Alaska Senate: Could Lisa Murkowski Run as a Libertarian?

It may not be over yet for Sen. Lisa Murkowski, after all. The Alaska Republican says she's "still in this game."

Murkowski says supporters are urging her to stay in the Senate race despite her narrow primary loss last month to Sarah Palin-backed candidate Joe Miller, a conservative lawyer who also had Tea Party movement support. Murkowski met briefly Tuesday with Alaska Libertarian Party candidate David Haase, who could defer to her and withdraw, the Associated Press reported.

Murkowski told the AP that "I have not made that determination that I'm going to give up. I'm not a quitter, never have been. And I'm still in this game."

Haase has until Sept. 15 to drop out, but there's no guarantee the Libertarians would embrace Murkowski. She is regarded as a moderate-conservative in the Senate, but like most Libertarians she is pro-Second Amendment rights and generally favors abortion rights. Yet Libertarian leaders earlier voted against putting Murkowski on their ballot line and she says she will not change her views "for any party," insisting, "You take me or leave me, because I am who I am."

Libertarian Chairman Scot Kohlhaas said the party wants to keep channels open for discussion, but he called a Murkowski candidacy a long shot. She could also run as a write-in candidate, but that would be a tougher row to hoe. Murkowski said she had an interesting talk with Haase, but isn't going to change her "political stripes." She conceded to Miller on Aug. 31 when tallies of absentee ballots showed she could not catch up. She lost by just over 2,000 votes.

The Democratic Senate candidate is Scott McAdams, mayor of Sitka.