Sen. Lisa Murkowski's Write-In Campaign Gets Boost From Alaska Court
Tom Diemer
Correspondent
Posted:
10/28/10
Off again, on again for Lisa Murkowski. Alaska's Supreme Court has blocked a lower court ruling and allowed voters in the state to look at printed lists showing the names of certified write-in candidates after they enter polling places.
The decision Wednesday -- essentially a stay of the earlier court ruling -- is a victory for Murkowski, the incumbent who needs all the help she can get in her write-in campaign against Republican nominee Joe Miller, who defeated her in the August primary, and Democrat Scott McAdams. Early voting has already begun in Alaska and a write-in list was posted in one location in Homer, according to the Anchorage Daily News.
The Alaska Republican Party and the state's Democratic Party together went to the Superior Court earlier this week in an attempt to keep he state-issued lists out of polling places, the Anchorage newspaper said. The parties won, getting a court order for removal of the lists and barring poll workers from providing names of write-in candidates to voters.
"This stay will ensure that Alaskans can continue to get the assistance they're entitled to under law," Murkowski's campaign manager, Kevin Sweeney, said. The decision could change again, as the high court is still considering an appeal of the ruling it blocked Wednesday.
The three-way contest appeared tight heading into the last weekend of the campaign. The conservative Miller, whose upset of the more moderate Murkowski was aided by Sarah Palin and the tea party movement, appeared to be in a strong position after the primary, but Murkowski' aggressive write-in effort gained traction this month while Miller has been plagued by a past scandal.
The decision Wednesday -- essentially a stay of the earlier court ruling -- is a victory for Murkowski, the incumbent who needs all the help she can get in her write-in campaign against Republican nominee Joe Miller, who defeated her in the August primary, and Democrat Scott McAdams. Early voting has already begun in Alaska and a write-in list was posted in one location in Homer, according to the Anchorage Daily News.
The Alaska Republican Party and the state's Democratic Party together went to the Superior Court earlier this week in an attempt to keep he state-issued lists out of polling places, the Anchorage newspaper said. The parties won, getting a court order for removal of the lists and barring poll workers from providing names of write-in candidates to voters.
"This stay will ensure that Alaskans can continue to get the assistance they're entitled to under law," Murkowski's campaign manager, Kevin Sweeney, said. The decision could change again, as the high court is still considering an appeal of the ruling it blocked Wednesday.The three-way contest appeared tight heading into the last weekend of the campaign. The conservative Miller, whose upset of the more moderate Murkowski was aided by Sarah Palin and the tea party movement, appeared to be in a strong position after the primary, but Murkowski' aggressive write-in effort gained traction this month while Miller has been plagued by a past scandal.