Miller irks GOP by sending old fliers bashing Murkowski

The Joe Miller campaign obtained 2010 GOP flyers and sent them, with a few modifications. (Image courtesy Miller campaign)
The Joe Miller campaign obtained 2010 GOP fliers and sent them, with a few modifications. (Image courtesy Miller campaign)

In another sign that this is a strange election year, the U.S. Senate campaign of Libertarian Joe Miller is mailing leftover fliers the Alaska Republican Party printed in 2010, but didn’t send. The fliers are critical of the incumbent, Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

In 2010, she was the candidate the party was trying to defeat in the general election. Now, Murkowski is the Republican nominee, so the Republicans are crying foul on Miller.

The GOP has complained to the Anchorage Police Department and party Chairman Tuckerman Babcock said the Postal Service informed him it is looking into the mailing.

“I don’t know if they were printed up recently and not reported, or whether someone hoarded them in their garage for six years hoping that there’d be another contest between Miller and Murkowski,” Babcock said. “I don’t know. But it’s a pretty bizarre situation.”

Miller said last week someone dropped off boxes of the leftover GOP fliers at his campaign.

“Many boxes were brought. I wasn’t here when they were brought,” he told reporters.

Miller treated it as a contribution from the party to his campaign. On his campaign finance report he put the value at $4,500.

A Miller spokesman said the campaign paid a printer to black out the original bulk mail permit and added “Paid for by Citizens for Joe Miller.”  They affixed first-class stamps and mailed an undisclosed number of them. There are two other additions to the mailer: At the very top, the Miller campaign wrote “What the Republican Party said in 2010 ….” and, further down, “What has changed?”

Babcock said the mailer would confuse voters, because it has the original disclosure, saying it’s paid for by the Alaska Republican Party, and another saying the Miller campaign paid. Babcock said a postal employee told him the service had refused to accept some version of the flier late last week, although it is not clear why. Babcock said he was told there was no attempt to use the Republican Party’s bulk mail permit. The Postal Service confirmed the matter is under review but did not immediately provide specifics.

Miller, on Monday evening, was striking back, accusing the Republican Party of making a false police report.

Alaska Public Media

Alaska Public Media is one of our partner stations in Anchorage. KTOO collaborates with partners across the state to cover important news and to share stories with our audiences.

Sign up for The Signal

Top Alaska stories delivered to your inbox every week

Site notifications
Update notification options
Subscribe to notifications