After plenty of political wrangling, incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) won as a write-in candidate with 93,000 votes. It's the first time in half of a century that a Senate candidate won as a write-in. How did she beat out her challenger Joe Miller? We're joined for some answers by Libby Casey, Washington correspondent for the Alaska Public Radio Network. 

Competitive three-way races continue to be a rarity, but the introduction of the Tea Party has increased those numbers this election season. In states where they are taking place, third-time has not proved a charm for political analysts.Instead, it has skewed the numbers and may lead to surprising results in some critical races.

In Alaska, analysts see Tea Party Republican candidate Joe Miller splitting the moderate to liberal Republican vote between incumbent Lisa Murkowski, running as a write-in candidate, and Democrat Scott McAdams. Florida may prove a mirror-image to Alaska's three-way race: Republican Tea Party candidate Marco Rubio polls as the most likely to win the Senate seat, but after a nod from former President Bill Clinton, Gov. Charlie Crist looks set to take some ballots away from Democratic candidate Kendrick Meek.

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin officially hands over power to Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell on Sunday. What’s next for her and what is her legacy as Alaska's former governor? (One thing we do know: her autobiography is scheduled to come out next spring from Harper Collins.) Joining The Takeaway is Libby Casey, reporter for the Alaska Public Radio Network, to talk about Palin's legacy in Alaska, and Bernadette Malone, former editor at Sentinal, an imprint of Penguin Publishers, to talk about the autobiography.

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin resigned late Friday afternoon with no warning. The reasons for her move remain a mystery. Is she making a play for national politics? Or is she really done with the political scene? Joining The Takeaway are Libby Casey, the Washington correspondent for Alaska Public Radio Network, and Steve Heimel, a reporter for Alaska Public Radio Network, based in Anchorage, Alaska, who are here to discuss how this resignation is resounding in both cities.

If you missed her speech, here are some highlights:

Former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens may walk away from seven felony convictions a free man with a clean record. Yesterday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Justice Department is seeking to have Stevens’ verdict thrown out due to prosecutorial misconduct. It will not pursue a new trial and wants all charges dropped. Stevens, the Senate’s longest serving Republican, was convicted in October for lying on financial disclosure forms about gifts. The Takeaway talks to Libby Casey, reporter for Alaska Public Radio Network in Washington, D.C. who has been following the case since last fall, and Steve Heimel, Host of “Talk of Alaska” in Anchorage, Alaska.

In the video below, Stevens' attorney Brendan Sullivan discusses the case.

During the election the cheers of Alaskan Obama voters were muffled by the commotion surrounding Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. But there were many thousands who supported the President-elect in the predominantly Republican state, and some of them have made the long trip to Washington to celebrate the inauguration. Long time Obama fan Kerynn Fisher is one Alaskan who’s here in town. She joins John and Adaora now with Alaska Public Radio’s Libby Casey.

For more on the Inauguration, re-visit voices heard on The Takeaway.

Current U.S. Senate party affiliation numbers (Nov. 19, 2008):

58 D (56 D + 1 I + 1 ID) | 1 Runoff | 1 R leads | 40 R


» More on the close races for the Senate at vote2008.thetakeaway.org

Alaska's Senate race remains undecided three days after Election Day, and Senator Ted Stevens is still fighting to hold on to his seat after being convicted on seven counts of corruption in a federal court.

Republican Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska has been convicted of lying about gifts he received from an oil contractor. Despite the guilty verdict, the Republican isn't out of the race for the Senate seat he's held for 40 years.

Closing arguments come this morning in the four-week-long corruption trial of Alaska Republican Senator Ted Stevens. Stevens is charged with the felony offense of lying on his financial disclosure forms about gifts worth more than $250,000. The jury is expected to start deliberation Wednesday, and there are less than two weeks until Election Day, when voters will have their chance to choose Stevens' fate.