From Anchorage Daily News: (August 25, 2010)

Republican Primary challenger Joe Miller, a Fairbanks attorney, led from when the first returns came in Tuesday night and was on the verge of pulling off one of the biggest election upsets ever in Alaska.

With 429 of 438 precincts counted this morning, Miller had 45,909 votes (51 percent) to 43,949 (49 percent) for incumbent Senator Lisa Murkowski.

Miller credited the support of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for his lead….

The final results of the race won't be known for over a week. The Alaska Division of Elections said over 16,000 absentee ballots were requested and as of Monday night 7,600 had been returned. The first count of absentees will be next Tuesday and there will be two subsequent counts as the absentee votes trickle in on Sept. 3 and on Sept. 8.

(If defeated, Murkowski will remain in the Senate until January, but her ability to trade political favors for Akaka Bill support will be extremely limited as a lame duck.  Murkowski is the only Republican Senator Akaka and Inouye can count on as a sure backer of the Akaka Bill.)

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UPDATE AUG 28: Palin Anticipates ‘Final Victory’ for Miller

UPDATE AUG 31: Murkowski concedes GOP Senate race to Miller 

Miller, a 43-year-old Yale-educated lawyer, West Point graduate and Gulf War veteran, was a little known Fairbanks attorney before he was endorsed by former Gov. Sarah Palin and the Tea Party Express. Palin's husband, Todd, and Miller are friends. The California-based tea party group became interested in Miller after Palin endorsed him, then the group spent some $600,000 on the race.

(Be sure to thank Sarah Palin and your friendly local TEA Party activist for potentially saving Hawaii from the Akaka Tribe.)

Read more: http://www.adn.com/2010/08/31/1433454/murkowski-concedes-senate-race.html#ixzz0yGPJOFyx

Related ... DePledge: Lame duck and 60, 59 …  

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