Murkowski May Lose Senate Seat In Primary Upset

Sitting Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska may lose her seat to insurgent candidate Joe Miller.

According to the AP, Miller, a tea party favorite endorsed by former Governor Sarah Palin, is showing a razor-thin lead in the state’s Republican primary. With 98 percent of the precincts reporting, Miller is coming in with 51 percent of the vote and Murkowski is holding at 49 percent.

Alaska paper the Anchorage Daily News reports that 16,000 absentee ballots have yet to be counted, indicating that the final outcome of this closely watched race may not be known for another week.

Murkowski was appointed in 2002 to fill the Senate seat held by her father, Frank Murkowski, after he was elected governor of Alaska. 

Joe Miller is a Gulf War veteran and served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge.

If Miller comes out ahead, Murkowski will be the second sitting Republican Senator to be knocked out of the race this election cycle, following Utah Senator Bob Bennett’s failure to secure his party’s nomination.