Berkowitz and Parnell camps trade barbs after Miller win

Joe Miller's surprising win Tuesday over U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is already being used as ammunition by Gov. Sean Parnell and Democratic challenger Ethan Berkowitz.

On Wednesday, Berkowitz sent out a press release that accused both Parnell and his running mate, lieutenant governor-hopeful Mead Treadwell, of betraying Murkowski by not supporting her against Miller.

"In 2008 when Sarah Palin was on the GOP ticket for the White House, she threw Ted Stevens under the bus ... Sean Parnell threw Lisa Murkowski under the bus through his silence, and later Mead Treadwell threw Lisa under the bus by his direct actions," Berkowitz said in the release.

Parnell and Treadwell both stayed neutral in the Senate race (and Murkowski didn't endorse anyone in their races, either.) Treadwell said he kept in touch with both the Miller and Murkowski camps and that he and Murkowski agreed not to endorse anyone in each other's races.

In a phone interview Wednesday afternoon, Treadwell said Berkowitz's press release was "crass, unkind, and untrue," and that, "His job right now is to divide the Republican Party, and I'm not going to let it happen."

Michelle Toohey, Parnell's spokeswoman, made a similar statement via e-mail Wednesday afternoon: "Sean Parnell and Mead Treadwell both reached out to express their profound gratitude for Sen. Murkowski's service and offered congratulations to Joe Miller ... And, Joe Miller will go on to win the General Election."

Though Berkowitz said in his e-mail that he "cannot fathom the betrayal and hurt that Lisa Murkowski feels today given how she was treated by Mead Treadwell this summer," Treadwell said, "The results were a surprise to everyone, but it was much more a referendum on Obama than it was a referendum on Lisa's performance."

Here are the Berkowitz press release and the Toohey statement:

In U.S. Senate Race, Parnell-Treadwell Team Threw Lisa Murkowski and Alaska's Power in D.C. Under the Bus