Murkowski lead at 1,706 as Alaska count continues

[November 16, 2010]  JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) -- Election workers are scheduled to continue counting ballots in Alaska's still-undecided Senate race.

About 8,800 ballots were to be tallied on Tuesday, a day after election officials said Sen. Lisa Murkowski had emerged from several days of counting with a 1,706 vote lead over GOP nominee Joe Miller.

Murkowski waged a write-in campaign after losing the Republican nomination to Miller in August. She has 92,164 votes, but that total includes 7,601 write-in votes that have been challenged by the Miller campaign.

Miller has 90,458 votes.

Besides the ballots being counted, as many as 600 more ballots from overseas and military addresses could be submitted by a Wednesday deadline. The state plans to count those by Friday.

[Associated Press; By BECKY BOHRER]

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