Joe Miller is again challenging Lisa Murkowski for U.S. Senate, and this time he\u2019s running as a Libertarian.<\/p>\n
Late Tuesday afternoon, just hours before the deadline to act, the Alaska Libertarian Party and Miller announced that Miller will replace Cean Stevens as the Libertarian Party\u2019s candidate for U.S. Senate.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlaskans deserve a real choice,\u201d said Miller in a statement posted on his campaign website. \u201cThe choice between a Democrat, a Democrat-backed independent, and a Republican-In-Name-Only \u2014 who has been one of Barack Obama\u2019s chief enablers \u2014 is no choice at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miller said in his campaign announcement that if elected, he would caucus with the Republican Party in the U.S. Senate.<\/p>\n
The Alaska Division of Elections received Stevens\u2019 withdrawal from the race on Tuesday. In her official letter to the division, she said, \u201cAfter much deliberation and soul searching, I know that in order for Alaska to win we must make our best showing to put a Libertarian into the U.S. Senate. I think this opportunity will have its greatest chance at success if someone with greater name recognition is the one on the ticket.\u201d<\/p>\n
At 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, Miller\u2019s application was stamped and received at the Division of Elections office in Anchorage.<\/p>\n
According to records from the Alaska Division of Elections, Miller changed his voter registration from Republican to Libertarian shortly before the official candidate switch took place.<\/p>\n
Miller became famous in Alaska during the 2010 Republican primary for U.S. Senate when he unexpectedly defeated incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski. His triumph was short-lived, as Murkowski launched a successful write-in campaign, becoming the first person to win a U.S. Senate seat with a write-in campaign since Strom Thurmond did it in 1954 in South Carolina.<\/p>\n
Miller ran for U.S. Senate again in 2014, losing to eventual winner Dan Sullivan in the Republican primary.<\/p>\n
Miller was unavailable for an immediate interview Tuesday evening, but Libertarian Party chairman Terrence Shannigan said Stevens told Libertarian Party leaders in late August that she wanted to withdraw from the race.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe (Libertarian Party) board had to focus on that as kind of a first priority, and then the question is who do you run?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Time was a factor: 5 p.m. Tuesday was the deadline for candidates to withdraw from the election and for parties to change the names of candidates on November\u2019s general election ballot.<\/p>\n
Stevens recommended Miller to the Libertarian Party\u2019s leadership, which approached him with a copy of the Libertarian platform.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe response back was superb,\u201d Shannigan said. \u201cIn the amount of time we had left, and the options we had, and Cean\u2019s desires, it was all kind of taken into consideration.\u201d<\/p>\n
The party\u2019s board voted unanimously on the evening of Sept. 1 to accept Stevens\u2019 withdrawal and to replace her with Miller.<\/p>\n
The Libertarian Party of Alaska twice courted Miller to serve as its candidate in the past six years, he added. \u201cWe\u2019ve always found a very common alignment.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to records kept by the Federal Election Commission, Miller has $99,402 in campaign cash left over from his 2014 Republican primary race for Senate against Mead Treadwell and Sullivan.<\/p>\n
In November\u2019s general election, Miller faces Murkowski, Democratic challenger Ray Metcalfe, independent Margaret Stock, independent Breck Craig, and independent Ted Gianoutsos.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Contact reporter James Brooks at 523-2258 or james.k.brooks@juneauempire.com.<\/p>\n
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