Joe Miller Files Alaska Senate Papers For 2014 Run

Nearly four years after a bitter, failed run for U.S. Senate, Tea Party favorite Joe Miller appears poised for another go-round.

Politico reports that according to paperwork from the office of the Secretary of the Senate, Miller filed his intent in early May to mount a 2014 challenge against Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska). Speculation had swirled for months that Miller was in, headed by a blog post last month outlining why he may run.

"We need a candidate in 2014 who will join reformers like Rand Paul, Mike Lee, and Ted Cruz to confront President Obama, not one who will cut a deal to negotiate the terms of our surrender to his radical socialist agenda," Miller wrote.

After securing the 2010 GOP nomination for Alaska Senate, Miller suffered a big fall at the hands of a successful write-in movement by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). The Associated Press detailed in December 2010 how the race spilled past Election Day, thanks to a controversy stemming from discrepancies in the spelling and formatting of Murkowski's write-in votes. Alaska's courts eventually ruled in favor of voter intent over strict reading of the candidates' names.

Begich has received national attention in recent months on votes and views that have been at the forefront of Americans' attention. Back in late March, he was one of several Democrats to publicly affirm their support for gay marriage. In mid-April, Begich was among the four Democrats who voted against background checks for guns.

Correction: A previous version of this post incorrectly stated that Begich was one of the last Democrats to publicly endorse gay marriage. Begich's late March statement was in fact an affirmation of a pro-gay marriage position he first voiced in July 2012.