Joe Miller may have lost his fight to unseat U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski. But he certainly didn’t lose his voice. The attorney, war veteran and aspiring politician appears to be taking a cue from the one-time Alaska governor he admired enough to help push into office: Even if you don’t get picked, keep picking on the opponent, in this case any politician or policy that doesn’t comport with your platform.

On the same weekend Palin has fueled speculation about a potential presidential bid by announcing an East-coast bus tour, Miller has signaled to his supporters that he, too, has big, although perhaps less lofty, plans. And like Palin, Miller has recently turned up in Arizona. Wednesday night, he and sheriff Joe  Arpaio were scheduled to be featured guests at a fundraiser for Maricopa County attorney Bill Montgomery.

The same day, Miller gave his followers a head’s up, via his newly revamped senate campaign website, that his quest to inject constitutional conservative values into the political power structure was far from over. Indeed, just as Palin did after losing her White House bid in 2008, Miller has turned his elevated profile into a bull horn to advocate on a broad level the tea party principles he’s so committed to. 

Miller is now not only the chairman of the Nevada-based Western Representation Political Action Committee, created to push tea-party ideals, but has also launched Alaska-based and national “Restoring Liberty” political action committees, and is in serious talks to launch his own radio show.

“If you are really ‘Fed Up’ and want the return of states’ control of our freedom, come join us for the first statewide effort intent on Restoring Liberty,” reads a flier promoting the group’s upcoming inaugural event in Fairbanks June 3. "It's time to get serious about taking our state back, and there is  no better place to kick off the Restoring Liberty Alaska PAC than in Fairbanks, where the first ratification of the state constitution was held."

The flier continues:

We will fight to get state and local candidates, dedicated to the principles of limited government  and free of corruption, elected here at home.  We will also fight to defeat candidates who reject an original construction of the U.S. Constitution.  We will work to elect candidates who accept the important role of  the state in our federal system, practice Thomas Jefferson's mandate of nullification of unconstitutional laws and assert states’ rights under the Tenth Amendment. Finally, we will work to restore vote integrity to Alaska elections.

Not mentioned on the flier, but noted in his May 25 post on his website is that Miller also remains unwavering in his support of the pro-life movement.

The Alaska-based Restoring Liberty PAC registered with the Alaska Public Offices Commission in February, and a group with the same name (Restoring Liberty) registered that same month with the Federal Elections Commission.

Wait, there’s more.

Miller has also created a non-profit called the Restoring Liberty Action Committee, which he describes as an “organization designed to have nationwide impact by educating the public and elected officials about the original intent of the Constitution, public policy matters, and other matters of national concern through public discussions, research and analysis, and legal work.”

This sounds a lot like the Miller we met on the campaign trail in 2010--conservative, committed, vocal. But what was then a guy seemingly coming out of nowhere with a grassroots base now looks to perhaps be a rising soldier in a larger, more organized effort.

Miller hasn’t hinted whether he’ll jump into another race. But becoming the man with the microphone is how he’s managed to try to influence from the sidelines what he sought, but lost, at the ballot box. 

Contact Jill Burke at jill(at)alaskadispatch.com