Natalie Gonnella
Claiming Alaska will suffer if she is not sworn in on January 3rd, Lisa Murkowski is challenging Joe Miller’s recently filed suit, which halted the ballot certification and confirmation of victory for Murkowski in Alaska's 2010 Senate race, originally scheduled to take place on Monday November 29th.
Murkowski’s attorney, Scott M. Kendall wrote in a motion against Miller's lawsuit that "there are numerous critical issues facing our nation and Alaskans deserve to have full representation in the United States Senate” (Washington Post).
Kendall also commented that Murkowski would lose her seniority within the Senate, moving from 43rd to 100th, due to the gap.
Murkowski declared victory after a ballot count showed her with a “10,328-vote lead - a total that includes 8,159 ballots contested by Miller observers” (AP).
Miller is challenging Murkowski's victory on the grounds that the State is using methods in vote counting which violate the Constitution. "[He] also argued that when the state moved up the date for ballot counting by a week, it forced Miller to quickly gather a ballot-observing team that he says couldn't be properly trained - costing him opportunities to challenge Murkowski ballots" (KTUU-TV). Miller claimed that in the first days of the review an indeterminate number of ballots were counted which should have, in fact, been challenged.
On Wednesday, Alaska GOP Chairman Randy Ruedrich posted a strong criticism of Miller's election fraud claims on the state party's website.
According to the Fairbanks Daily-News Miner, Ruedrich further commented that he is "troubled by the unfounded concerns and inaccurate claims expressed by the Joe Miller campaign organization, its supporters and associated individuals"
Potential RNC Chairman candidate and former Minnesota Senator, Norm Coleman said in a statement on C-Span Wednesday, that Miller should accept defeat, commenting "I think that race is over. I think the counting's been done. I'm not sure there's anything that would change that” (CBS News).
State Attorneys have also requested, on Murkowski's behalf, that the case be transferred to Juneau, as according to the AP, “Division of Elections director Gail Fenumiai said in an affidavit that ballots and precinct registers are secured in a room with locks and alarms in Juneau and a similar secure facility would not be available in Fairbanks on short notice without significant cost.”
As the confirmation of the contest result becomes more and more complicated, there is still one very important fact which continues to remains true. Regardless of the outcome of either side's legal action, Lisa Murkowski currently leads by more than 10,000 votes, which, unfortunately for Joe Miller, is more than the number he is currently challenging.
Murkowski was rightly criticised conservative commentators for being a sore loser and now Miller is acting like one.
Sorry Joe, you lost, now go away and stop acting like a Democrat that loses elections then tries to win them in the courts.
Miller has really dropped down in my estimation.
Posted by: anon | November 25, 2010 at 12:31 PM