Lisa Murkowski

Numerous Republican candidates for office gathered at a fundraiser for Alaskans for Parental Rights Monday night, in a rare show of party unity before an election-year primary. The fundraiser was hosted at the West Anchorage home of gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker -- but opponents Gov. Sean Parnell and Ralph Samuels were also there as co-hosts. Other co-hosts included candidates for lieutenant governor Eddie Burke, Mead Treadwell and Jay Ramras; U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller; and Rep. Don Young and his challenger, Sheldon Fisher.

The Anchorage Chamber of Commerce honored its 2011 inductees into the Anchorage ATHENA Society at a luncheon in downtown Anchorage Monday.  “It’s very humbling, the society is filled with so many amazing women in Anchorage and it’s great to be one of them,” said Karen King, 2011 inductee and President of the Nerland Ad Agency. This is the 17th year the Chamber of Commerce has recognized women in Anchorage who excel in business. This year, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski was one of two keynote speakers who spoke to the theme of “Pay it Forward.” “Each and every thing that is done adds to the greatness of our community,” said Murkowski.

by Channel 2 News staff Thursday, July 15, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Alaska senators Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich are remembering Maurice "Mo" Bailey, an advocate for Alaskan veterans who passed away Tuesday evening after a battle with leukemia. Bailey enlisted in the army at the age of 17, and served for 20 years. He decided to stay in Alaska and founded the Veterans Aviation Outreach. Murkowski says Bailey never gave up his fight to obtain the Veterans Administration benefits he and others earned through their service.

Write-in ballot counting continued Thursday at the Alaska Litho building in Juneau.Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller’s campaign says it’s concerned about the letter of the law as it scrutinizes the spelling of Sen. Lisa Murkowski's name on write-in ballots -- but should the votes it’s challenged be thrown out? According to the state Division of Elections, 199 precincts of 438 have been counted. Of the 45,132 write-in ballots counted Murkowski has 44,128, but 3,610 of those have been challenged.

Alaska's U.S. senators are joining in a wider overhaul of the country's education system, taking a hard look at the Elementary and Secondary Education Act -- or as most people know it, No Child Left Behind.  Last week during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) passed amendments aimed at improving education in Alaska. Murkowski introduced amendments that relate to "highly qualified" teachers in rural Alaska. Under current federal law a teacher cannot teach a subject unless they are considered "highly qualified," but the amendment will allow teachers to get the proper credentials using tele-education.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski celebrated a Washington, D.C. victory Wednesday, as the Tea Party Express made plans to back Republican U.S. Senate nominee Joe Miller. Meanwhile, Democratic challenger Scott McAdams is hoping it all works to his benefit. Senate Republicans opted not to strip Murkowski of her Energy Committee seat Wednesday morning, despite some of her fellow caucus members being upset about her staying in the race as a write-in candidate. In a live interview on Channel 2 Wednesday, Murkowski spoke about keeping her seat as the top Republican on the Energy Committee.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski isn't up for election until 2016, but that's not stopping the American Chemistry Council from buying lots of commercial airtime on TV and radio stations in Anchorage, airing a pro-Murkowski political advertisement hundreds of times. At KTUU alone, the American Chemistry Council -- based in Washington, D.C.-- has spent $111,875 in March for repeated airings of the 30-second spot that lauds Murkowski's efforts in the U.S. Senate.  The ad has also aired on other television and radio stations in Anchorage.

by Jill Burke Sunday, November 2, 2008 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The heated race for Alaska's seat in the United States Senate continued Sunday, with new ads from both sides using Sen. Ted Stevens' corruption trial as ammunition. Stevens' Senate colleague, Lisa Murkowski, can be seen in one ad underscoring Stevens' claim that the trial was unjust and hammering the prosecution for ethical violations and false evidence. "I think that Judge Sullivan -- there is a good chance he will throw out this conviction," criminal defense attorney John Dowd said in a phone interview, referring to the judge who presided over Stevens' case.

State lawmakers expected a state report on Alaska’s 2010 election to be out by now. Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell's office told lawmakers back in January the review would be ready in 45 days, but 60 days have passed and still nothing has been made public. The report is meant to recap the hotly disputed write-in race between Joe Miller and Lisa Murkowski, and make recommendations as to whether the state should clarify the election law to allow misspellings and abbreviations to be counted on ballots where voter intent is clear.

Less than a month removed from Election Day 2008, Sen. Lisa Murkowski seems to be gearing up for a possible primary challenge from Gov. Sarah Palin in 2010. In an interview with a major political website, Murkowski says Palin should think twice before trying to take her Senate seat two years from now. "I can guarantee it would be a very tough election," Murkowski told politico.com. "If she wants to be president, I don't think the way to the presidency is a short stop in the United States Senate.