Lisa Murkowski Claims 98 Percent of Write-In Ballots in Alaska Senate Race

(Nov. 11) -- It doesn't matter if you spell her name "Merkowski," "Murkowsky" or "Murcowski," Alaskan write-in candidate Lisa Murkowski is feeling good about her chances to return to the Senate.

Murkowski claimed 98 percent of the write-in ballots counted Wednesday when the Alaska Division of Elections began the five-day process of counting upward of 90,000 write-in ballots for a race that may produce the first successful Senate write-in campaign since 1954.

"So far things look really good for us," Murkowski campaign manager Kevin Sweeney told the Anchorage Daily News.

Murkowski's early success in the write-in count comes on the heels of a federal judge's decision to deny a request by challenger and tea party candidate Joe Miller for the Division of Elections to stop counting ballots in one of the most hotly contested races of the 2010 midterm elections. Miller defeated the incumbent Murkowski in the state's Republican primary race, resulting in her name not being printed on the ballot.

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In a ruling last month, the Alaska Supreme Court determined that certain misspellings of Murkowski's name would be counted in her favor. Division of Elections Director Gail Fenumiai explained that misspelled ballots -- for instance those submitted as "Merkowski," "Murkowsky" and "Murcowski" -- would be counted on the basis of pronunciation.

"If I can pronounce the name by the way it's spelled, that's the standard I'm using," Fenumiai said.

There is a point, however, where the Division of Elections must draw the line. Fenumiai said she would accept the Miller campaigns objections to misguided entries including "McCosky," "Misskowski" and "Morcowski." The Miller campaign successfully challenged 1.44 percent of the 19,203 ballots counted Wednesday.

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Murkowski Claims 98 Percent of Write-In Ballots in Alaska Senate Race

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