Not since 1954 has a write-in candidate won a seat in the U.S. Senate, but Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) could make history and pull of her rising campaign in Alaska.

Murkowski lost the Republican primary to Joe Miller, an attorney who has the backing of the Tea Party movement. He was favored to win the race but a series of missteps has put Murkowski on the front-burner.

“I’ve made it very clear that when I go back to Washington it will be because Alaskans have sent me back, not Republicans," Murkowski told The New York Times.

Murkowski, a member and former vice chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and the ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has strong Alaska Native support. She was endorsed by the Alaska Federation of Natives and was the only candidate allowed to address the group's convention last week.

Alaskans Standing Together,an independent expenditure committee largely funded by Alaska Native corporations, has spent $1.2 million to urge voters to support Murkowski.

Get the Story:
In Alaska Senate Race, Front-Runner Isn’t on Ballot (The New York Times 10/26)

Also Today:
Washington Sketch: A new Miller test for First Amendment (The Washington Post 10/26)

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