Joe Miller isn’t the only conservative Alaskan with eyes on Sen. Lisa Murkowski — state Sen. Mike Dunleavy is also considering coming after the Republican senator from the right.
GOP operatives in the state and Democratic former Sen. Mark Begich, ousted last fall, told CQ Roll Call about Dunleavy’s interest.
He represents the conservative Mat-Su Valley and isn’t ruling anything out. “I can confirm the rumors,” he told CQ Roll Call. “But I can neither confirm nor deny my commitment.” In the same conversation, Dunleavy said he’d likely be making a decision soon — possibly within a week.
Or Murkowski, already defeated once in a primary only to make a surprising comeback in a write-in campaign, could face Miller in a rematch.
As the host of a daily talk radio show in Alaska, Miller is well-known in the state. Dunleavy isn’t nearly as much a household name, but he’d have a base. “He’s known in the area that wins you Republican primaries,” Begich told CQ Roll Call.
Since almost making it to Washington five years ago, Miller’s political viability — along with the tea party’s — has waned. When Miller ran for Senate again last year, he came in second in the GOP primary, with only 32 percent of the vote. The Club for Growth, which had endorsed him in 2010, backed Dan Sullivan instead. Sullivan went on to win the general election against Begich by 2 points.
Sources in the state agree whichever candidate declines to take on Murkowski will mount a primary bid against Rep. Don Young instead.
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