Murkowski fends off crowded field

  • By Becky Bohrer
  • Wednesday, November 9, 2016 12:54am
  • News

ANCHORAGE — U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski won her bid for re-election, fending off a crowded field of challengers that included the man who beat her in the Republican primary six years ago and an independent who has garnered support from within the Alaska Democratic party.

Murkowski’s last two Senate races were nail-biters. In 2004, she edged out Democrat Tony Knowles to keep the seat to which her father, then the governor, appointed her in 2002. In 2010, she lost the GOP primary to Joe Miller but won the general election with a write-in campaign.

While this election has lacked the drama of 2010, it has had its surprises, including Miller’s late entrance into the race as a Libertarian. Several Republicans quit leadership posts in their party to publicly back his run.

Late Tuesday afternoon, Miller greeted supporters waving signs during rush hour traffic in Anchorage and said he felt good. He said his campaign has been aided by a strong group of volunteers dedicated to changing the direction of Alaska and the U.S. He said he looked forward to a good result on election night.

Two factions of the Democratic party endorsed independent Margaret Stock, an immigration attorney, over their own nominee, Ray Metcalfe, an anti-corruption crusader who has feuded with party leaders over the party’s direction.

The race also includes a handful of lesser-known independent and write-in candidates.

Stock and Miller cast themselves as outsiders and tried to break through the field to challenge the well-financed Murkowski.

Murkowski touted her seniority and reputation as a moderate, while Stock and Miller sought to paint her as part of the problem in an ineffective Congress.

One of Murkowski’s biggest worries heading into the election was whether the vitriolic presidential race would turn off voters and keep them at home. She said she was taking nothing for granted and urged her supporters to get the polls.

Murkowski distanced herself from her party’s nominee, Donald Trump, after a 2005 video of him making lewd comments about women surfaced. She said she couldn’t vote for him or Democrat Hillary Clinton. But she declined to say who she ultimately voted for.

Regardless of who becomes president, Murkowski said Congress will need to “get its act together,” work to advance priorities and govern.

She said she would work with whoever becomes president “when it is going to advance Alaska’s interest. And if what they’re doing harms Alaska, I will block them at every corner,” she said Monday evening.

More in News

Samantha Springer, left, and Michelle Walker stand in the lobby of the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Springer named new head of Kenai chamber

Springer, who was raised in Anchorage, said she’s lived on the Kenai Peninsula since 2021

Forever Dance performers rehearse “Storytellers” on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at the Renee C. Henderson Auditorium in Kenai, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
‘Storytellers’ weave tales with their feet

Dance and literature intersect in latest Forever Dance showcase

Soldotna City Hall is photographed on Wednesday, June 24, 2021, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna OKs donation of portable shower, restroom facilities to homelessness coalition

The city purchased the portable restroom and shower trailer for about $182,000 in October 2020

The Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation building is seen in Juneau, Alaska, in March 2022. The deadline for the permanent fund dividend is coming up fast, landing on March 31, 2023. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)
PFD application deadline is next week; state revenue forecasts lower than expected

Alaska North Slope crude oil was estimated to be about $71.62 per barrel on Monday

COVID-19. (Image courtesy CDC)
COVID-19: Cases jump in Kenai Peninsula Borough

No hospitalizations were reported in the Gulf Coast region

The Challenger Learning Center is seen in Kenai, Alaska, on Sept. 10, 2020. (Peninsula Clarion file)
Transportation gaps to be the focus of community meeting

The goal is to create a task force who can regularly meet and move forward on the issue

Bob Schroeder takes an electric chainsaw to a mock credit card during a protest outside the Wells Fargo in downtown Juneau at midday Tuesday. Schroeder cut up three mock credit cards representing three banks in Juneau protesters say are leading funders of fossil fuel development projects. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Protesters object to banks financing fossil fuel projects

Demonstrators used chain saw to cut up giant credit cards

The members of Sankofa Dance Theater Alaska perform for a crowd of students during an opening performance at Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science in Kenai, Alaska on Monday, March 20, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Uniting through movement

Kaleidoscope students learn about western African dances and music with in-residence artists

A blizzard warning is issued for the Eastern Kenai Peninsula and beyond by the National Weather Service on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. (Screenshot)
Blizzard warning issued for Seward, Turnagain Pass

Snow accumulation is predicted to be from 7 to 20 inches

Most Read