Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who lost the Alaska Republican Senate primary to Tea Party darling Joe Miller last month, is calling on the oil industry for help in organizing the write-in campaign to win back her Senate seat.
According to Politico, Murkowski’s top aide sent an e-mail to a number of lobbyists late last week inviting them to participate in a conference call. While it is unclear what they discussed, the clear implication of the Politico article is that the conference call was designed to solicit money for the write-in campaign. The story says:
“„Write-in campaigns are notoriously difficult and expensive because they require a massive voter education components — even for Murkowski, who aides say still has about $1 million in the bank. Murkowski will need to collect funds from many sources — including from Washington lobbyists — in order to continue her race.
On the call, Politico reports, were employees at a number of major oil companies, including Chevron, Conoco Phillips and Marathon Oil.
Murkowski is a key player on energy policy in the Senate. The ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, she worked alongside Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) to craft the committee’s comprehensive energy legislation. At the same time though, Murkowski has been critical of legislation to cap carbon emissions.