Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski lost re-nomination in 2010 before winning the general in a write-in campaign.
Neither Sen. Lisa Murkowski nor Rep. Don Young are any stranger to GOP primary challenges. Murkowski, a relative moderate, actually lost to tea partying businessman Joe Miller in a 2010 shocker before winning the general in a write-in. Young, who was at the time under federal investigation, only defeated then-Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell by 304 votes during their 2008 bout. And as
Roll Call's Simone Pathe reports, both incumbents should
get ready for another round.
Pathe talks to Miller, whose 2014 Senate bid ended in the primary, and state Sen. Mike Dunleavy about their 2016 plans. Neither man ruled anything out, and Dunleavy even said that he might make up his mind within a week. GOP operatives tell Pathe that one man will likely face Murkowski while the other will go after Young.
Murkowski isn't taking her primary for granted and is already planning ahead, but there's no word on what Young is up to. However, while the longtime congressman pissed off plenty of voters last year with his offensive comments about a high school student's suicide, the clown-car may save him. Ex-Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell is being vague about his plans, but Roll Call says he's more likely to run against Young than Murkowski. Treadwell waged a very weak Senate campaign last year, but his presence could be enough to split whatever anti-Young vote there is.
Democrats would love to take advantage of chaos on the GOP side to snag a seat in this red state. But while ex-Democratic Sen. Mark Begich hasn't ruled out a campaign for either post, he seems happy at his new lobbying gig. State operatives say that Begich might be interested in a comeback, but only if Murkowski looked like she was about to lose her primary again. After Begich, the bench gets very slim.