Alaska’s Miller acknowledges past government benefits, says irrelevant to Senate race debate

Miller: Past benefits irrelevant to Senate debate

JUNEAU, Alaska — Alaska Republican Senate candidate Joe Miller believes recent reports that he and his family have received government benefits are “pretty darn irrelevant” to the race.

The fiscal conservative, who defeated U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski in last month’s GOP primary, tells The Associated Press he won’t deny he and his family received past government benefits. But he says digging 15 or more years into his past to try to find of a benefit is an effort to “undercut” more relevant debates in the race.

He says that he and his campaign will be as open as they can.

Recent news reports found Miller received federal farm subsidies for land he owned in Kansas in the 1990s, and that he and his wife once obtained hunting and fishing licenses at the low-income rate.