Sen. Lisa Murkowski was sworn in for her second full term Wednesday morning, finalizing her comeback victory over Republican challenger Joe Miller, who defeated her in the Republican primary.
Murkowski was one of 31 new and returning senators sworn into the 112th Congress, which retains a Democratic Senate majority. Republicans gained seats in the midterm elections, however, and the Senate's makeup now stands at 51 Democrats, 47 Republicans and two independents.
The stage was set for Murkowski’s swearing-in by Miller’s concession speech Friday afternoon, in which he refused to further appeal Murkowski’s write-in victory in the Nov. 2 general election. Democrat Scott McAdams, who came in third, quickly conceded.
The Alaska Supreme Court ruled against Miller last month in his lawsuit over the state Division of Elections’ attempts to determine voter intent on write-in ballots, after Murkowski amassed a 10,000-vote lead over Miller. A federal judge's stay on certification of the Senate race's results was subsequently lifted, and the state certified the results Thursday.
