Sen. Lisa Murkowski Trails Behind Joe Miller

Aug. 26, 2010— -- Alaska Senate candidate and Tea Party favorite Joe Miller continues to maintain his lead over Sen. Lisa Murkowski in a primary battle that shocked the political establishment.

With all votes counted, Miller led Murkowski by about 1,670 votes. As of Thursday morning, he had nabbed 50.9 percent of the total votes, with Murkowski at 49.1 percent.

But about 7,000 absentee ballots still need to be counted. The Alaska Elections Division said it would start counting the first of the absentee ballots Tuesday, Aug. 31. State law allows for up to 15 days to review and count absentee and questioned ballots.

Murkowski would have to win 60 percent of the absentee vote to take the lead.

Candidates can request a recount within five days of the results being certified, but they must pay for it from their own checkbook.

Miller and his supporters were jubilant in what most pollsters predict will be a win for him -- Sarah Palin dubbed it a "miracle on ice" in a Twitter posting. The candidate, a self-described "constitutional conservative," said in a statement that he was "very pleased" by the results and "we intend to work just as hard to communicate our message to the people of Alaska" in the general election.

But Murkowski, who is seeking a second term in office, isn't giving up yet.

"We know for a fact that it ain't over yet until it's over," she said at a press conference Wednesday. "There is much, much yet to be counted."

In the 2008 Senate primary, the late Sen. Ted Stevens didn't learn of his defeat to Mark Begich until late in the night, after initial votes put Stevens in the lead.

Miller trailed far behind Murkowski in funding -- the incumbent senator had raised nearly $3 million for her campaign as of Aug. 4, according to the Federal Election Commission, compared with $283,473 raised by Miller.

But it didn't take long for the tide to shift.

Read more about the Alaska elections here.

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