Murkowski has Few Third Party Options

The Anchorage Daily News reports that Sen. Lisa Murkowski will have limited options to run for the Senate if she loses her primary:

Murkowski wouldn’t discuss whether she’d pursue a third-party or independent write-in candidacy for the seat if she loses the Republican primary.

“It is way, way, way too premature to even be talking about that,” Murkowski said.

Alaska Division of Elections Director Gail Fenumiai told me it’s too late for Murkowski to file to have her name appear on the ballot as an independent, so that would need to be a write-in effort. There is a Libertarian candidate in the race, Frederick Haase, who could choose to step down. The Libertarian Party could then select a replacement for him on the ballot.

There is no other third party candidate in the U.S. Senate race, so Libertarian would be the only option for Murkowski to join a new party for a run.