Joe Miller (Alaska politician) win election via write-in since Strom Thurmond in 1954. Miller conceded the race on December 31. In June 2011, a judge found that Miller's lawsuit was aimed at winning the election and not in the interest of upholding the state constitution as Miller had claimed. He was ordered to compensate the State of Alaska approximately $18,000 for legal fees incurred by the State. Miller ran in the 2014 U.S. Senate election as a Republican, although a late-race endorsement of Miller by former governor Sarah Palin did not yield a win, as former Alaska Attorney General and Commissioner of Natural Resources
1980 United States Senate election in Alaska presidential election and had easily won re-election to the Senate in 1974, he had never established a strong political base in Alaska. The passage of a controversial land bill earlier in the year, as opposed to a compromise bill worked out by fellow Senator Ted Stevens that failed thanks to Gravel two years prior, further harmed his re-election bid. A group of Democrats, including future governor Steve Cowper, campaigned against Gravel on the land bill issue. The sources of Gravel's campaign funds, some of which came from political action committees outside the state, also became an issue in the contest.