Alaska GOP Sen. Murkowski in jeopardy

[Lasher]

Source: Albany Times Union

WASHINGTON (AP) — Her re-election quest suddenly in jeopardy, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski struggled to avoid becoming the latest incumbent lawmaker to be fired. She fought against a political novice with the backing of Sarah Palin and tea party activists in a stunningly tight Republican primary race.

With more than half of the precincts counted, little-known attorney Joe Miller, a decorated Gulf war veteran and self-described "constitutional conservative," led 51 percent to 49 percent in contest that, in the end, amounted to an Alaska-sized GOP family feud.

Murkowski would be the seventh incumbent — and fourth Republican — to lose in a year in which the tea party has scored huge victories in GOP Senate primaries and voters have shown a willingness to punish Republican and Democratic candidates with ties to Washington and party leadership.

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Alaska-GOP-Sen-Murkowski-in-jeopardy-629091.php

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Keep the teabaggers coming! Hopefully the GOP will Ross Perot themselves into oblivion.

[customerserviceguy]

1. So far

the tea partiers have won nominations in red states where they're likely to prevail in the fall, anyway. I can't think of a situation where a tea partier has won the Rethug nomination in a blue or even purple area, setting the Democratic candidate up for an easy walkaway victory this November.

[AlinPA]

3. I agree with that. From what I can see the teabaggers that won primaries are going to be tough.

[Lasher]

4. What about the Nevada Senate race?

OK Nevada is not exactly what you would call a red state, but Reid was toast until crackpot Angle won the GOP nomination. Now he has a slight advantage.

[AlinPA]

5. My point is that those races with teabaggers won't be easy. OP implies that it will be

by writing "keep them coming.."

[FBaggins]

7. In Alaska it may help.

I have to admit that this race wasn't even on my radar screen. Knowles didn't have much chance of beating Murkowski and I didn't realize that the primary was even competitive. But Knowles has won statewide before. Against a lesser non-incumbent challenger... the race may come back into play. I'll ahve to look deeper.

[tibbiit]

8. huh?

tony wasnt even running.

[FBaggins]

14. My mistake, thanks!

As I said... this race wasn't even on my radar. I quickl looked up the most recent poll I could find for the state and it was a R2000/Kos polll showing Murkowski leading Knowles by eight.

What I missed was that the poll was from December. :shrug:

[karynnj]

13. Knowles didn't run, Scott McAdams is the Democratic nominee

Maybe the Alaska people here can comment on him. It seems that he has extremely little money - less than $10,000 vs millions for the two Republicans. (From mews articles on the race.)

[FBaggins]

15. Thanks (see my #14). I think it's still a potentially competitive race.

It seems that he has extremely little money - less than $10,000 vs millions for the two Republicans.

Ah... but I think that's really millions for Murkowski and tens of thousands for Miller (at least by one article I've found so far). Yes, he will almost certainly see a flood of new money... but so will our guy if any poll shows a competitive race (and PPP can turn out a poll like that in days).

Right now (to me) this is both an exciting opportunity and a scary possibility. It could make a safe R seat into a potential pickup... but if this Miller guy wins he could be a thord in our side for decades. West Point and Yale? Bronze Star and Economics degree and Law? Ruggedly attractive? This is very scary combination.

I hope the guy sounds like a squeeky idiot. :rofl:

[karynnj]

16. I stand corrected on the money

Your description makes Miller seem like he might be hard to beat. As to squeaky idiot, I did find a video where he is profiled. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/23/joe-miller-alaska-senate_n_691796.html

IMHO, "ruggedly handsome" is a BIG overstatement. Unfortunately he is not squeaky -- and he is very very right wing. (He also seemed quite willing to distort Murkowski's record.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/23/joe-miller-alaska-senate_n_691796.html

[Winterblues]

29. He ran a real smear campaign against Murkowski and many Republicans resent that.

I think it is going to be a real race. Miller is indeed a nut job and a documented LIAR. Many Republicans might very well either sit the election out or actually vote for the Democrat..If McAdams can get some financial assistance we just might pick up a Senate seat that was considered a safe Republican seat..

[Lasher]

9. Some states are hopeless, that's true.

I didn't imply that we would win every single race against a teabagger. However, my point is, teabaggers will be easier to defeat in the general election.

And if a teabagger does win in the general election, well they're pretty much the same as the regular Republicans they pretend to not be like.

[AlinPA]

17. They are the same, indeed.

[karynnj]

12. I agree - and I would assume that a Miller would be less likely to be constructive than Murkowski

Given the lockstep nature of the Republicans in the last 2 years (and during most of the Bush years), the difference may be hard to see. However, a win of an extremist is never good - and if he is to the right of Murkowski and a tea partier, he probably qualifies as an extremist. If he is elected, it simply reduces the number of Republicans that can be won on ANY issue.

[Crystal Clarity]

28. Well, the R's in Maine nominated a tea party guy for their gubernatorial candidate

And we're not exactly known as a "red" state. When the guy won the nomination back in June, I thought...Good, an extremist opponent will make it much easier on our Dem candidate in the general election. However, now I'm beginning to worry since I've heard that this joker is currently in the lead in some polls... :scared:


http://www.sunjournal.com/approved/story/860042
Paul LePage wins Republican nomination for governor in Maine
Published Jun 08, 2010

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Waterville mayor Paul LePage, a favorite of many in the conservative tea party movement, has been nominated by Maine Republicans to be their candidate for governor.

[customerserviceguy]

32. Maine may not be as blue as you think

I was surprised when they defeated equal marriage. I've never been there, but I thought of it as a "live and let live" kind of place, until that election.

As I recall, the Democratic governor of Maine was in favor of equal marriage, perhaps the Rethug LePage is going to ride intolerance into the state's governor's mansion.

[Xipe Totec]

2. Sarah is the Eraserhead of the GOP

rubbing out candidates wherever she goes.

[greenman3610]

6. In Michigan,

the tea party republicans lost out in the Governor's race to a more middle of the road candidate.

[bulloney]

10. The article says Murkowski struggled to avoid becoming the latest incumbent lawmaker to be fired.

Rachel Maddow just had a report that before this Tuesday's primaries, only seven out of about 325 incumbents were defeated in this year's primaries. That's about a 2% rate.

Yeah, Chuck Todd, "throw the bums out" is alive and well this year. He was trying to make that case this morning on the Duh-day Show.

[izquierdista]

11. Seventh, wow!

Seven out of 10? 20? Try 324, as Rachel so carefully researched and put up on Monday. Real tidal wave of Tea Party anger out there....

[snooper2]

18. She predicted this article to a tea

:P

[Wednesdays]

22. And, I wonder if the percentage is no different from other years

IOW, maybe seven defeated incumbents out of 324 is par for the course anyway. :shrug:

[underpants]

30. IT'S A TREND!!!

a trend in the media to read Republican talking points

One of the incumbents who lost was Bennett who is a Republican- they are feasting on their own

[louis-t]

19. And if the teabagger candidates win in red states?

The red states deserve whatever they get. Incompetant, lazy, know-nothings.

[BlueMTexpat]

21. Unfortunately, it is all of us who will pay the penalty, whether we

deserve it or not - not simply "red" states.

[FBaggins]

23. And a heck of a fight next year.

Numerous (correct) comments here have pointed out that, win or lose, the democratic caucus will be far more liberal come this election. The vast majority of seats in play in the House are necessarily held by moderate democrats. As they lose their seats, the caucus (though smaller) shifts to the left (and thus is more willing to put up a fight).

The assumption for many was that the Republicans would then have to deal again with the problems of keeping their (growing number of) moderates in line... particularly if they take one or both houses (almost certainly by tiny margins).

But it's really starting to look as if some of the moderate republicans could be replaced by the far right.

Which, if nothing else, means some real political debates to come.

[Lasher]

26. That's a good point to consider.

Howver, I am hoping that when moderate Republicans lose their primaries to teabaggers, they will get replaced in most cases by Democrats in November. It's a reasonable scenario, but then so is yours.

[BlueMTexpat]

20. The Mudflats crew split on this Repub primary - 2-1.

Two were hoping for Miller because they didn't think that Alaskans were crazy enough to vote for him in the general; the third for Murkowski just in case they were crazy enough. The Repub primary there is closed. Only Repubs, Undeclared and Nonpartisan can vote in it.

http://www.themudflats.net/2010/08/23/primary-eve-in-alaska-nuts-bolts-and-mudflats-picks/

The Dem candidate would have a very difficult time against Murkowski who was generally popular throughout Alaska, even among Dems. If it does turn out to be Miller, it is my understanding that the Dem would have a better chance of winning the general.

[Imajika]

24. The dem candidate in Alaska has virtually no chance...

...no matter who the Republicans nominate this time around.

And yes, Alaskans are most certainly crazy enough to elect Miller in the general - that isn't even in dispute.

[totodeinhere]

25. Yes, add Miller to Mike Lee from Utah and it looks like we will have at least two new teabaggers

in the Senate. Paul, Rubio and Angle are all in very tight races however and we can hope that those three all lose.

[Green_Lantern]

27. the party who won the Presidency typically lose seats in Congress

But the tea baggers running are bound to split the GOP vote and really cushion Dems from losing too many seats.

[Doctor_J]

31. Great. Another teabagger who's going to be in the Senate

I certainly hope those "Teabaggers are killing the GOP" nuts are taking notice.

[Kringle]

33. another dynasty bites the dust... welcome news .nt