Alaska GOP Senate Primary: Sarah Palin & Tea Party Backed Republican Primary Challenger Joe Miller has Slight Lead Against Lisa Murkowski

Could be a big political shocker from the 49th state …

Joe Miller, the Sarah Palin and Tea Party backed Conservative Republican challenger is on the verge fo a huge upset in the Alaska GOP US Senate primary over incumbent Lisa Murkowski. With 84% of precincts reporting according to the Anchorage Daily News, Miller has a 51% to 49% lead over Murkowski, 45,188 votes to 42,633 . There appears to be an upset brewing in Alaska.

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowskiis battling for her political life this morning against Republican primary challenger Joe Miller, the Tea Party-backed candidate who had a slim lead as ballots continued to be counted overnight. Miller, a Fairbanks attorney, led from when the first returns came in Tuesday night, and was on the verge of pulling off one of the biggest election upsets ever in Alaska. With 84 percent of Alaska’s precincts reporting around 2 a.m., Miller had 45,188 votes to 42,633 for Murkowski.

Miller credited the support of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for his lead.

“I’m absolutely certain that was pivotal,” he said.

Should we be really be shocked? Maybe only to the MSM. Bill Miller is a strong Conservative, Tea Party backed Republican candidate who got the endorsement of Sarah Palin, former Governor of Alaska. Miller had a successful message during the campaign and painted Murkowskias too liberal for the times and part of the Washington, DC inside the beltway problem. It would appear that his message may have resonated with the Alaska voters.

This one is still too close to call.

This election race should send chills into the hearts of Democrats and not just because the polls had it wrong. The polls got it completely wrong and discounted the fever pitch of what is possible for voter mood swings against incumbents they deem not worthy. Democrats will say, see the polls are wrong, Biden is right, we will retain power. That would be a wrong assumption. It is the mood of the ground swell of disgruntled voters that are not being taken into account. Many polling models may be terribly wrong as also witnessed in FLA when GOP voters came out in hoards over Democrats.

Not a single public poll showed Miller within striking distance of Murkowski in the weeks before the primary, and she spent more than ten times as much as he spent. However, a ballot measure requiring parental notifications for teens seeking an abortion boosted Miller by driving tens of thousands of voters to the polls in an otherwise low-turnout primary.

Update from the American Spectator, what helped Miller in his upset bid over Murkowski, Ballot Measure 2.

David Weigel is not the only one to suggest that an amendment on Tuesday’s ballot — requiring parental notification before a minor can get an abortion — helped boost pro-life Miller against Murkowski. The measure passed with 55% of the vote. Charmaine Yoest of American United for Life notes that Alaska is the 37th state to enact such a measure.