Murkowski to be certified as winner of Alaska’s Senate race, but Miller’s legal fight might not be finished

Joe Miller will decide by Friday if he plans to continue his legal fight over Alaska's hotly contested Senate race.

With the state expected to certify Lisa Murkowski as the race's winner later today, Miller has scheduled a news conference Friday to announce whether he'll appeal a federal court ruling against his bid for a second recount in the race.

For more than a month, Miller has sued to stop the state from officially declaring Murkowski the winner. The incumbent Republican, who ran as a write-in candidate after losing the primary, leads Miller by more than 10,000 votes, but Miller has challenged several thousand ballots, charging election irregularities.

So far, three state and federal courts have rejected Miller's claims.

Previously, the GOP hopeful had threatened to take his fight to the U.S. Supreme Court, but with many of his supporters urging him to give up the fight, it's unclear how Miller will proceed.

The state has been pushing to certify Murkowski as the winner of the race before Jan. 5, when the new Congress convenes so that she will be able to maintain her Senate seniority.

(Photo of Miller and his attorney Tom Van Flein by Mark Theissen/AP)