Joe Miller

In the Republican U.S. Senate race's fierce first debate Thursday night, Sen. Lisa Murkowski and challenger Joe Miller finally got to talk about the issues -- and it was their questions for each other that got all the attention. The debate was televised by public television station KAKM. Both candidates are well-researched and eager for the job, and both were on the attack Thursday. First, the candidates introduced themselves in one-minute opening statements. “Our nation is in crisis,” Miller said.

It's been a rough week for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller. After a fundraising visit to Washington, D.C., he returned to Alaska -- and faced a host of questions about his finances and his family's use of government programs. His critics say his attacks on federal programs like unemployment insurance and the expansion of Denali Kidcare make him a walking contradiction, based on his personal use of those programs. This week Miller admitted that his family has used a state program similar to Denali KidCare, which is partly funded by the federal government.

Alaska Dispatch editor Tony Hopfinger was handcuffed by security guards at a Joe Miller town hall event Sunday afternoon. Hopfinger says he approached Miller to ask questions, but was arrested for half an hour until police arrived. According to Hopfinger, Miller’s security team pushed him and he pushed back because he felt his personal space was being invaded. He says guards detained him and accused him of trespassing, although the town hall was a public event held at Central Middle School, a public building.

KTUU.com is live-streaming Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller’s press conference on the future of his campaign Friday afternoon. Click on the link next to this story to watch the live stream. Earlier this month the Alaska Supreme Court ruled against Miller in his lawsuit against the state, and write-in candidate Sen. Lisa Murkowski was certified as the race’s winner Thursday. But Miller has said he is taking legal steps one at a time, including a possible appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

It was supposed to be an outdoor picnic, but winds forced the first Sean Parnell-Joe Miller political rally to move inside to the Menard Sports Complex. About 200 people turned out for the rally, and Miller campaign supporters say it marks an important turning point. “I wish Sarah Palin had shown up. It would have been perfect for me,” said Miller supporter Lloyd Arms.   Palin may not have attended, but her campaign machine was very much in attendance at the rally.

Channel 2 has received complaints Friday night about live coverage of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s announcement of her write-in campaign for the U.S. Senate being unbalanced against Republican nominee Joe Miller. Murkowski’s statement was scheduled for 6 p.m., but we interrupted broadcasting early when Murkowski approached the podium and continued live coverage awaiting her announcement. Joe Miller had been offered a chance to respond to Murkowski immediately after our live coverage.

The 2010 Senate race was a historic election. Sen. Lisa Murkowski lost the primary to new comer Joe Miller who was backed heavily by the Tea Party Express and Democrat Scott McAdams came out swinging. In the end, Murkowski won back her Senate seat in a successful write-in campaign, a feat that hadn't been done since 1954.

The Division of Elections continued to count outstanding ballots Friday. In the Anchorage office alone, more than 3,500 questioned ballots and about 750 absentee ballots were counted. As of 2 p.m., numbers in the Republican U.S. Senate primary showed candidate Joe Miller with a 1,900-vote lead over incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Murkowski conceded the race on Tuesday when the first round of absentee ballot counts started. The Division of Elections says it will finish counting ballots on Sept.

Republican U.S. Senate nominee Joe Miller’s campaign has called Sen. Lisa Murkowski's voting record into question. Murkowski has missed seven out of eight days of voting since she declared her write-in campaign. The Miller campaign says there's a contradiction in Murkowski's claim that she's running to fight for Alaska if she's not in Washington, D.C. to vote on the issues, including the defense bill addressing the military’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

A new poll shows Alaskans might be interested in Sen. Lisa Murkowski staying in the race for U.S. Senate. Murkowski's friend, Andrew Halcro, commissioned a poll showing that in a three-way Senate race Murkowski comes out on top. The current Libertarian candidate, David Haase, says he's willing to sit down with Murkowski and talk with her about switching parties to stay in the race. Haase's platform, called the “People's Bailout,” is a financial plan he created -- and he wants to know what Murkowski thinks about it. Just days ago, Murkowski conceded the Republican U.S. Senate primary to challenger Joe Miller.