A Fairbanks attorney running against Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski this year is trying to drum up support for his campaign, meeting with conservatives in Washington, D.C., and advertising a "big announcement" that Todd Palin will be at his fundraiser in Wasilla this week.
Joe Miller hasn't held political office. But he made a splash in Republican Party politics two years ago, joining with then-Gov. Sarah Palin to lead an unsuccessful coup attempt against Alaska Republican Party Chairman Randy Ruedrich.
Now he's challenging Murkowski, who has attracted just one Republican opponent -- Miller -- in her bid for re-election, with the candidate filing deadline only a month away. The only Democrat in the race is Frank Vondersaar, a perennial candidate who drew just more than 1 percent of the vote when he ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate two years ago.
Miller, whose campaign announcement said the nation is in a "head-long plunge into socialism," was in Washington, D.C., for meetings with conservatives last week. He was not specific in an interview about whom he spoke with, describing it as the "leadership of the conservative movement in America."
It remains to be seen whether the meetings will lead to help with his campaign. Miller said his message was that the federal government should be limited to powers set forth in the Constitution. He described the recent health care act, which Murkowski also opposed, as an example of the overreaching of federal government.
A Washington Post blog reported on Miller's visit and said he was offering a "strong implication" that Sarah Palin was going to endorse him in the race on Monday. Miller fed speculation on his campaign website Sunday by saying he was "getting ready for the big announcement tomorrow."
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