Campaign Crawlers
Palin Power Strikes Home
Another maverick challenges the Alaska establishment.
Joe Miller was on the phone from Alaska, explaining the difficulties of running for Senate in America’s largest state.
“Campaigning statewide is exhausting,” the Fairbanks lawyer said of his journeys across a state that has barely more people (about 700,000) than it has square miles. “A lot of flying on small airplanes — it requires a lot of travel.”
The size of the state may be exceeded by the size of the task Miller has taken on in mounting a primary challenge to Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski. The incumbent is the daughter of Frank Murkowski, whose influence in the Alaska GOP was once so powerful that he was able to appoint Lisa to fill the remainder of his Senate term after he was elected governor in 2002. Re-elected in 2004, she ended the first quarter of 2010 with more than $2 million campaign cash on hand — a huge sum in Alaska politics, especially for an incumbent who can rely on her father’s formidable connections inside the Republican establishment.
Any disinterested political observer would be tempted to rate Murkowski a lead-pipe cinch for re-election. The incumbent has only one major problem, and that problem can be summed up in two words: Sarah Palin.
It was Palin, after all, who beat Frank Murkowski in the 2006 Republican gubernatorial primary. And if anyone doubted the sincerity of Palin’s “maverick” stance, those doubts ought to have been erased last month when the former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice-presidential candidate endorsed Joe Miller. As is her habit, she made the endorsement via her Facebook page — which has more than 1.7 million subscribers — calling Miller “a true Commonsense Constitutional Conservative.”
Palin’s endorsement had the major immediate benefit of boosting Miller’s fundraising. Campaign sources were unwilling to discuss the numbers (Federal Election Commission reports for the quarter that ended June 30 won’t be published until July 15), but if past performance is any indicator, Palin’s Facebook blessing probably generated more than a hundred thousand dollars in online campaign contributions for Miller in June. That’s a drop in the bucket compared to Murkowski’s millions, of course, but because Palin’s grassroots supporters tend to be small donors — giving in increments less than $200 — the Miller campaign can tap into those contributors for additional cash down the road, soliciting an extra $20 or $50 from a list of hundreds of people who’ve already donated.
The secondary benefit of Palin’s endorsement is that it gave Miller the kind of national recognition that every underdog candidate craves. Two weeks later, the Tea Party Express endorsed Miller and credited Palin for calling attention to Murkowski’s Republican rival. “Maybe a lot of voters don’t know who Joe Miller is and don’t feel he can win,” a Tea Party Express spokesman told the Associated Press. “We want voters to take a second look.”
Miller’s challenge also gives GOP voters in the Aug. 24 primary a chance to take a second look at the incumbent’s record. Based on her ratings from the American Conservative Union, early last year Human Events ranked Murkowski fifth on its list of “Top 10 Senate RINOs” — barely more conservative than another notorious “Republican In Name Only,” Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, who switched to the Democrats shortly after the Human Events list was published.
The dreaded “RINO” tag can be the kiss of death in a Republican primary. Murkowski is pro-choice on abortion, while Miller has been praised as “a solid pro-life candidate” by the president of Alaska Right to Life. And Murkowski is particularly vulnerable this year because — as Miller highlights on his campaign website — she voted for numerous big-government measures hated by the Tea Party grassroots, including the 2008 Troubled Asset Relief Plan (TARP) bailout and the bailouts of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the federally sponsored agencies implicated in the mortgage disaster. While there have been no public polls in the GOP primary, Miller said the Alaska voters he’s talked to during the campaign are fed up with the bipartisan deficit-spending spree in Washington.
“Government is seen as the problem, not the solution,” Miller said. “And Murkowski is part of the problem.”
Miller brings a solid record of achievement to the Senate contest — a graduate of West Point and Yale Law who earned the Bronze Star during the 1991 Gulf War and also holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Alaska.
In what is becoming a familiar theme in this year’s Republican primaries, Miller is the grassroots-backed outsider taking on the GOP establishment and Palin’s support clearly improves the odds for his underdog campaign. Just two weeks ago, Nikki Haley won the South Carolina gubernatorial nomination in a runoff, having surged ahead after being endorsed by Palin.
Miller may be understating Palin’s influence among Republican voters when he says her endorsement “has been a significant benefit to us.” Next month’s Alaska primary could demonstrate exactly how significant that benefit can be.
About the Author
Robert Stacy McCain is co-author (with Lynn Vincent) of Donkey Cons: Sex, Crime, and Corruption in the Democratic Party (Nelson Current). He blogs at The Other McCain.
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James| 7.6.10 @ 12:50AM
North to the Future!
North to the Right side of politics, too.
Impressive resume on Miller. I have heard a few online "youtubes" and a radio interview and he sounds solid with a capital "S". We need decisive action in these times, not RINOs sitting pretty on the fence with their finger in the air and a palm held out. Not that Murkowski could ever be accused of sitting "pretty". IYKWIMAITTYD. Good review. Wondering if there will be debates to see...Keep us in the loop...Sounds like it is going to be an interesting battle.
Alan Brooks| 7.6.10 @ 10:39AM
sounds like a standup guy. But when you read "an attorney from Fairbanks", don't you cringe at the "attorney" part?
If attorneys and politicians all magically disappeared we'd be no worse off-- and probably better off.
Saber| 7.6.10 @ 12:10PM
No i dont cringe..he was also the Judge here in Tok alaska and a good conservative friend to myself and the people of rural Alaska.
Kelly Staples| 7.6.10 @ 6:14AM
Palin/Anybody 2012. Hurry. Please.
Stephanie| 7.6.10 @ 6:52AM
Anyone else think perhaps Sarah should take over the position that Michael Steele now holds?
Ret. Marine| 7.6.10 @ 7:35AM
Right there after you Stephanie, right there.
Margie| 7.6.10 @ 11:49AM
You betcha!
Purpleguy| 7.6.10 @ 4:09PM
Yes, please ...
Kent| 7.6.10 @ 7:31AM
Good for Palin for working to knock off one of the 10 Worst RINOs - #5 to be exact. Too bad she forgot to consult the List. She endorsed RINO #7. - John McCain. Her concern for her home state is good. She should shown equal concern for Arizona. It is guaranteed those who support. McCain will rue the day. Is it that hard to remember he considered running with John Kerry against George Bush?
ggoblue| 7.6.10 @ 9:26AM
its called loyalty. she owes john mccain her fame.
if she went for hayworth she would be a back stabber.
its really that simple.
Dai Alanye | 7.6.10 @ 11:42AM
Absolutely correct, ggoblue. As a practical matter, had Palin dropped McCain she'd have been eviscerated by the lefty media, never mind the personal loyalty factor re McCain.
Old Joe| 7.6.10 @ 8:54AM
I read "Going Rogue". What an inspiring woman. I voted for Sarah and the old guy last time and I will vote for any ticket she is on or endorses except for McCain.
chris haynes| 7.6.10 @ 9:22AM
Murkowski is what's wrong with the republican party. Abortion. It means all men dont have inalienable rights, endowed by their creator. Who cares what she thinks about capital gains taxes. She's not fit to be dog catcher.
Petronius| 7.6.10 @ 10:09AM
Want to bet Sen. Murkowski was behind all the bogus ethics complaints that forced Sarah to capitulate and give up the Governors chair? You can't get anything done when you must appear in court every day.
Coda| 7.6.10 @ 10:23AM
It was the Rats who were behind the ethics complaints but the GOP did absolutely nothing to help out Gov. Palin. So in a sense the GOP is to blame as well.
RCV| 7.6.10 @ 5:33PM
They didn't help out because the complaints were well-founded. Sarah is as ethically challenged as she is intellectually challenged.
Granny3| 7.6.10 @ 6:07PM
This is so patently untrue. 20-odd suits from ONE Democrat, she had to spend all her time replying to these plus the government had to defend her. And ALLLLLLL of them have been debunked, as far as I know. So there is ONE Democrat in Alaska who is definitely the crooked one, or at least a compulsive liar.
RCV| 7.6.10 @ 11:38AM
If Miller wins, will he actually serve? Or will he quit if he gets a more lucrative opportunity like his inspiration?
Margie| 7.6.10 @ 11:51AM
Now you are sounding like Liberal Reader, to be sure.
Purpleguy| 7.6.10 @ 4:10PM
ruh-roh, reality bites...
birther1957| 7.6.10 @ 11:39AM
GO Sarah. You have my vote in 2012.
RCV| 7.6.10 @ 5:04PM
As a democrat who supports our President, there is no candidate I could more hope the GOP nominates than Ms. Palin.
Margie| 7.6.10 @ 8:16PM
RCV,
That's Mrs. Palin to you, and smile when you say that.
Concerning our President~ "An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but he whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked." Pro. 29:27.
Which is Obama, and who does he consider abominations?
Rhetorical question.
RCV| 7.6.10 @ 8:21PM
I thought it was, so I'll not reply. I would be happy to have MRS. Palin as the weather forcaster on my local station any time. That is the trend, isn't it? You betcha, it is!
All the best, Margie...
Margie| 7.6.10 @ 10:58PM
I'd rather see Obama doing the weather. He could be our first black ex-President to give us the global warming forecasts. And he could hire Algore to be the nightly sponsor. The newly created channel would replace the daily soap opera and would be called Days of Our Lies.
Ken (Old Texican)| 7.6.10 @ 12:36PM
Hey RCV,
Obama "quit" too. He accepted a better job, (running for President), instead of doing his job in the Senate.
Well, Sarah quit after being bankrupted by sleazy bastards just like you, due to a flaw in the Alaska laws.
OOPS!
You guys have created a MONSTER!
THIS LOVELY LADY IS BUSY KICKIN' YOUR BUTTS ON A NATIONAL LEVEL.
heh.
.....and she has the bucks now to make it stick.
I would be thrilled to death, (literally), for her to choose to throw her hat into the ring for the presidency.
I pray for her to have the patience with us to do so.
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, all of you losers need to get out of bed now and start trashing this lovely mother once again. heh.
The louder you screech...the bigger we grin. You yourselves add a vote or two FOR her every time you jot a line or scream an epithet. Perhaps more important...right now she is making a world of friends among conservatives and independents ...especially independent moms.
You communists, (pardon the shorthand), and you "useful idiots" ... don't get it yet. Sarah may very well tip the balance to get a number of conservatives elected to congress this fall. She might wind up with hundreds of "chits".
If McCain does get re-elected...he will KNOW that Sarah made it happen. Hmmm, a quiet phonecall from Sarah just might kick McCain's butt back across the aisle where he belongs on a given vote.
The real coolest thought about Sarah, is that if she or someone like her cannot win, You losers.....lose.
Your vote is no longer needed by the communists, but only your willingness to die for them.
Heh.
You probably need to go to a local firing range and dust off the rust...heh...or in fact learn where a trigger is, and how to skin a rabbit, and how to keep from starving in the dark when we turn off the fuel.
Oh yeah... go for it!
RCV| 7.6.10 @ 5:31PM
I've heard her excuse, Ken, and find it as convincing as most people did at the time. As for McCain, she's already paid him back big time by blowing the election for him - he was ahead in the polls, and they he added Sarah.
I would more than welcome her nomination in 2012, believe me, as it would ensure my guy's reelection. Communists don't need votes; they, like you, rely on guns since they can't persuade people. I also think I'll hold off on the skinning-lesson for now, and as I said before, you're more than welcome in a free society to withhold your labor. Heck, you can even join a union if you want. You won't be fired if you strike - the GOP isn't in the White House.
Be well.
Ken (Old Texican)| 7.6.10 @ 6:00PM
RCV
One simple question:
What in the world do you do for a living that isn't being murderized by these people in this regime?
Raymond| 7.6.10 @ 6:55PM
Stupid RCV: how sure are you that Obama will be reelected?? He may not even win a DNC primary if Hillary challenge him!! Hahahaha! Only IDIOTS and stupid Americans like you will vote again for Obama. Bwhahahahaha! Let me tell you something Intellectual idiot, After Nov 2012, Sarah Palin will surely say, "I can see the Whitehouse from my porch in Alaska." By January 2013, Obama-san will surely say, "I Can see Nairobi from Wash, DC." hahahahahah!
RCV| 7.6.10 @ 8:27PM
what a wit!
UpChuck.Liberals| 7.7.10 @ 1:17AM
As compared to you being a half wit? I am giving you some credit for not being totally witless. Please disappoint me.
Angelo| 7.6.10 @ 7:00PM
Hey, RCV.. do you know what OBAMA and RCV signifies???
OBAMA: One Big Ass Mistake of America
RCV: Retarded Communist Veteran
Bwahahahahaha! :-p
RCV| 7.6.10 @ 8:19PM
Angelo, I am so impressed at your cleverness. I hope those on your side of the political divide are proud at the intelligence of your remarks.
stephanie| 7.6.10 @ 11:25PM
I can see November from my house!
Angelo| 7.7.10 @ 12:54AM
Thanks, RCV the liberal communist! I am just a simple Harvard graduate who is very impressed on Sarah Palin's political leadership. She is the right leader who must be the next POTUS. She has balls, she fights for what is right and has the capability to balance the national budget by giving priorities on Energy, job creations and defense of our liberties. Obama is a harvard grad like me but he lacks the courage to make effective decisions because he cares more about his worldwide popularity!! I would rather choose Hillary over him, and I am sorry that I voted for him last 2008. This is my greatest mistake to the American people.
UpChuck.Liberals| 7.7.10 @ 1:21AM
Angelo, you will soon be absolved of your sins you have seen the light and that light shall set you free. Go and spread the light of true freedom my son.
Ken Roberts| 7.7.10 @ 2:09PM
Are you Kidding , it would have been a landslide for Obama had she not run with the maverick. Why don't you go spew your stuff on Move on or some other lefty out fit; they would just love you there. You really have no place here except to entertain all of us with your dumb sayings. What have you got next ?Name calling.
Brian72| 7.6.10 @ 1:58PM
This will be a very interesting primary to watch.
I saw somewhere that the first debate between Miller and Murkowski is coming up real soon, like next Thursday.
That'll be a good YouTube to look up.
Raymond| 7.6.10 @ 6:45PM
Lisa is a RINO, and it is time to get rid of her being a RINO and a traditional politician. Bring her to the Alaskan Gulag and the rest of the corrupt DNC and RNC politicians in Alaska. Lisa is the one responsible for getting rid of Palin as gov of Alaska. By the way, Sarah Palin is not good as the next RNC chairwoman. She is best to be the next United States President in 2013. Sarah Palin as POTUS is better for the future of America and the world.
cc | 7.7.10 @ 3:04AM
I agree Palin Power Strikes Home
Stacy| 7.22.10 @ 3:15PM
I'm shocked that there is actually a positive blog about Sarah Palin. It is refreshing. Palin has tremendous pull and as we've seen when Palin and the Tea Party get behind a candidate they win.
play kitchen sets
Rat| 8.23.10 @ 11:09PM
I live in Sarah's home town, have since she was mayor. I don't know any of the Palins personally but have met a few of them on occasion. She has grown a lot as we all do over time and with life experience and insight. I have voted for her in the past and likely will again if given the opportunity.
She is someone I would certainly trust with my countries future and as Commander in Chief far more than I would or do any of the current occupants of power in Washington, D.C. (District of Criminals).
On top of that she can shoot, gut and skin her own moose! She has true heart and is not afraid to get in there and do what needs to be done, even if it means a bit of blood.