Palin's endorsement of political novice Joe Miller over Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski is an undeniable sign of her formidable clout. Palin and the Tea Party Express made a big push to convince Alaskans to dump Murkowski for Miller. Polls had shown Murkowski with a big lead just weeks before the primary but on Wednesday Miller was several thousand votes ahead and looked poised to win. It was her first test of political power in Alaska since her resignation as governor.