All that talk from Murkowski allies about her potential political revival post-primary loss might just not be talk. She's met with the Libertarian candidate to talk ballot switching.
Libertarian Party nominee David Haase told POLITICO he met with Murkowski at the home of a private citizen Tuesday morning in Anchorage, where they discussed whether she was in interested in replacing Haase as the party’s nominee on the ticket this November.
“My answer was that I was considering it and I wanted her to come up with some reasons why, and she’s considering that,” said Haase....
[I]t appears the senator is weighing her options to stay in the race, which include running as a write-in candidate or becoming a third-party candidate. Not only has Murkowski met with Haase, but the state Libertarian Party chairman also confirmed Monday that the senator’s top aides reached out to him about meeting to discuss whether Murkowski could run on their ticket....
Haase said that he and Murkowski agreed they would touch base again Wednesday and would make a decision on the issue tentatively by Friday — just five days before the Sept. 15 deadline to make changes to party nominees on the ballot.
For her part, Murkowski told AP she's "still in this game."
She said that if this was "all about Lisa, certainly the easy thing for me to do would be to figure out what my next opportunity would be with my family and just settle in to a nice job."
"But what I'm looking at is my state and the future of my state for my kids. So, I have not made that determination that I'm going to give up. I'm not a quitter, never have been. And I'm still in this game," Murkowski said....
While the Libertarians are welcome to look at her record, during eight years in the Senate and, before that, in the state Legislature, "I will not change who I am for any party," she said. "You take me or leave me, because I am who I am."
Murkowski would also have to secure the blessings of the Libertarian party to swap her onto the ballot for Haase, so this is still speculative. Initially, the party ruled out the possibility of giving up their candidate in their favor, but if their candidate is amenable, that could change the picture. Of course, it also depends on Murkowski agreeing to whatever demands Haase and his party might have. So, until Sept. 15, it's all speculation.