It is beginning to look a lot like Murkowski

The counting of the Alaska write in ballots is underway and thus far it looks like Lisa Murkowski’s lead will hold. I have to say Joe Miller’s attempts to cut down that vote are not looking very positive to me.  Challenging slight misspellings or other picayune mistakes doesn’t really fit the whole Tea Party feel to me.

I think the big question now is just how much of team player will Lisa Murkowski be when she wins.  If the story below is any indication, I think Republicans should not count on too much support from Murkowski.

The Hill:  If Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) is interested in apologizing to Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R), he'll have to make the first move, Murkowski said Friday. 

The Alaska senator, who appears poised to win reelection as a write-in GOP candidate for Senate, suggested she's not eager to reach out to DeMint, who backed her challenger Joe Miller in the Alaska Senate race. 

DeMint, who has said he and Murkowski might have "some making up to do" if she wins reelection, would have to act first. 

"He has suggested that he's got some making up to do," Murkowski told CNN's "John King, USA" in an interview to air this evening. "I'll let him make that first move."

Murkowski's terse response underscores the relationship she might end up having with DeMint, whose Senate Conservatives Fund backed Republican candidate Miller against Murkowski in the general election. Miller, like several other candidates DeMint had backed this cycle, beat incumbent or establishment GOP candidates in primary battles this year. 

Via: Memeorandum

Via: Alaska Daily News

Via: Slate

Via: The Hill

Joe Miller sues for exact spelling on write in votes

ADN: JUNEAU – GOP nominee Joe Miller is asking a federal judge to keep the state from using discretion in counting write-in ballots in Alaska’s hotly contested Senate race.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, comes the day before election officials planned to begin counting write-in ballots that could determine the outcome of the race.

Miller’s attorney, Thomas Van Flein, said the campaign is seeking a hearing on the matter as early as Wednesday afternoon.

A spokesman for the state Department of Law said he hadn’t yet seen the lawsuit and couldn’t immediately comment.

Miller’s rival, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, waged a write-in campaign after losing the primary to Miller.

Initial returns, including thousands of absentee ballots tallied Tuesday, showed write-ins maintaining a lead over Miller. However, it’s unclear how many of those write-in votes are for Murkowski or were properly cast for her.

Election law calls for write-in ballots to have the oval filled in and either the candidate’s last name or name as it appears on a declaration of candidacy written in. But election officials, pointing to prior case law, have said they plan to use discretion, in consultation with a state attorney, when it comes to misspellings or variations of Murkowski’s name.

While I am not crazy about disenfranchising anyone’s vote because of a misspelling, I can see were vote counters can use their “discretion” to allow all sorts of creative spellings. What is needed in this instance is a clear set of guidelines to determine what is or is not an acceptable spelling for Lisa Murkowski’s name.

What America sorely needs is some tighter controls on voting. Every election it seems like we are regressing into some dysfunctional hodgepodge with selective recounts, ballots “found” at the last minute and court determined outcomes.  I really don’t think things will improve until we all demand some sort of uniform integrity standards that both voters and voter counters must adhere too.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: Alaska Daily News

Lisa Murkowski concedes primary to Joe Miller

Palin 2, Murkowskis 0!

Lisa Murkowski the Republican senator from Alaska has conceded the primary to Sarah Palin’s Papa Grizzly Joe Miller.

Fox News: In a major upset, Sen. Lisa Murkowski has conceded her GOP Senate primary race to Tea Party Express favorite Joe Miller, who had the backing of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

"I don't see a scenario in which the primary will turn out in my favor," Murkowski said in her concession speech.

Murkowski made the concession speech Tuesday night, a full week after the primary.[MORE]

The Murkowski family must be making Sarah Palin voodoo dolls about now.  Palin bumped off Lisa Murkowski’s father to grab the governorship and now Palin has turbo charged Joe Miller’s campaign to victory.  Should Palin make a run for the presidency, she will have to do it without any help from Alaska’s GOP. 

Lisa Murkowski makes the third incumbent to lose their primary. Bob Bennett and the self serving Arlen Specter were the other two.  I am pretty sure, November 3 will yield even more surprises for incumbents.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: Fox News