He’s In! Joe Miller Files for Senate Run
2010 Senate candidate talks to Greta Van Susteren after a debate in Anchorage.
Buckle up boys and girls, it jut got interesting.
Joe Miller has tossed his hat in the ring, and will be running for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate from Alaska. This will be Miller’s second attempt at a senate seat. He did his best in 2010, winning the Republican nomination, and running in the general against Democrat Scott McAdams, and write-in candidate incumbent Senator Lisa Murkowski, whom he’d trounced in the primary.
Murkowski won that race in a history making election. But this time, the incumbent is not a member of the same party so no write-in will happen. Miller likely won’t be the only Republican in the primary race. While Governor Sean Parnell, whom some thought might step up to challenge Begich for his seat has now declared he’ll run again for the governorship, that freed up his Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell to form an exploratory committee for Senate.
Miller had a strong following of conservative Republicans, the Tea Party crowd, anti-corporatists, Christian conservatives, and civil libertarians in 2010. He also had strong backing from Sarah and Todd Palin. He’s been maintaining an active website, and strong social media presence during his political down time.
Miller wrote last month on his website JoeMiller.us:
“Serious times call for bold measures. With the re-election of Barack Obama, our very way of self-government is in peril. Though I was labeled an ‘extremist’ by the likes of Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich for telling the truth, both of our sitting senators now routinely engage in such ‘extremist’ rhetoric with respect to federal overreach, government spending, and entitlement reform. Yet they are still unwilling to tackle the tough issues.”
Primaries tend to draw out the extremes in a political party, and though Miller’s overall approval rating is low, he’ll get the nomination if the base turns out for him again. Treadwell, while conservative, is not as extreme as Miller, and has more of an appeal to the old guard Alaska Republican crowd. And a charismatic crowd-pleaser Treadwell is not.
Millers 2010 campaign was plagued with media troubles ranging from the arrest of a local journalist at a Miller campaign event, Miller’s subsequent declaration to the media that he’d no longer be talking to them, to his recent loss of a lawsuit with the Alaska Dispatch.
On Friday, Alaska Superior Court Judge Stephanie Joannides ordered Miller to pay more than $85,000 of Alaska Dispatch’s attorney fees and costs stemming from the news organization’s 2010 lawsuit to make public Miller’s employment records during his time as a part-time government lawyer.
Alaska Dispatch had already won the suit, arguing that Miller’s records — which detailed episodes of misconduct for which he was punished and barred from rehire for three years — should be available for Alaska voters to review. At the time, Miller was a Republican candidate in a three-way race for the U.S. Senate. In the wake of the election, Miller — a Yale Law School grad — dragged out the litigation for nearly two more years.
“Miller’s conduct, which included taking inconsistent positions, failing to disclose information during discovery, and his procedural filing, which the record did not support, all caused unnecessary delay and costs for both Alaska Dispatch” and the Fairbanks North Star Borough, the judge wrote in her ruling.
Can Miller win the Republican primary? Yes, he can.
Can he win the general election against Begich? Less likely.
Begich has been running hard to the Democratic right lately. Ads on local radio stations tout his fiscal conservative cred, his position on guns, and his determination to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. He’s still sticking with traditional Democratic social ideals, and won’t get the conservative vote, but he’s appealing to Dems who have nowhere else to go, and independents. He’s also got some key committee assignments, and six years of seniority, both of which mean a lot in a state with less than a million people, but the same two senators as all the others.
Miller’s stand on civil liberties, election integrity, and an anti-corporate bent appeal to some on the progressive side, but his hard-core social positions, and the scandals that have plagued his past means he won’t peel off many liberal votes. For Miller, the prize will depend on turning out his loyal base – in the primary, and in the general.
Miller’s entrance into the race means good things for Democrats, regardless. If he wins, polling shows that Begich has a large lead in the general election matchup. If he loses, he’ll force other Republicans in the race to spend money in the primary that they won’t have to spend against Begich.
One thing is certain – this is going to be one popcorn-worthy Senate race.
Not a Begich fan (sorry, friend of dear friend in Ketchikan). I may have to go back to eating tires like in the old days of 2008.
Let the circus begin without me! At least the Alaska Democrats might actually do something for a change – and I suspect many Rs are going to choke on their election fare and be warming the bench or throwing up in the voting booth. Remind me not to sign up as a volunteer this time as planned. When others barf, so do I dammit.
What is the President said about sunlight? Best disinfectant? lol…let’s shed some light on Alaska folks…
How is that Drop Zone dude doing? I would like to get his take on this issue…and don’t worry about being in hiding…I know a Kid whose worth HUGE money as Levi hinted…and that person is in plain sight…no fear…
May be you should realize these Cracker Jack’s of politics are going to be in prison soon for crimes committed..
Hard to argue with the United Nations…damn no money, or coercing can change that court date…oh crap…
Joe Blow…better pucker up and bend over boo you will have to much sucking and focking to do to save your freedom…or just be transferred to Arizona prison…lucky for us Sarah is right near by to be a cell mate with you!
It would take more alcohol than WC can safely consume to make this hypocrite even faintly amusing. And we get 18 months of him, not counting post-election frivolous lawsuits. Gah.
Can’t someone take him to a crossroads and drive a stake through his metaphoric heart?
/WC
Come on WC this will be fun
Mr. Fulton, do you know why does Joe’s wife looks terrified of him?
welllll, my wife runs from me when I have about 3 or 4 days beard growth…. something about beard-burn on her tender skin…… just sayin’. and this guy was in the service ? Think he’ll find all those moose antlers again ??? must have been all those wolf packs running amok u there!
Oops! That was badly worded. Sorry.
nope I think I understand what you were alluding to, just that it’s a quagmire to do so, hence the humorous response…. Oh, c’mon dear, I’ll shave today,…. REALLY !!
Nope maybe its not fear may be she’s just like most other wives and pissed off at her husband 50% percent of the time.
I just noticed at his website he calls himself a “publisher.” This man’s ego is beyond restraint. Any publisher I worked with actually had to manage a team of professional reporters and an ad department that generates actual revenue. Paramount in the job is a need for the publisher to create a positive presence in the community so people knew the newspaper was everyone’s newspaper. Joe is not a publisher and it is clear he has never known or made an attempt to learn what a publisher actually does. Joe thinks throwing his opinion out and finding articles that agree with him qualify him as a publisher. What an arrogant ignoramus.
Waaaaayyyyyy off topic-let’s kill two birds with one stone. Pass a law that stipulates all abortions be performed with assault weapons. Not only will abortions stay legal.it will force rwnj to choose between fetuses and guns. Sorry fetus,li’l buddy,your on your own like the rest of the population. We hardly knew ye,but,guns are sacred. At least it is a choice.
Off topic: the loon cam is now up and running.
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20130528/late-arrive-pacific-loons-mating-furiously-connors-lake
the common loon(Bachman from Minnesota) is no longer running-for Congress. She is also in Minnesota’s license plate motto-10000 lakes and a flake.
All..is not lost good people. One ..finds a local pole ‘dancer’ up there..has her sign up as a ..PuBB-y’..and then..pictures and photoshoots Ga-lore. Don’t be shy..gotta be a Southwest Journalism major..with a degree, already in the hopper, and..a creative Master Thesis..needed!
Miller,Murkowski.Treadwater,Pornhell-I’m going with two middle fingers as co-birds of the week. No offense to WC or the Mudflats.
I will be voting for Begich but I believe Miller will win. The Republican primary will go to who ever can be the most outrageously crazy. Tread Meanswell can’t out crazy Joe Miller, so Miller is the Republican nominee. 40% of Alaskans would vote for a convicted felon if he had an R afer his name. So Miller only needs to pick up another 11%. Since Begich will have to struggle to get any votes from Democrats, Miller will prevail unless someone else does a write in campaign.
I wish you hadn’t said that, I could have ignored it for a little longer. The bit about 40% would vote for a convicted felon with a (R) by their name, sadly true. At least I hope it’s only 40%.
Actually, 46% voted for Stevens against Begich.
Hey, what’s a little thing like seven felony convictions? Look at all the pork Stevens pulled in for Alaska . . .
now if only there was a liberal that would throw their hat in the ring.
miller is a bad joke on repubs and a gift to dems. popcorn indeed!
Amazing how these people that hate big government can’t live without a government pay check
So now that Joe Miller has thrown his hat in, does anyone know where Dropzone Bill is? I bet he has interesting stories from his time running Miller’s security that he hasn’t shared yet. That would just add to the entertainment value when you add that to his”takeover” of the Alaska Republican party and all the crazy crap that he has already spewed.
The Alaska Republican party was LEGALLY taken over by the Ron Paul constitutionalists, until the REPUBLICANS illegally booted out Russ Millette who was elected fair and square. So get your facts straight, Joe Miller’s people had very little to do with it. I was part of the process of the takeover helping out from California as Executive Director of the Santa Barbara County Republican party and a Ron Paul national delegate from the 24th congressional district of California.
Poornima
Get your facts straight.
Mr Miller’s “takeover” was a pipedream of his but one he pursued before the latest dustup in the Alaska Republican Party.
http://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/article_a12f36b4-b4e2-569d-8abc-0afe58a8d2e0.html
Also, please, a whole lot of us who visit here could care less about all the foolishness which has played out amongst the Alaskan Republican Party leadership in the last year.We are not Republicans.
Why was someone from Outside helping a take over of the Alaska Republican Party?
I do not think that people from one state should be interfering in the party politics of another state. Let the Republicans in Alaska make their own mess. You should be attending to the state politics in California if that is where you live. If you want to mess in Alaskan politics, why not move there?
Let’s hope that — like that nice Mr. McCain did back in 2004 — Joe Miller names Sarah Palin to be his running mate.
Miller for senator! Palin for vice senator!
Todd for vice!
Vice squad? Snooki should be on appropriations commitee(of one). She excels at appropriating funds and allocating them to her ownself.
You mean Pimping Palin…that is Todd’s specialty…last clients were Secret Service agents…
Oops. 2008. It just seems like longer. Sooooo much longer.
The Joe Miller mess is identical to what the Republicans and the national media did to congressman Ron Paul in 2012. That’s right, we have such a WONDERFUL country where we NEVER cheat in elections, fix the machines, de-seat delegates (like the Ron Paul delegates in Maine), break delegate fingers (like the Ron Paul delegate in Louisiana), or illegally boot out the DULY-ELECTED Republican party chairman (like the Republicans did in Alaska to Russ Millette). Welcome to the f***ng awesome United States of America where everything is fair and wonderful and we have Obamacare forced down our gullets. And oh by the way! hell with the founders and with the constitution, because according to BOTH the political parties it is a “living breathing” document it seems. Forget the fact that the congress, the President and the supreme court regularly trample on it like it were toilet paper although it is the “supreme” law of the land. Oh but heh! what do I know right? I’m just an idiot from India who recently became a U.S. citizen.
I am thrilled Joe has thrown his hat in! It is the best news yet! The popcorn value will never end!!!! I will never ever forget Joe was using DenaliCare as his nine kids’ healthcare option all the while demanding others not depend on government for their health care needs. His ethical lapses are thunder producing.
@alwaysagardener says: Your response to my comment is perplexing. What does your comment about Joe Miller have ANYTHING to do with my comment? Could you throw some light on that? I was talking about the blatant disregard for the constitution of the United States, while you started your rant on Joe Miller using DenaliCare. Where exactly are you trying to go with this?
Joe Miller was savaged during the last election cycle because he said we need to get rid of the Department of Education. I agree with him on that. However, I do not agree with his stance on the “warmongering.” The United States needs to mind it’s own business and pull out of ALL the countries, end the empire building, the wars, and take a more non-interventionist approach to foreign policy. I don’t agree with Joe Miller on a few things, but PHASING out the entitlements I agree with. I am no conservative, white, southern christian. In fact, I am a non practicing Hindu from India, but Joe Miller comes as close as they get to a REAL conservative as opposed to that elitist RINO Mead Treadwell, the slippery liar Lisa Murkowski and the charismatic d*bag Mark Begich. If you guys up in Alaska can come up with someone BETTER than Joe Miller, by all means support him or her. But Joe Miller is FAR better than the two lousy senators you presently have. There is ALMOST no difference between Begich and Murkowski. One is a liar, the other a cheat. Which one is which makes no difference at all.
Welcome to the fray, Poornima. Congratulations on becoming a citizen. I think you will find that Mr. Miller is generally considered by all but the lunatic right wing Christianist/secessionist fringe element here to be a dishonest, paranoid, grifting,liar of a poor lawyer. He did his own trial at election fixing using Fairbanks municipal computers illegally. Not your most upstanding citizen here, and also happy to take government subsidies. Google articles from the last election in the Anchorage Daily News and the Alaska Dispatch. For that matter, check old Mudflats articles. Not someone I would trust to handle my money or my legislating.
Sorry, I did not know I was responding to you. Actually, I am curious why you are involved in Alaska politics? As to entitlements, I do think you haven’t fully checked out your man Joe. He is an embarrassment to we Alaskans for the incredibly poor ethical lapses he seems to believe we have no reason to question. I call this an entitlement attitude and it fits quite well with the rest of his behavior. Indeed, the use of DenaliCare for his children I personally find especially galling given his negative view of a government that provides help when people need it. Consider for one minute that in 2008 Sarah Palin also gave every man, woman and child an extra $1,200 (ostensibly to offset energy prices that year, but more likely to increase her poll numbers before becoming McCain’s VP pick) on top of the $2,069 every one of us received from the permanent fund. Joe Miller has eight children so that made 10 PFD checks in that family that year, altogether $32,690. That amount would make a real dent in paying for health insurance if he and his wife were so inclined. And, it would show he believes in taking care of his own family. Also, anybody who has worked with the man in this state will attest to his poor social skills, arrogant attitude and inability to work with other colleagues. If I were you I would reconsider your support for this man. Most people in Alaska already have.
The real truth why Joe did not make the general was because the Natives spent well over a million dollars they needed their in pocket senator Murkowski
Poornima Wagh I agree with you one of one present senators is a lier the other is a cheat both are liers and cheats
The “supreme” law of the land re-wrote established legal precedent in 2000 and appointed dunb bass dubya Potus because they claimed,in their rw logic,that not to appoint Bush would cause irreperable harm to the doofus.. Then they conferred “citizen” status on korporate amerika so the korporations could buy entire elections since money=free speech. Rethuglicans like to proclaim they are “strict constructionists” as it pertains to the constitution and then they confer all kinds of executive powers not mentioned in their “strict constructionist” constitutions. You may believe Miller and Paul are real visionaries,but to a lot of us,they are crazy and irresponsible to the max. Congrats for becoming an American citizen. Welcome to the jungle.
Oh dear.
Wish I could laugh…
ooohhh!!! Why, oh WHY didn’t I plant popcorn this year ???? gonna need bushels and bushels of it…
oh, ben…
I’m SOOOOO popcorned out after these last few years…
I’m sticking with razzies and tomatoes these days…
Hi Pi !
Found a dehydrater on line.. so be prepared for dried razzies and tomatoes.. on deer alert here, something nibbled on some cantalope plant that was at the side of the netting… as per yahoo, Irish Spring Soap works as a deterrent.. must be hoppin over the back fence again, sheesh it’s 8 ft tall already!
Cool beans on the dehydrater!
Dang! on the deer in your garden patch!
Pffftt! on Joe Miller running for Senator.
chortle.. you’ll notice I’ve changed my avatar..hehehehehe.. “What could it beeee, now”…. ben runs amongst the ripening plants…
YO, AKM… we need an Open Thread or a update from Linda so we can talk gardening stuff !
NOW ben runs for the hills !!!
So mikey is guessing you dropped the d from your name so you can run faster? I watched a video where a guy ties fishing string to tin cans and sets the cans on plastic buckets around his garden. Deer trip the strings and the rattle of cans scares the deer away after a lesson or two.
naaah.. just lazy fingers… I’ll set that up tonite and see/hear what happens….will use 6 lb test so the line breaks and not their legs.. although…..well, I don’t have the dehydrator YET ( venison jerky!)
Personally I liked your Remington solution.
So, the question is, who will he hire for his bodyguards?
If I was a journalist, I’d interview them. Who cares what Joke has to say.
Interview his hired help.
*places hand over mouth, giggles*
You totally forgot to mention the rethuglican ace in the hole-Diebold Accu-vote count’em-for-rethuglican machines and the bevy of rwnj squirrels that care for them. Are the congressional districts going to be re-drawn or are the gerrymandered ones still in play?
Sadly, there is only one congressional district, which has belonged to Don Young for 40 years. The state house and senate districts will be redrawn.
Thanks AKM,those districts are what I was yakking about. Happy belated birthday.