK-SEN

Miller Files Injunction In AK-SEN, Asks For A Recount

Jillian Rayfield | November 19, 2010, 11:07AM

Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller (R)

Republican Joe Miller is officially not giving up in the Alaska Senate race.

Yesterday, he filed an injunction in federal court to stop the race from being certified for write-in candidate Sen. Lisa Murkowski. He also requested that all of the votes in the election be recounted.

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Alaska Republican Party

Alaska GOP To Joe Miller: Give It Up, Dude

Jillian Rayfield | November 18, 2010, 11:41AM

Senate candidate Joe Miller (R-AK)

Joe Miller may not be ready to give up on the Alaska Senate race, but the Republican Party of Alaska sure is.

In a statement yesterday, AK GOP Chairman Randy Ruedrich said: "This was a free and fair election. It is now time to look forward. We call on Joe Miller to respect the will of the voters and end his campaign in a dignified manner. We have every expectation that Joe will do the right thing."

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AK-SEN

Murkowski Declares Victory, Says 'Reality' Might Not Have Hit Miller Yet

Jillian Rayfield | November 18, 2010, 10:08AM

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

Sen. Lisa Murkowski declared victory last night after a nearly unprecedented write-in campaign for Alaska Senate, beating out Republican nominee and Tea Party favorite Joe Miller. "I think we can say our miracle is here," Murkowski said at a rally in Alaska last night.

And when making the rounds on the cable news shows last night and this morning, Murkowski was confident that though Miller is not giving up yet, "you just can't convince me that a recount is going to change the outcome of this."

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AK-SEN

Fox News' Neil Cavuto To Joe Miller: Do You Feel Like Custer Right Now? (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | November 17, 2010, 6:03PM

Now that the AP has called the Alaska Senate race for Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Neil Cavuto wants to know this of Republican Joe Miller: "Do you feel a little like Custer right now?"

On Fox News this afternoon, Miller told Cavuto that "it's not a question as to how I feel, it's a question as to whether or not the voters of the state of Alaska deserve to have a consistent standard applied to the future, whether or not they deserve integrity in the vote. And those questions aren't answered yet."

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AK-SEN

AP: Murkowski Wins Alaska Senate Race

Jillian Rayfield | November 17, 2010, 3:04PM

Lisa Murkowski R-AK

Write-in candidate Sen. Lisa Murkowski has won the Alaska Senate race, according to the Associated Press.

That call comes more than two weeks after the polls closed in Alaksa. State elections officials announced that there were only 700 votes left to count, with Murkowski holding a 10,000-vote lead over her opponent, Republican nominee Joe Miller.

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AK-SEN

Murkowski Flying Home Today As AK-SEN Vote Count Ends

Jillian Rayfield | November 17, 2010, 1:29PM

Just over a week after returning to D.C. for the lame duck session, Sen. Lisa Murkowski is flying back to Alaska as the count of write-in votes looks to be wrapping up today. And it appears that she could declare victory in the Senate race.

Murkowski campaign manager Kevin Sweeney told the New York Times that Murkowski will hold an event in Anchorage tonight for supporters, and "she will comment on the election once all the votes are counted tomorrow afternoon."

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AK-SEN

Murkowski: I Don't Blame The GOP For Supporting Miller

Jillian Rayfield | November 17, 2010, 11:26AM

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

Sen. Lisa Murkowski said yesterday that she doesn't blame her felllow GOPers for throwing their weight behind the tea party-backed Joe Miller in the Alaska Senate race. "I knew that by running as a write-in candidate, I would not be my party's nominee," she said. "I could not expect that same level of support that other party nominees would have, and that's the simple reality of it."

Murkowski launched her write-in campaign after losing to Miller in the Republican primary, and now looks poised to win as the state finishes counting the write-in ballots.

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AK-SEN

Murkowski's AK-SEN Lead Nearly Insurmountable -- Miller Demands Recount

Jillian Rayfield | November 17, 2010, 10:06AM

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

Write-in candidate Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is now leading Republican nominee Joe Miller by 10,400 votes in the Alaska Senate race. Though the Miller campaign has challenged a portion of those votes, Murkowski is still leading by 2,247 uncontested ballots, giving her what seems to be an insurmountable lead over Miller.

But Miller is not done yet -- his campaign is now calling for the Division of Elections to recount all of the ballots, not just the write-ins, by hand, citing "past problems with machine counting" that give Murkowski an edge over Miller since her votes were all counted by hand.

Murkowski launched her write-in campaign after losing the Republican primary to the tea party-backed Miller. Write-in candidates received 41% of the vote in the general election, which forced a count of the ballots to see how many were for Murkowski.

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AK-SEN

Murkowski Pulls Ahead Of Miller In Alaska Vote Count

Jillian Rayfield | November 16, 2010, 10:28AM

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

In another setback for Republican Joe Miller's Alaska Senate campaign, write-in candidate Sen. Lisa Murkowski has pulled ahead by about 1,700 votes.

Murkowski launched her write-in campaign after losing the Republican primary to the tea party-backed Miller. Write-in candidates received 41% of the vote in the general election, which forced a count of the ballots to see how many were for Murkowski.

She now leads with about 92,000 votes, but that includes roughly 7,600 votes that were challenged by the Miller campaign.

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AK-SEN

Lisa Murkowski Says Sarah Palin Is No Leader, Lacks 'Intellectual Curiosity' (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | November 16, 2010, 9:25AM

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) doesn't have much faith in Sarah Palin's ability to be president, and said as much to known Palin nemesis Katie Couric on CBS last night. "I just do not think that she has those leadership qualities, that intellectual curiosity that allows for building good and great policies," Murkowski said. She added: "I don't think that she enjoyed governing."

"She would not be my choice for president," Murkowski said.

Read more »

AK-SEN

Joe Miller Still Confident He Can Win -- His Lawyers, Not So Much

Jillian Rayfield | November 15, 2010, 10:00AM

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

Republican Joe Miller is still confident about his lead in uncontested write-in ballots in the Alaska Senate race against Sen. Lisa Murkowski, despite Murkowski's steady gains since the count started five days ago. "If current trends hold, Miller and Murkowski will likely end up in a dead heat in the uncontested ballot count," the Miller campaign said in a press release.

But even if his lead among the uncontested ballots gives Miller hope, the departure of half of his legal team from Juneau over the weekend could be a sign that the Miller team thinks a lawsuit over contested ballots will be unnecessary, and that Murkowski will win outright with uncontested ballots.

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AK-SEN

Joe Miller's New Advisor: Birther, Citizens United Founder, 'Willie Horton' Ad Mastermind

Jillian Rayfield | November 15, 2010, 8:44AM

Floyd Brown and Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller (R)

Joe Miller has a new advisor to help him with his war on spelling in the Alaska Senate write-in count -- and it's Floyd Brown, the infamous conservative strategist behind the "Willie Horton" TV ad in the 1988 presidential campaign, the co-founder of Citizens United and the birther-friendly blogger.

Miller beat Sen. Lisa Murkowski in the Republican primary, but now appears to trail her write-in campaign in the general election. Write-in ballots are currently being examined to see how many are for Murkowski.

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AK-SEN

Sarah Palin PAC Gives $5K To Joe Miller For Write-In Fight

Jillian Rayfield | November 12, 2010, 1:19PM

Joe Miller and Sarah Palin

Republican Joe Miller's fight over the Alaska Senate write-in count just got a little help from an old friend. Sarah Palin's SarahPAC donated $5,000 to Miller's campaign yesterday, The Associated Press reports.

Miller beat Sen. Lisa Murkowski in the Republican primary, but now appears to trail her write-in campaign in the general election. Write-in ballots are currently being examined to see how many are for Murkowski.

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AK-SEN

Joe Miller Says Second Lawsuit Is Possible Over Voter Fraud Allegations

Jillian Rayfield | November 12, 2010, 11:28AM

Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller (R)

In Republican Joe Miller's latest effort to question the results of the Alaska Senate race, his campaign has set-up a voter fraud hotline to handle all of the "serious allegations of fraud, voter intimidation and voter bullying" that have been surfacing since election day, and says that his team may file a lawsuit for information pertaining to the claims.

The tea-party backed Miller, who beat Sen. Lisa Murkowski in the Republican primary, now appears to trail her in the general election. Murkowski launched a nearly unprecedented write-in campaign -- and the write-in votes outnumber votes for Miller by thousands. Write-in ballots are now being examined to see how many are for Murkowski.

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AK-SEN

Miller Camp Accused Of Frivolous Vote Challenges As Counting Continues

Eric Kleefeld | November 12, 2010, 8:35AM

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

The campaign of Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is publicly accusing her opponent, Republican nominee Joe Miller, of launching frivolous challenges against write-in ballots for the incumbent. And for its part, Team Miller simply maintains that they are trying to uphold the letter of the law, making sure any votes for Murkowski have her name written in properly.

But as the counting goes on, both media monitors and Murkowski poll watchers keep finding evidence that the Miller campaign might be interested in more than just the letter of the law.

Miller has maintained that the strict interpretation of the statute, requiring an exact spelling of Murkowski's name as it was written on her declaration of write-in candidacy, is the only standard by which votes for her should be counted. Initially, Miller pitched the idea that misspellings of Murkowski's name are not votes for her at all, but rather protest votes against her campaign to educate voters on how to spell her name for writing it in.

In an unsuccessful lawsuit to stop the vote-counting, his campaign argued against state officials using a more liberal voter-intent standard, which they say is backed up by case law, that would pardon some degree of spelling errors. Counters are simultaneously counting some challenged ballots while setting them aside for the spelling issue, in case the officials are reversed; in the mean time, Miller's camp is challenging any ballot they think they're entitled to -- even, it seems, some that many people would have trouble arguing about.

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AK-SEN

Joe Miller: A Strict Spelling Standard Means I Win! (Maybe)

Eric Kleefeld | November 11, 2010, 1:16PM

In an appearance today on ABC's TopLine, Alaska Republican Senate nominee Joe Miller insisted that he could yet win the election -- that is, if a strict spelling standard is applied to those write-in votes cast for incumbent GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

"Well, if the margin of disqualification holds, and assuming that the courts uphold that, and the court makes a decision on how these votes will be counted, we're gonna be right in there," said Miller, who garnered 36% of the vote in an election in which 40% of the total were write-in votes.

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AK-SEN

Judge Denies Joe Miller's Request To Stop Counting Write-In Votes

Jillian Rayfield | November 10, 2010, 8:32PM

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

A federal judge has denied Joe Miller's request for an injunction to stop the counting of Alaska Senate write-in ballots, ruling that Miller will not face irreparable injury if the count continues.

Miller filed a suit yesterday arguing that counting write-in ballots that misspell the candidate's name is unconstitutional. He requested the injunction because he claimed that any count will cause him "irreparable injury, as both a candidate for U.S. Senate and a registered voter who cast a vote in the U.S. Senate race in this election, if Defendants are permitted to proceed with counting write-in ballots under an illegal standard."

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