Tea Party Candidate Abandons Legal Challenge To Write-In Votes

Juneau - Alaska will be represented by incumbent Senator Lisa Murkowski when the new Congress convenes.

Republican Senatorial nominee Joe Miller announced he will not challenge the certification of Senator Lisa Murkowski to be sworn in next week.

The Tea Party endorsed Mr. Miller, who defeated the incumbent Senator Murkowski in the state's primary. Senator Murkowski went on to defeat Mr. Miller in a write-in campaign.

Mr. Miller has challenged the handling of the absentee ballots and the way they were counted. It's the subject of a protracted legal dispute in U.S. District Court.

The announcement, which he made late on Sunday evening, indicates that Mr. Miller will not file motions to prevent Judge Ralph Beistline from lifting the stay on the certification of the victorious Sen. Murkowski.

Said Mr. Miller, “This decision will allow Alaskans to focus on bringing fairness and transparency to our elections process without distraction of the certification issue.”

Judge Beistline has gone on record saying that he thinks Alaska needs Senatorial representation when Congress convenes next Wednesday, January 5.