Posted on 11/16/2010 4:05:50 PM PST by speciallybland
As the number of ballots left to count dwindles toward zero, staffers for U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski's historic write-in campaign are looking forward to the moment they can declare victory over Joe Miller.
"By the end of the day today anyone with simple arithmetic skills can draw some conclusions," said Murkowski campaign manager Kevin Sweeney. "By the end of the day tomorrow the count will actually be done so the campaign can make a declaration."
The Miller campaign continues to insist that the race is "far from over." In a Tuesday morning press release Miller spokesman Randy DeSoto compared the number of unchallenged votes for Murkowski with the number of votes Miller has received. The problem with his statement is that right now the Division of Elections is counting those ballots, putting Murkowski more than 1,700 votes ahead. Miller has filed a lawsuit seeking to block the division from counting the challenged ballots, but he faces an uphill legal climb to do so.
It's also possible that Murkowski will amass enough votes to win even without those challenged ballots, though the margin would be much narrower.
Counting started a few hours later than normal Tuesday, so instead of the normal two ballot updates the Division of Elections will only release one update towards the end of the day. Check back around 5:30 p.m.
According to Sweeney, the remaining ballots will continue to swing the margin in Murkowski's favor. There are about 8,000 write-in ballots being counted today, Sweeney said, of which Murkowski should reap about 97 percent. The only other votes left to count are the up to 700 special advance ballots (though presumably far fewer) that have been mailed in, as well as a small handful of votes from a few rural precincts that were late arriving, Sweeny said.
Chris Clark, a Murkowski observer who has been watching the counting since Wednesday, said he's seen fewer instances of Miller observers challenging ballots solely on penmanship issues. Clark was also feeling good about Murkowski's chances.
"There's a buzz in the air, that's for sure," Clark said.
This seems like a good opportunity for me to remind conservatives and smaller gov’t type folks that they put their hopes in a party that has room for electing either a Murkoswki, or a Joe Miller.
Seems like the GOP has an identity problem. I suggest we either help them sort it out, or just leave.
My thoughts, exactly!
Update on the Miller Federal Court challenge:
Judge rejects AFN involvement in Miller write-in lawsuit
By RICHARD MAUER
rmauer@adn.com
Published: November 16th, 2010 02:43 PM
Last Modified: November 16th, 2010 02:44 PM
A federal judge today turned down the request by the Alaska Federation of Natives to intervene in the lawsuit filed by Senate candidate Joe Miller challenging the method used by the state to count write-in ballots.
The AFN, the state’s largest Native organization, wanted to join the state’s side in arguing that the Division of Elections was correct in counting slight variants of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s name as proper write-in votes. Miller said that only precise spelling should be accepted......
“The State of Alaska is responsible for and fully capable of representing the interests of all its citizens,” Beistline said.............
The state is seeking dismissal of the case on the basis that federal court is the wrong jurisdiction to hear Miller’s complaints that a state agency violated state law. It says the matter should have been filed in state state Superior Court.
End snips....
Read more: http://www.adn.com/2010/11/16/1557509/judge-rejects-afn-involvement.html#ixzz15Ujksl1N
Can only say. .. 'thanks, Alaska'(and Repub hierarchy). No question, there will be consequences.
Unfortunately, they will have a larger impact. . .
Can only say. .. 'thanks, Alaska'(and Repub hierarchy). No question, there will be consequences.
Unfortunately, they will have a larger impact. . .
Can only say. .. 'thanks, Alaska'(and Repub hierarchy). No question, there will be consequences.
Unfortunately, they will have a larger impact. . .
Can only say. .. 'thanks, Alaska'(and Repub hierarchy). No question, there will be consequences.
Unfortunately, they will have a larger impact. . .
Can only say. .. 'thanks, Alaska'(and Repub hierarchy). No question, there will be consequences.
Unfortunately, they will have a larger impact. . .
Can only say. .. 'thanks, Alaska'(and Repub hierarchy). No question, there will be consequences.
Unfortunately, they will have a larger impact. . .
This makes me SICK.
yikes.
Posting from phones one never knows how many times they’ll send the message.......
This woman is awful. I wish she’d switch parties. Her core is more RAT than GOP.
wish you hadn’t done that...
sorry.
She looks so much like Pelosi that it is creepy.
“Why are there so many Murkowski loyalists in the first place since she lost the ticket to Miller. Something is not right.”
Crossover votes from Democrats?
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