JUNEAU, Alaska, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, trailing her primary election opponent, said she would wait until all ballots are counted before deciding what to do next.
Murkowski trails attorney Joe Miller by about 1,500 votes and several thousand absentee ballots must be counted, officials said. Alaska's primary was Tuesday.
"It ain't over yet, folks," Murkowski told reporters Wednesday, saying she would wait for absentee ballots to be counted before deciding her political future, Politico reported Thursday. "There are thousands of absentees that are yet to come in."
Miller held a 47,027-to-45,359 vote lead over Murkowski after the final precinct results were tallied late Wednesday, the Anchorage (Alaska) Daily News said. More than 16,000 absentees were requested from the Division of Elections and about 7,600 of them have been returned so far.
If Miller, backed by Tea Party movement supporters and supported by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, holds his lead, Murkowski's defeat would rank as of the year's biggest primary upsets.
Republicans began assigning blame for Murkowski's unexpectedly lousy performance after polls as recent as last week indicated she would win the GOP nod.
"Lisa just didn't run a good campaign," GOP political consultant Art Hackney told Politico. "There's absolutely no reason she shouldn't have won that, Sarah Palin or not."
Elections Division spokeswoman Lauri Wilson said it could take until Sept. 8 to finish counting absentee ballots. If the margin of victory is less than a half of a percentage point, either candidate could request a state-paid recount.
That's where Murkowski's third option -- mounting a write-in or third-party campaign -- could come into play. Political analysts say scenario is risky for the GOP since it could split the vote and give Democratic nominee Scott McAdams, right now a long shot, a better chance at winning the seat.
