Murkowski is running a balancing act. She touts the benefits to Alaska rising from her status as the senior Republican on the Senate energy committee and her coming advancement on the powerful appropriations committee. But she also reminds voters she is now running against the Republican Party establishment, which is supporting Miller."There's a Discount Paloma Picasso amount of freedom that comes of running a campaign like I am now," she said on KINY Radio. "I am not running as my party's nominee. ... I'm on the outside. I'm kind of the insurgency. And it's a nice place to be, I have to say."Among Murkowski's strongest backers are wealthy Alaska native corporations. She has strongly defended the corporations' often-lucrative, no-bid federal contracts, which are under increasing scrutiny in Congress.
Alaska native leaders say Murkow-ski has steered crucial financing for water and sewage systems, schools, airports and clinics to the state's far-flung bush communities.With Discount Elsa Peretti flooding into McAdams' and Miller's campaigns, native corporation leaders respnded with an independent expenditure of $595,000 raised through a so-called super PAC, Alaskans Standing Together. The group is composed of a dozen native corporations but has also drawn contributions from several Alaska politicians and public employee organizations. Tiffany Sets on sale is targetDemocrat McAdams, a former commercial fisherman, teacher and football coach and current mayor of Sitka, said Murkowski sold out her once-moderate credentials to an increasingly conservative voting record on issues such as abortion, health care and federal spending.
But the heart of his campaign, he said, is against Miller, not Murkowski - a sentiment shared by many Democrats who say they are ready to vote for Murkowski if it will stop Miller.Miller, a Fairbanks lawyer, has campaigned on a message of returning to strict constitutional government structures, ending "corrupt" earmarks that have sent millions of federal Tiffany Pendants on sale to Alaska over the years, and rethinking programs such as Medicare, Social Security and unemployment.Recent revelations that Miller's family accepted a range of government benefits, including agricultural subsidies, low-income medical benefits and unemployment, prompted Miller to announce that he would no longer discuss his personal life. "We've drawn a line in the sand. You can ask me about background, you can ask about personal issues - I'm not going to answer," he said.
Commentaires