Declaring that Alaska "cannot accept the extremist views of Joe Miller," Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said Friday that she intends to run as an independent write-in candidate this November.
Murkowski called her decision "a difficult one," but cited "an outpouring of support from Alaskans all over the state" as a primary driver of her decision."
Murkowski has withdrawn her pledge to support her opponent. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (between an iceberg and a cold place) has rebuked Murkowski and will back the Tea Party candidate, Joe Miller. We may be in for an election night focused once again on hanging chads.
The hurdles are numerous: Murkowski will have to spend a good deal of money educating voters on the write-in process and observers say that even the best information campaign won't prevent likely pitfalls. Voters will not only have to write Murkowski's name on the ballot, but they are required to fill out a corresponding oval for the vote to count.
The race could also end up in a costly legal battle with Murkowski and Miller over voter intent on write-in ballots. If a Murkowski backer were to write "Lisa M." on a ballot, for example, would that count? ...The Hill
