How sweet it is: Murkowski concedes

Alaska conservatives have a lot to be happy about this morning (via Memeorandum):

In a major upset, Sen. Lisa Murkowski conceded her GOP Senate primary race Tuesday night to Tea Party Express favorite Joe Miller.

Miller, a Fairbanks attorney, led by 1,630 votes after more than 15,000 absentee ballots were counted late Tuesday, a week after the election. 

“I don’t see a scenario in which the primary will turn out in my favor,” Murkowski said in her concession speech.

Miller, who had the backing of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is now the immediate front-runner in the heavily Republican state.

“Now is the time for all Alaskans to come together and reach out with our core message of taking power from the federal government and bringing it back home to the people. If we continue to allow the federal government to live beyond its means, we will all soon have to live below ours,” he said in a statement.

Murkowski trailed Miller by 1,668 votes after last week’s primary. As election officials began counting absentee and outstanding ballots Tuesday, Murkowski made slight gains, but was never able to get Miller’s lead below 1,200 votes.

Score another victory for Palin, as this is the second Murkowski she’s helped take out of power in Alaska politics in the last decade. Next up? Miller’s opponent, who is already desperately in spin mode:

Miller will face Democrat Scott McAdams, mayor of Sitka, Alaska, in the November general election. McAdams brought out his attack on Miller right away.

“Lisa Murkowski is a class act who always put Alaska first,” McAdams said in a statement late Tuesday. “By contrast, lawyer Joe Miller ran an unfair, nasty campaign that didn’t extend to Lisa Murkowski the respect she deserves.”

Trying to win over a few disgruntled Murkowski supporters? Nah …

Michelle Malkin quips:

Here’s to the growth of the liberal Republican retiree club!

Cheers to that!