December 07, 2010
Tuesday AM

(SitNews) - With many issues vital for Alaska hanging in the balance, U.S. Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK) on Monday called on Senate candidate Joe Miller to drop his legal challenge to last month’s Senate election. Begich said the drawn-out court suit, which is virtually certain to fail, could deny Alaska full representation in the Senate when the new Congress resumes in January.

"It is time for Joe Miller to put Alaska interests ahead of personal ambition and allow the State of Alaska to certify Lisa Murkowski as the winner,” Begich said in a prepared statement.

Failure to certify the election could prevent Senator Murkowski from being sworn into office in early January when other new senators officially take office.

Begich said, “As many in Washington are united against securing funding for important road and public facility projects in individual states, it’s vital that Alaska have both senators putting our unique needs first and fighting for our state. Without both Senators, Alaska’s interests will be at risk on critical issues from energy development to job creation and reducing the national debt in a way that’s fair to Alaskans.”

In response to Senator Begich's request to drop his legal challenge to the election ballot issues, Joe Miller said Begich should "get back to work and stop wasting time in D.C."

Joe Miller explained that Begich fails to understand either the legal issues or the reasons why the challenge has been made. Miller stated, "What is vital is that the people of Alaska can trust the election process. The Miller campaign has stated repeatedly, all we want is for all the votes to be counted in accordance with Alaska Statutes." Contrary to Begich's assertion, personal ambition has nothing to do with the legal issues, and such a statement reflects a serious misunderstanding if not a complete ignorance about the election process and the issues involved. I think Begich would better serve Alaska by working on a budget that does not bankrupt our country instead of fiddling away while Rome burns," said Miller.

Miller's campaign spokesman Randy DeSoto added, "It should be of great concern that Mark Begich, who is so aligned with President Obama's failed Big Government policies, feels so anxious to make sure Lisa Murkowski stands by his side in the Senate."

Source of News:

Office of U.S. Senator Mark Begich
www.begich.senate.gov

Joe Miller for Senate Campaign
www.joemiller.us

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