Less than 1,700 votes separates her and challenger Joe Miller as election officials prepare to count absentee ballots from Tuesday's Republican primary. That'll take some days.
Murkowski says she's not about to concede to the conservative Fairbanks lawyer, who rode Tea Party power to his surprising lead.
Murkowski has been in the Senate since 2002.
The fishing industry was firmly behind her re-election, based on my cursory review of campaign finance disclosures on file with the Federal Election Commission.
The list of donors is a who's who of the industry, with $500 checks coming from executives of such firms as American Seafoods, Icicle Seafoods, Trident Seafoods, Glacier Seafoods, Alaskan Leader Fisheries, Fishermen's Finest, Alyeska Seafoods, UniSea, Ocean Beauty Seafoods and Alaska General Seafoods.
I also saw some top Bering Sea crabbers on the donor list, and leaders of such trade organizations as the the Pacific Seafood Processors Association, the At-sea Processors Association and the Groundfish Forum.
Two of the state's top organizations representing commercial fishermen and ports, United Fishermen of Alaska and the Marine Conservation Alliance, endorsed Murkowski.
She's been regarded as an emerging leader on fisheries policy since Ted Stevens lost his Senate seat in 2008. One of Murkowski's aides is Arne Fuglvog, a former Petersburg commercial fisherman who last year was in the running to become the Obama administration's pick to head the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Now it appears both Murkowski and Fuglvog might have plenty of time for some fishing.
3 comments:
To say that the that 'the industry' is 'somewhat distressed' over Lisa exiting stage left is this year's understatement! The 'industry' is puking their collective guts out this very evening and will have dry-heaved themselves into a coma until it's resolved. I find yuks in that thought. just imagine the T-parties take on what the CDQ chaps are doing with their ill begotten empires! Just go to the MCA's web site and and listen to the crowing about how much money the CDQ's put in the hands of their constituents. If you do the math that they boldly provide, it's a little over 10%. Of course, no one does the math. Maybe this Miller cat will.
That little fact is just a too obvious one. A little more prying into the whole mess....
If Murkowski ends up loosing the primary and Miller goes on to win, it will be like a tax break for all of us Taxpayers in the Lower 48. With 2 rookies in the Senate, no seniority, Alaska will loose the dollar$ that Ted use to bring home and those dollars will be available to other States or to reduce the deficit. Go Joe.
Ironic Lisa's crew was taken by a starfish org. Pumping 600K from Ca. Gotta luv the baggers'
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