Murkowski Leads Palin's Candidate By Wide Margin
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is taking a challenge from conservative attorney Joe Miller (R) seriously, and it's paying dividends, as a new poll shows she leads Miller by a wide margin.
Murkowski has a 62%-30% advantage, according to the Ivan Moore Research survey. Murkowski is almost universally known among GOP primary voters, while fewer than half have an impression of Miller.
Miller has support from ex-AK Gov. Sarah Palin (R) and the Tea Party Express, which has pledged to focus entirely on the race in the run-up to the Aug. 28 primary. Still, Murkowski has the money to swamp Miller; Murkowski ended the second quarter with almost $2.4M in the bank, while Miller had just $125K on hand.
The Tea Party Express has said it will spend the money to make Miller competitive, but so far those ads have been restricted to radio. Murkowski is running radio ads of her own.
And while Palin's support has helped several candidates around the country, she's less popular in her home state than she once was, and therefore less valuable to Miller. Overall, just 41% of AK voters view her favorably, while 47% see her in a negative light -- a stark change for someone who once enjoyed record levels of approval as governor.
Murkowski is more popular. Fully 53% rate her positively while 29% see her negatively. Just 18% see Miller favorably, while 13% rate him in a negative light.
Palin initially said she would back Murkowski and cut the senator's campaign a check. But this spring, Palin decided to back Miller after her husband, Todd Palin, hosted a Miller fundraiser in Wasilla. Palin has cast Murkowski as a DC insider.
The survey, conducted July 7-11 by Ivan Moore Research, tested 647 registered voters for a margin of error of +/- 3.8%. The subsample of GOP voters included just 303 voters for a margin of error of +/- 5.6%.
Palin needs learn from James Carville. Seperate you politics from your spouse and stay true to your beliefs.