Outside the Beltway

Joe Miller Ponders 2014 Senate Run

Doug Mataconis · Monday, April 15, 2013 · 2 comments

Joe Miller, who surprised political observers by beating Lisa Murkowski in the Alaska Republican primary only to lose what turned into a three-way race when Murkowski mounted a write-in campaign, is considering running next year against Alaska’s other Senator:

Tea-party-backed Alaska Republican Joe Miller is looking at a run for Senate in 2014, forming an exploratory committee to judge whether he can generate enough political and financial support.

“The choice before Alaskans in 2014 will be stark,” Miller wrote in a blog post on his website Sunday night announcing the move. “Voters must choose between the easy lies of an insider politician or the hard truth of a reformer.”

(…)

Establishment Republicans are likely to look at other options in the primary, hoping to dissuade Miller from running.

Not being well-versed on Alaska politics, I cannot really comment on who else might be interested in the Senate seat. One possibility is Governor Sean Parnell, but he’s up for re-election in 2014 and, presently, looking pretty good in the polls. He may not want to take on an incumbent Senator. Given how badly he campaigned three years ago, I’m sure that Alaska Republicans are hoping someone comes along to stop Miller.