Attorney Joe Miller (R) is leading Sen. Lisa Murkoswki (R-Alaska) in early returns for Alaska's Republican senate nomination.

The race is too close to call, and Miller is only up by less 3,000 votes. It could end up in a recount.

Murkowski wasn't initially expected to face a strong challenge in 2010, but Miller's campaign got an early jolt from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and the Tea Party Express.


The Tea Party Express dropped more than $500,000 on TV and radio ads to aid Miller's campaign. He also had the backing of Palin and of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, both rumored presidential contenders in 2012.

Palin, who endorsed Miller in June, recorded a last-minute robocall for the campaign that went out to voters Monday. She also posted a fundraising appeal on her Facebook page Monday trumpeting Miller's efforts to raise $30,000 for a late TV buy. While Palin did not campaign with him, she did tweet early Wednesday morning, before the race was called: “Keeping fingers crossed, powder dry, prayers upward.”

It's hard to accuse Murkowski of being caught flat-footed by the challenge, though. Given 2010's brutal anti-incumbent environment, Murkowski took Miller seriously, spending more than $2 million on the primary.

The former vice president's son overcame a pair of scandals to clinch the GOP nomination for retiring Rep. Shadegg's (R-Ariz.) seat.

Freshman Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.) will face dentist Paul Gosar (R) in November.

Gosar had been the frontrunner to clinch the nomination after receiving endorsements from several prominent conservatives. He got the backing of Sarah Palin, and in Arizona, he received support from sheriffs Joe Arpaio and Paul Babeu, who also endorsed Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
 
But mining lobbyist Sydney Hay, who was the 2008 GOP nominee, had more cash on hand in the final stretch of the race. Hay reported $111,000 banked in her last campaign finance report, compared to only $41,000 for Gosar.

Still, Gosar was able to capture 31 percent of the vote; Hay took 23 percent. The rest of the 10-person field, which also included cardiologist Steve Mehta, who was endorsed by the Arizona Republic, former state Senate Majority Leader Rusty Bowers and attorney Bradley Beauchamp, split the remainder of the vote.

The Associated Press declared Gosar the winner with the majority of precincts reporting.

State Rep. Sandy Adams leads the GOP primary in Florida's 24th Congressional District by the slimmest of margins and is the likely winner, although the race has not been officially called. 

The winner will face Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D-Fla.) in November. 

Adams leads by just over 500 votes with 99 percent of precincts reporting. She has 30 percent of the vote to Karen Diebel's 29 percent.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is already touting Adams as the victor, calling her "a reliable fiscal conservative and expert on law enforcement issues" in an e-mail.

The primary was a nasty affair that featured frequent attacks and accusations of mental instability against one of the leading candidates. Businessman Craig Miller and Winter Park City Commissioner Karen Diebel sparred throughout the race. 

Diebel had the backing of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, but Miller, the former CEO of Ruth's Chris Steak House, poured plenty of his own money into the race.

In the final days before Tuesday's primary, Miller unleashed a mailer that attacked Diebel as "unstable," citing a call to police to report a snake in her pool. Diebel reportedly suggested it might have been placed there by political opponents.

The battle between Diebel and Miller appears to have created the opening for Adams, who ran largely on her support for an Arizona-style immigration law for Florida.   

Republicans are convinced Kosmas is vulnerable given her vote in favor of the healthcare reform bill, and the NRCC is already tying her to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) beats former Rep. J.D. Hayworth by 30 points for GOP nomination.

Establishment candidate Bill McCollum loses to self-funder Rick Scott in Florida's Republican gubernatorial primary.

Florida Rep. Allen Boyd (D) survived a primary scare Tuesday, beating back a challenge from the left.

It's a good thing state Rep. David Rivera (R) didn't have a strong primary challenger Tuesday — a little more than a week ahead of the Florida primary, Rivera found himself fighting back against years-old allegations of domestic violence.

The AP called the race for Rivera with 35 percent of precincts reporting. Rivera had 64 percent of the vote to Paul Crespo's 26 percent. Marili Cancio was in third place with 10 percent.

Rivera was in the Republican primary to fill the seat of Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R), who decided to run in the more Republican-friendly district left vacant by his brother's retirement.

The story reemerged last week after a report from a local Florida TV station uncovered an eight-year-old police report of a traffic accident between Rivera and a truck that was carrying his opponent's campaign fliers.

Rivera was running for the legislature at the time, and the fliers detailed what Rivera maintains was a false domestic violence allegation against him.

State and national Democrats, led by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, have seized on the story and are using it to hit National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chairman Pete Sessions and other Republicans who helped recruit Rivera.

Ahead of Tuesday's Republican primary, Cancio released an attack ad that didn't even mention the incident.

Given Rivera's troubles, the race could become much less of a priority for the NRCC. Democratic nominee Joe Garcia is running a second time for the seat. Garcia came within 6 points of Balart in 2008.

Former state Senate Speaker Daniel Webster won a crowded GOP primary Tuesday for the right to face Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) in the fall. 

The AP called the race for Webster with 89 percent of precincts reporting. Webster had 40 percent of the vote to Todd Long's 22 percent. 

Webster was backed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R), who headlined a campaign rally for the candidate just days before the primary.

Meanwhile, a slew of local elected officials had lined up behind state Rep. Kurt Kelly, who finished third with 14 percent of the vote.

Republicans sense a prime takeover opportunity in the district this fall. Grayson has become a fixture on cable TV and gained notoriety with the left for his strong support of liberal policies and stringent attacks against Republicans. But polling suggests that reputation has left Grayson vulnerable with independents.