Yesterday, write-in candidate and current U.S. Senator, Lisa Murkowski, edged ahead of Tea Party candidate Joe Miller by a little over 1,700 votes.

For those of you who have not followed the race, Murkowski is a “moderate” Republican and Miller is the Tea Party prince supported by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. In the August 2010 GOP primary, Miller beat Murkowski by about 2000 votes. Murkowski decided to run as a write-in candidate and that is where all the fun started. Murkowski was appointed to her Senate seat in 2002 (by her father) and was elected to a full term in 2004.

Some folks believed Alaskans were not smart enough to spell L-I-S-A M-U-R-K-O-W-S-K-I. With some temporary tattoos and rubber wrist bands not to mention some great signs, the Murkowski campaign team gave voters a few easy ways to get her name correct – and it’s working.

There are still about 8000 write-in votes to be counted. So far, about 97% of the write-in votes have been going for Murkowski. Miller’s camp should be seeing the writing on the wall. It’s about over.

What started off as what some people thought was a silly and desperate idea by Murkowski to keep her Senate seat now has gained tidal wave status. It looks like it will be historical.

In big-time politics you really have no friends. When Murkowski lost the GOP primary race to Miller, the far right wingers turned on her like she was a wounded dog. They cautioned her not to run as a write-in. They sent lawyers to help Miller. Murkowski was not welcome in the “He Man Woman Haters Club” that is made up of mostly the far right wingers of the GOP Senate caucus (Is that Mitch McConnell as a child in that video?)

The GOP “boys” back in the U.S. Senate will have some making up to do if Murkowski holds on and retains her seat. The Republican Senatorial Committee, long a major problem in actually electing GOP Senators, will need to get in line behind the GOP boys in the senate to ask for Murkowski’s forgiveness.

It will be fun to watch all the kissing and making up…

If the write-in count continues turning Murkowski’s way, the big loser will not be Joe Miller; it will be Sarah Palin. That will be a story for another day…