Sept. 2, 2010: U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Alaska Republican, conceded defeat in her Republican primary election race late on Tuesday, August 31, 2010, after additional ballots were counted one week after the primary was held. Murkowski lost to Republican challenger Joe Miller. Speaking at her campaign headquarters in Anchorage, Murkowski said that based on the vote count,"I don't see a scenario where the primary will turn out in my favor," according to The Hill. Murkowski's concession completes what is one of the most shocking upsets of the political season to this point and it marks the third primary defeat of a sitting senator in 2010, the newspaper reported. U.S. Sens. Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania Democrat, and Robert Bennett, Utah Republican, both lost their bids for their respective party nominations earlier in 2010. Murkoswki called Miller Tuesday, August 31, to concede, but she didn't endorse him when she spoke to reporters at her campaign headquarters in Anchorage. Miller led Murkowski by less than 3,000 votes after the Tuesday, August 24, 2010, primary, prompting state officials to begin tallying absentee ballots. State elections officials tallied about 15,000 votes on August 31, the majority of the ballots that were remaining. Given that Murkowski picked up less than 200 votes from that batch, it was unlikely that she would be able to overtake Miller. Miller started the day with a lead of 1,668 votes and as of 5 p.m. local time in Alaska, he still led by 1,469. Murkowski was appointed to the U.S. Senate seat in a controversial move by her father, former Gov. Frank Murkowski, in 2002. Despite vows from both parties that she would be ousted in 2004, Murkowski won her bid for a full term that year. She is the ranking Republican on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
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