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Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski thinks national Republicans are secretly hoping she’ll win her write-in campaign and defeat GOP nominee Joe Miller. The National Republican Senatorial Committee has made clear it is backing Miller: It has sent staff, money and, as of this week, placed independent expenditure ads in the state on his behalf. But the GOP nominee has had a rough few weeks since he defeated Murkowski in the primary, including an incident on Sunday in which his private bodyguards arrested a reporter after a campaign event. The day after the scuffle, during which Alaska Dispatch Editor Tony Hopfinger was...

(Video) of Lisa Murkowski on CNN John King USA this evening, talking about 'consensus' and 'reaching across the aisle'...This 1:51 video shows exactly why we don't need Lisa Murkowski in the United States Senate

Anchorage municipal prosecutor Albert Patterson has decided not to file charges against Alaska Dispatch editor Tony Hopfinger or the security guards hired by the Miller campaign. “After careful review by the Municipal Prosecutor’s office of witness statements, police reports, and other materials relating to this incident, it has been determined that no criminal charges will be filed against any party,” said Patterson in a statement. Hopfinger had been handcuffed to a chair by security guards on Saturday afternoon, following a town hall meeting held by Republican senate candidate Joe Miller. Hopfinger had tried to question Miller, and had also shoved...

The Miller campaign has released the following statement in response to these stories from the Anchorage Daily News and the Alaska Dispatch: While I've gotten used to the blog Alaska Dispatch's assault on me and my family, I never thought that it would lead to a physical assault. It's too bad that this blogger would take advantage of a "Town Hall" meeting to create a publicity stunt just two weeks before the election." The Miller campaign was required by the facility to provide security at the event. Even though Joe had spent more than 40 minutes answering questions from those...

I wish I could tell you that this is some sort of Democratic internal poll or Zogby. But I can’t. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Alaska shows Republican Joe Miller with 35% support and Murkowski, the incumbent senator he defeated in the state’s GOP Primary now running as a write-in candidate, with 34% of the vote. Democrat Scott McAdams runs third with 27%. One percent (1%) prefers another candidate, and three percent (3%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)… Polling for write-in campaigns is always challenging, so results should be interpreted with...

Dan Riehl of Riehl World View has a bit of a bombshell to drop on the arrogant, self-reverential "Senator of the people," Alaska's Lisa Murkowski -- she of the second hand Senate seat bequeathed to her by her father who held that seat himself. Riehl says that it is a commonly known, not-so-secret secret in Alaska that Lisa Murkowski is and/or was a major drug addict even as she served as Alaska's Republican Senator. Murkowski recently lost her primary, as we all know, and suddenly she is now Mz independent because obviously having her in the Senate is far, far...

A fantastically put together little ad that says exactly what many voters in Alaska think about Lisa Murkowski's entitlement attitude that she has when it comes to the Senate seat she was defeated for in the primary by Joe Miller. The video is has been making its way around the internet for a couple of weeks now. Click on the banner below to hear the great campaign video What is it about these RINOs who cannot accept the fact that the Republican voters do not want them around anymore? (Excerpt) Read more at ChicoER...

It wasn't quite an endorsement, but you almost got the sense that Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is rooting for Sen. Lisa Murkowski's write-in campaign in Alaska. Murkowski launched the write-in bid after losing the GOP primary last month to Joe Miller, who had the backing of the Tea Party movement. Murray, visiting The Oregonian's editorial board on Tuesday, said that she and Murkowski "are very close friends" who have worked together on a wide range of issues.Murray said that Murkowski recently told her that Tea Party candidates are making the argument that voters shouldn't trust Republicans who work with Democrats....

It took Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, five attempts to pass the Alaska Bar Exam, a piece of her biography that has gone unreported until now, when she faces a long-shot write-in bid for another term in her Senate seat. Murkowski, who graduated in 1985 from Willamette University's College of Law in Oregon, wasn't admitted to the Alaska Bar until November 1987. She flunked the exam in July 1985, February 1986, July 1986 and again in February 1987. She passed on her fifth try in July 1987. Murkowski said that although her failures on the exam aren't something she talks about...

Her latest web ad: Surprise, the word "extreme" is now being used by Lisa Murkowski to define Joe Miller, Murkowski: "Over the last few weeks, thousands of Alaskans from every corner of the state have reached out to me and ask if we continue the fight for Alaska" (Video)

NEA-Alaska Stands Firm in Support of Murkowski for U.S. Senate Association will work to re-elect Senator Murkowski Following the announcement by Senator Lisa Murkowski that she will run for her seat on the U.S. Senate as a write-in candidate, NEA-Alaska today announced continued support for her re-election. As the largest union in Alaska, the 57-member Political Action Committee for Education (PACE) pledged their support in early June by an overwhelming vote and stand by Murkowski in her bid for the senate seat. The NEA-Alaska PACE committee represent public school employees from Ketchikan to Kaktovik. "We're relieved to hear Senator Murkowski...

Here's 2 screen grabs of the misspelled Murkowski web ad that has now been "removed by the user" on YouTube...Before it was removed the horrible ad had a teacher showing what looked like 3rd graders how to write-in Murkowski's name

Sen. Lisa Murkowski is expected to announce Friday night that she plans to run for re-election in Alaska as a write-in candidate. According to the New York Times, her aides have been considering the implications of asking voters to spell Murkowski on the ballot. Just how egregiously can you distort a write-in candidate's name before election officials discount your vote? It's up to whoever counts the votes... (In Alaska, the elections director has said that Lisa M. would pass muster as a stand-in for Lisa Murkowski, but that Lisa on its own might cause problems.) There's rarely controversy over these...

YouTube - Mark Kirk Snubs Right Nation Rally while Brady, Labno Attend

More than 200 conservative bloggers who convened in Austin, Texas for the second annual 'Red State Gathering' on Saturday may have come close to eavesdropping on a conference with lobbyists that was supposed to be held by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). On Friday night, Murkowski (recently defeated in the GOP primary by Joe Miller) announced she would launch a write-in campaign. The purpose of the conference call was for the incumbent senator to get lobbyists on board with her risky campaign. Organizers of the RedState Gathering were hoping to broadcast Murkowski's comments to lobbyists over loudspeakers inside the Sheraton Austin...

Between Arlen Specter, Charlie Crist, Mike Castle refusing to endorse O’Donnell — a forgivable sentiment the day after a bitter defeat, less so as time goes by — and the rumor that Murkowski is running, the RINO-hunters have a point that the moderates never seem to be willing to compromise or put the party’s interest first. The NRSC will help elect a lot of winning GOP candidates this year, but between Specter, Crist, and Murkowski, they have had an embarrassing cycle . . .

Though he didn't name her specifically, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) blasted Senate colleague Lisa Murkowski (R-Ala.) Friday morning during a speech to the Values Voters Summit.  "Even in Alaska, the home of bacon, they threw out that senator," DeMint told an applauding crowd as he discussed the Tea Party movement. He also took the opportunity to praise Murkowski's challenger, local Alaska attorney Joe Miller, to whom she conceded the Republican Senate primary on Sept. 1, and to express his fondness for the Tea Party movement. "Tea parties? I've been to a lot of them," he said to more applause.  He...

The Hotline reports that Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, who was defeated in the Republican primary last month by Joe Miller, will run for the Senate as a write-in candidate against Mr. Miller and the Democratic candidate, Scott McAdams. The move is not entirely unexpected: Ms. Murkowski had not endorsed Mr. Miller, and instead had reportedly been in discussions with the Libertarian Party to appear on their ballot line. The Libertarians having refused her overtures, the only option remaining for Ms. Murkowski was to run as a write-in (Alaska, like most states, does not permit candidates to file for the ballot...

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) will run for re-election as a write-in candidate after losing her bid for renomination, according to sources briefed on Murkowski's decision. Murkowski's decision will set up a 3-way battle between the incumbent, Miller and Sitka Mayor Scott McAdams (D), potentially turning the race on its head. Private 3-way polling has shown Miller leading, but by a narrow margin. Murkowski will make the formal announcement tonight in Anchorage. She has been mulling her options after losing to attorney Joe Miller (R) by 1.8% -- or about 2K votes out of 110K cast. Miller won with the backing...

SNIP In the statement, Murkowski said she would not run as a Libertarian candidate, which means that if she does run it will be as a write-in candidate. In explaining her decision, Murkowski had some harsh words for the Tea Party Express, which backed Miller. "...After meeting with the Libertarian candidate last week and considering that option, I cannot in good conscience seek the Libertarian nomination," she said. "As disappointed as I am in the outcome of the Primary and my belief that the Alaska Republican Party was hijacked by the Tea Party Express, an outside extremist group, I am...