# Alaska Senate race
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-senate-race/551607
**Category:** Politics & Elections
**Created:** [August 27, 2010, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-senate-race/551607 "2010-08-27T01:03:44Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 9
### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2010, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-senate-race/551607/161 "2010-11-16T17:33:36Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#):
>
> So when is Miller going to man up, admit defeat, and stop wasting everyone’s time and the state’s money?
I don’t think it will be long, since the party has recalled its attack dogs. Miller can’t afford a prolonged fight.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-senate-race/551607/162 "2010-11-16T17:42:39Z")
Norm Coleman was also in a two-party race, and so was getting massive support from the Republican Party: The longer they could drag that one out, the more it would hurt the Democrats. Here, though, they’re both Republicans, so dragging it out will hurt nobody but themselves.
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### Author:  [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-senate-race/551607/163 "2010-11-16T18:02:03Z")
Miller surely doesn’t care about hurting the Republican party, though I’m sure he cares about his wallet.
Who’s paying for this? If it’s the state OR the Republican party, Miller will contest it until he runs out of appeals or the party pulls the money plug, at which point he’ll start attacking the party. If it’s his own campaign funds, he’ll be dine this week.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-senate-race/551607/164 "2010-11-16T18:06:55Z")
Murkowski has now [passed](http://www.adn.com/2010/11/15/1555926/murkowski-passes-miller-in-vote.html) Miller’s vote count, and there are still 8,000 write-ins to go.
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### Author:  [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-senate-race/551607/165 "2010-11-16T18:33:55Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#):
>
> Miller surely doesn’t care about hurting the Republican party, though I’m sure he cares about his wallet.
>
> Who’s paying for this? If it’s the state OR the Republican party, Miller will contest it until he runs out of appeals or the party pulls the money plug, at which point he’ll start attacking the party. If it’s his own campaign funds, he’ll be dine this week.
Well, Miller’s already taken to soliciting donations to help with the legal battle,
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### Author:  [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-senate-race/551607/166 "2010-11-16T18:59:38Z")
> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> Murkowski has now [passed](http://www.adn.com/2010/11/15/1555926/murkowski-passes-miller-in-vote.html) Miller’s vote count, and there are still 8,000 write-ins to go.
The Tea Party has apparently developed a proprietary type of mathematics, with the basic units being the “Miller” and the “not Murkowski”.
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### Author:  [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-senate-race/551607/167 "2010-11-16T20:03:07Z")
> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> Murkowski has now [passed](http://www.adn.com/2010/11/15/1555926/murkowski-passes-miller-in-vote.html) Miller’s vote count, and there are still 8,000 write-ins to go.
And apparently they also counted up a bunch of absentees yesterday, and only have about 600 left. Plus whatever else trickles in today and tomorrow.
It’s all over but the posturing. And me attempting to cherry-pick my OP in order to prove that I was mostly right. 🆒
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### Author:  [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2010, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-senate-race/551607/168 "2010-11-17T05:15:24Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#):
>
> Miller surely doesn’t care about hurting the Republican party, though I’m sure he cares about his wallet.
>
> Who’s paying for this? If it’s the state OR the Republican party, Miller will contest it until he runs out of appeals or the party pulls the money plug, at which point he’ll start attacking the party. If it’s his own campaign funds, he’ll be dine this week.
Exactly. The Minnesota recount battle\* was all about keeping Al Franken out of the Senate seat he’d obviously won. This benefited the Republican Party, so they poured money into his legal battle, even knowing that it had no chance of success. Keeping Murkowski out of the Senate doesn’t benefit the Republican Party (and, for all I know, Alaska allows a winner to be seated provisionally earlier than Minnesota does), so they won’t fund him. I can think of one prominent politician with a PAC that has deep pockets, little loyalty to the Republican establishment, and a very strong grudge against Murkowski, and who might just be crazy enough to try. That would be fun.
\*The 2008-09 Minnesota Senate recount battle, not the forthcoming 2010 (-11??) Minnesota gubernatorial recount battle.
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### Author:  [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2010, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-senate-race/551607/169 "2010-11-17T05:43:19Z")
> [@waterj2](#):
>
> Exactly. The Minnesota recount battle\* was all about keeping Al Franken out of the Senate seat he’d obviously won. This benefited the Republican Party, so they poured money into his legal battle, even knowing that it had no chance of success. Keeping Murkowski out of the Senate doesn’t benefit the Republican Party (and, for all I know, Alaska allows a winner to be seated provisionally earlier than Minnesota does), so they won’t fund him. I can think of one prominent politician with a PAC that has deep pockets, little loyalty to the Republican establishment, and a very strong grudge against Murkowski, and who might just be crazy enough to try. That would be fun.
> \*The 2008-09 Minnesota Senate recount battle, not the forthcoming 2010 (-11??) Minnesota gubernatorial recount battle.
I can think of a wealthy Repub that is probably too busy watching “Dancing with the Stars” to get involved. Besides Sarah doesn’t spend, she collects.
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### Author:  [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2010, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-senate-race/551607/170 "2010-11-17T12:19:38Z")
> [@waterj2](#):
>
> I can think of one prominent politician with a PAC that has deep pockets, little loyalty to the Republican establishment, and a very strong grudge against Murkowski, and who might just be crazy enough to try. That would be fun.
I doubt it. Even Sarah knows a dead fish when she sees one. She’d have nothing to gain by delaying the seating of a Republican senator and wouldn’t want to burn any bridges before she kicks off her 2012 campaign.
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### Author:  [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2010, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-senate-race/551607/171 "2010-11-17T13:16:20Z")
FWIW, Sarah Palin did contribute $5,000 to the recount effort.
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### Author:  [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-senate-race/551607/172 "2010-11-17T14:19:36Z")
> [@descamisado](#):
>
> FWIW, Sarah Palin did contribute $5,000 to the recount effort.
$5k out of how much?
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### Author:  [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-senate-race/551607/173 "2010-11-17T14:22:15Z")
> [@descamisado](#):
>
> FWIW, Sarah Palin did contribute $5,000 to the recount effort.
That’s like what she makes cutting one fart behind a podium. It’s like you or me tossing a dime into a wishing well.
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### Author:  [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2010, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-senate-race/551607/174 "2010-11-17T14:28:25Z")
Hence, the “FWIW.” I wasn’t posting that to praise her, only to say she did put her sofa cushion change where her mouth was.
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### Author:  [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2010, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-senate-race/551607/175 "2010-11-17T14:31:28Z")
MIller’s position is no longer tenable. If he had some sort of double-secret recount aided by a court ruling, he would forever be tainted. It is time and past time for him to be a good sport.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2010, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-senate-race/551607/176 "2010-11-17T15:13:47Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#):
>
> MIller’s position is no longer tenable. If he had some sort of double-secret recount aided by a court ruling, he would forever be tainted. It is time and past time for him to be **a good sport**.
Riiiiiight. 😛
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-senate-race/551607/177 "2010-11-17T16:57:35Z")
Miller is now asking for a [hand recount](http://www.adn.com/2010/11/16/1557873/murkowskis-lead-more-than-10000.html)of ALL ballots cast. He says the state’s electronic counting is “suspect”. Apparently it was just peachy in the primary, though. Since he can’t possible recoup 10,000 votes, this is just harassment.
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### Author:  [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2010, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-senate-race/551607/178 "2010-11-17T17:09:51Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#):
>
> That’s like what she makes cutting one fart behind a podium.
> [@descamisado](#):
>
> … she did put her sofa cushion change where her mouth was.
😃
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### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-senate-race/551607/179 "2010-11-17T17:11:42Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#):
>
> MIller’s position is no longer tenable. If he had some sort of double-secret recount aided by a court ruling, he would forever be tainted. It is time and **past time for him to be a good sport**.
Haven’t been paying attention to this race (and this candidate), have you? 😃
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2010, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-senate-race/551607/180 "2010-11-17T17:15:30Z")
This is beyond ridiculous. She is over 10,000 votes ahead of him. Even if every one of his challenged votes is accepted, she is over 2,000 votes ahead of him. There are 600 ballots left to count. It is impossible for him to catch up.
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