A big shake-up this afternoon in Alaska’s U.S. Senate race: Fairbanks attorney Joe Miller announced today that he will challenge Sen. Lisa Murkowski after all. Miller says Libertarian nominee Cean Stevens has withdrawn from the race and her party’s leadership as agreed to let Miller appear on the General Election ballot in her place.
Six years ago Miller ran as a Tea Party-style Republican and beat Murkowski in the Primary. Murkowski retained her seat, though, by mounting a write-in campaign for the General. By then, Miller’s campaign was sinking under a pile of revelations about his past, and the handcuffing of a news reporter at one of Miller’s campaign events, by men acting as Miller’s security guards.
In his emailed announcement of his candidacy, Miller accuses Murkowski of being too liberal and said he’s running to offer voters a real choice.
Other candidates in the race include Independent Margaret Stock and Democratic nominee Ray Metcalfe.
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
