Murkowski wins re-election in Alaska US Senate race

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski won her bid for re-election Tuesday, fending off a crowded field of challengers that included the man who beat her in the Republican primary six years ago and an independent who garnered support from within the Alaska Democratic party.

Murkowski’s last two Senate races were nail-biters. In 2004, she edged out Democrat Tony Knowles to keep the seat to which her father, then the governor, appointed her in 2002. In 2010, she lost the GOP primary to Joe Miller but won the general election with a write-in campaign.

While this election lacked the drama of 2010, it had its surprises, including Miller’s late entrance into the race as a last-minute substitution on the Libertarian ticket. Several Republicans quit leadership posts in their party to publicly back his run.

The other main candidates were Democrat Ray Metcalfe and independent Margaret Stock.

Murkowski was initially reluctant to declare victory after her race was called by The Associated Press and another outlet late Tuesday, telling supporters gathered at an Anchorage brew pub that she wanted to see some more results come. But she said she liked what she was seeing.

She told reporters she took the “Boy Scout approach” to her campaign — focusing on being prepared. She said she started thinking about this campaign in 2011, shortly after her last campaign ended. That included recognizing the need to build a strong team early and build a ground game to energize the people who supported her in 2010 and bring in new support, she said.

Late Tuesday afternoon, Miller greeted supporters waving signs during rush hour traffic in Anchorage and said he felt good. He said his campaign had been aided by a strong group of volunteers dedicated to changing the direction of Alaska and the U.S. He said he looked forward to a good result on election night.

Stock and Miller cast themselves as outsiders and tried to break through the field to challenge the well-financed Murkowski.

Two factions of the Democratic party endorsed Stock, an immigration attorney, over Metcalfe, an anti-corruption crusader who has feuded with party leaders over the party’s direction.

The race also included a handful of lesser-known independent and write-in candidates.

Murkowski touted her seniority and reputation as a moderate, while Stock and Miller sought to paint her as part of the problem in an ineffective Congress.

Stock saw the general election debates and candidate forums as a chance to raise her visibility. She said one of her biggest issues she had was people not knowing she was running. She said people got excited about her run when they learned about her.

Turnout had been a worry for Murkowski, given how vitriolic the presidential race was, and she urged her supporters to take nothing for granted and get to the polls.

Murkowski distanced herself from her party’s nominee, Donald Trump, after a 2005 video of him making lewd comments about women surfaced. She said she couldn’t vote for him or Democrat Hillary Clinton. But she declined to say who she ultimately voted for.

Regardless of who becomes president, Murkowski said Congress will need to “get its act together,” work to advance priorities and govern.

She said she would work with whoever becomes president “when it is going to advance Alaska’s interest. And if what they’re doing harms Alaska, I will block them at every corner,” she told the AP on Monday evening.