News Guide: Alaska primary to determine Legislature's makeup

After the August surprise of 2010, when Murkowski lost to tea party upstart Joe Miller in the Republican primary, she is running this year's race like she has three strong opponents.

Except she doesn't and can coast through Tuesday night with her multimillion-dollar war chest mostly intact for the general election.

On the Democratic side, University of Alaska Anchorage professor Edgar Blatchford and former lawmaker Ray Metcalfe are vying to take on Murkowski in November.

The MacArthur Fellowship winner and immigration attorney running for Senate as an independent won't be on the ballot until the general election.

While some Republicans have distanced themselves from their presidential candidate, Donald Trump, or said they're unable to support him, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she hasn't decided yet whether she will vote for him.

The battle over ideology is prompting the state GOP and Democratic parties to take the rare step of backing candidates in some races over incumbent members of their own parties.

For the GOP, there is concern that more moderate Republicans who have bucked leadership or aligned with minority Democrats will be interested in forming a bipartisan ruling coalition with Democrats.

Due to the state's budget crisis, the election division this year opted not to shell out money to rent a convention center in Anchorage where results would be posted.