Alaska

Sarah Palin isn't in office anymore, but she remains a powerful force in politics, especially in her home state of Alaska. Her support helped little-known attorney Joe Miller, a tea party hero, upset incumbent Lisa Murkowski in the GOP Senate primary. But Murkowski decided to stay in the race as a write-in candidate to keep the seat she inherited in 1998 from her father, Frank Murkowski – the man Palin beat to become governor in 2006. A split in the Republican vote could be the key to victory for the Democrat in this three-way contest, Sitka Mayor Scott McAdams. Republican Sean Parnell, who got a sudden promotion from lieutenant governor last year when Palin abruptly resigned, is seeking a full term as governor. Fellow Republican Don Young, one of the longest-serving members of Congress, is making a bid for his 20th term as Alaska's only representative in the U.S. House. McCain won Alaska in 2008.