Murkowski Acts Like Victor but Questions Linger

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is acting as though she pulled off an improbable win with her historic write-in candidacy, telling supporters they'd made history.

But the race is far from finished.

While Murkowski could very well be in the lead, her fate rests in the reading of tens of thousands of write-in ballots. She and her GOP rival are preparing for a possible legal fight over those.

Murkowski believes only a small percentage of write-ins for her will be invalid.

And her campaign believes it will secure a huge chunk of the still-outstanding absentee vote. Her campaign sent a mailer to absentee voters featuring the late-Sen. Ted Stevens, who endorsed Murkowski before his death.