Small-town Alaska mayor Scott McAdams wins Democratic nomination for US Senate

McAdams wins Dem nomination for AK Senate

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Small-town Alaska mayor Scott McAdams has won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.

McAdams, mayor of Sitka, entered the race late, on June 1, after Democrats struggled to find a candidate they considered viable against the well-known incumbent, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who was in a tight primary battle of her own Tuesday.

McAdams won the primary Tuesday despite the fact that his fundraising so far has been limited.

While many of the candidates were gathering in Anchorage for the election results, McAdams was in his southeast Alaska hometown, Sitka, presiding over an assembly meeting. He says he’s only missed on regular meeting in eight years, and wasn’t going to make an exception Tuesday.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski was locked in a tight race Tuesday to hold on to her seat amid a surprisingly tough challenge from a Sarah Palin-backed conservative.

Joe Miller held about an 1,100-vote lead with approximately one-third of precincts reporting as the decorated Gulf War veteran looked to pull off one of the biggest political upsets of the year.

Miller had 51.2 percent of the vote, compared with 48.7 percent for Murkowski.

Miller sought to cast Murkowski as being too liberal and part of the problem in an out-of-control Washington. It is a campaign strategy that has helped oust other incumbents this year.

Murkowski has proudly touted her seniority after eight years in office, and said her roles on the appropriations and energy committees put her in a strong position to ensure Alaskans’ voices are heard.

After keeping a low profile for much of the race, Palin recorded a robocall for Miller in the final days of the campaign and touted him as a “man of the people” on her Facebook page. The former Alaska governor also repeated a claim that Murkowski had waffled on her position on repealing the federal health care overhaul — claims the senator has called false.

Palin and the Murkowski family have a complicated history.

Palin trounced Murkowski’s father, Frank, in the 2006 gubernatorial primary — the race that would launch her national political career. Last year, she said she’d raise money for Lisa Murkowski, and even contributed to her campaign, quieting widespread speculation that Palin would challenge Murkowski for the seat. But the women have clashed on issues like health care, though they’ve denied any bad blood between them.

Murkowski has fought back against Miller and Palin’s claims. A radio ad on the election’s eve calls Miller out as twisting the truth about Murkowski’s position on the federal health care overhaul. Miller has stood by his statements.

“Alaskans deserve to know the honest truth,” she said, “and they haven’t gotten it from Miller.”

The race was disrupted when former Sen. Ted Stevens died in a plane crash, with both candidates briefly suspending campaign ads.

Miller had the blessing of the tea party crowd. The national Tea Party Express reported spending at least $550,000 to help Miller score an upset.

Murkowski was appointed to the Senate at the end of 2002 by her father and won her first term in 2004.

On the Democratic ticket, Scott McAdams was leading over Frank J. Vondersaar and Jacob Seth Kern. Fredrick “David” Haase is running as a Libertarian.