...party dissent - and build off the connection he claims to the Palins - to upset the incumbent. Young also faces a contested primary. In the governor's race, where a natural gas pipeline and state spending have become major issues on the Republican...

...watching on the sidelines, predict Murkowski will have opposition. "I don't see how she comes out without a contested primary," said Joelle Hall, the Alaska Democratic Party's treasurer in Anchorage. That's because the new senator...

...attorney Joe Miller, who also has received Palin's endorsement. In her endorsement of Miller, Palin asserted that a contested primary is a good thing for the political process, encouraging candidates to "work harder, be more efficient, debate...

...of relief, of course.'' ``Bill Ray is kind of the senior statesman here in Juneau,'' Elton said. ``A contested primary would have been difficult.'' Now that Ray isn't running, Elton said he would seek the former legislator's...