Murkowski's Third-Party Options Limited and Not Promising

Shushannah Walshe has a piece at the Daily Beast floating the possibility that, if Lisa Murkowski does indeed lose to Joe Miller, she could run as a third-party candidate. Walshe refers to an unnamed source within the Murkowski campaign who says that they plan to "see whether the option is there or not, but it's a decision she (Murkowski) has to make. There is an option I know of."

Walshe suggests two possibilities: running as a write-in candidate, which would be extremely difficult, expensive, and unlikely; or running on the Alaska Independence Party's ticket. Walshe seems to think Murkowski's campaign is considering the latter, despite the trouble she might have overcoming the party's secessionist bent.

But Gail Fenumiai, director of Alaska's Department of Elections, told me in an email that Murkowski would not be able to run on the AIP's ticket. "There were no US Senate Alaskan Independence Party candidates on the Primary Election," Fenumiai wrote, "so there is no option for them to place someone on the ballot."

Since Murkowski missed the June filing deadline for independent candidates, her main other third-party option, other than running as a write-in, seems to be with the state's Libertarian Party. Fenumiai said that the party could replace its current candidate with Murkowski if it so chooses.

Scot Kohlhaas, chairman of the Alaska Libertarian Party, could not comment on whether they'd be open to putting her on their ballot. Their candidate, David Haase, would have to withdraw voluntarily, and the party would have to make the change by a date in September.

Why are RINOs such sore losers and insist on trying to split the pubbie vote to throw elections to the dems by going third party?

Do you include Tom Tancredo in that? He is getting ready to throw the Colorado Governor's race to the Dem. This is probably more important than the senatorial race, due to upcoming redistricting. Having a GOP gov can help make sure the Rats can't gerrymander.

RINOs are the first people to tell conservatives they have to support the RINO republican candidate and forget about holding to their core principles because that will split the party vote. But heaven forbid the conservative candidate beats a RINO because these RINOs are the first to talk about running third party as if they had any core principles on which to stand.

Once RINOs get into to office you have to drag them out kicking and screaming. They will lie, cheat, and steal to stay in office. They have no principles. That is why if anyone like Romney gets the nomination, there is no way I’m going to listen to people tell me I have to vote for him for the good of the party.

A RINO’s best friend is always the liberal democrat across the aisle. They save all of their venom for conservatives. Want proof? McCain took 20 million dollars he was supposed to use to defeat Obama in the presidential election and spent it running against JD Hayworth in an off year primary!

RINOs are useless wastes of a vote.

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