Top 10 mistakes of Election 2010

We all make mistakes. But in the world of politics, it’s an art form. Here’s our list of favorites from Election 2010, in no particular order, and focused on mistakes that could affect the outcome of a race.

Joe Miller’s handling of his recent past

Michael Dinneen/AP
Joe Miller meets voters at the Anchorage Baptist Temple Sunday in Anchorage, Alaska.

In an anti-establishment cycle, attorney Joe Miller seemed to pick a good moment to run for the Senate from Alaska. The Palins and the tea party backed him, and boom, he defeated incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski in the Republican primary. He seemed set to win in November.

Then things got fishy. Mr. Miller announced he would no longer answer questions about his background and personal life. Then his private security detail handcuffed a reporter trying to ask questions.

Turns out in 2008 Miller had been disciplined in his government job for using colleagues’ computers to vote in an online political poll and then lying about it, according to just-released court records. Miller’s candidacy is in trouble, and Murkowski – running as a write-in – now has an excellent shot. Even the Democrat has a chance.

Bottom line: Knowing what was in the records, one wonders why Miller ran in the first place. But having decided to run, perhaps he should have come clean at the outset and asked for forgiveness. In this climate, he may have won the primary anyway.

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