Wednesday morning the Tea Party Express, headquartered in Sacramento, Calif., announced it was backing Joe Miller in his run against Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Miller's spokesman, Randy DeSoto, said he first heard about the endorsement on CNN, the same way everyone else did, although "we had indication last week that they were taking a serious look at us."

Murkowski's spokesman, Steve Wackowski, sent out a statement Wednesday afternoon that outlined her conservative credentials. The statement reminded voters about her "A" rating from the NRA, her opposition to "ObamaCare," and her fight against the "Federal Government's encroachment into the lives of Alaskans."

Speaking on the phone Thursday, Wackowski said that Lisa's team is proud of her voting record and where she's stood on the issues.

"This race is about Alaska, and who can best fight and advocate for Alaskans in Washington, DC," he said.

Alaskans normally bare their fangs when the feds or any outside group try to influence state politics or affect state decisions. Look at what happens when environmentalists try to butt in on issues like predator control or ANWR. DeSoto doesn't think that will be the case with the Tea Party Express. First of all, he said, Miller has already been endorsed by local tea party groups, so it's not as if the endorsement by a national one was unprecedented. Since the Tea Party Express endorsement, Miller has also been endorsed by RedState.org, a national right-of-center blog.

DeSoto also said that much of Murkowski's war chest comes from national pharmaceutical and oil companies, so Miller getting money from individuals around the country (through the Tea Party Express organization) strikes him as entirely kosher. "In military terms," said DeSoto, who graduated from West Point the same year as Miller, "I would call it a force multiplier."

The support from Tea Party Express, which has said it will pump hundreds of thousands of dollars into the race, will make it possible for Miller to have a big presence on television and radio, DeSoto said.

Murkowski's spokesman was unimpressed. "If they want to give Alaska media outlets their money, I'm sure you guys would be happy to take it," Wackowski said.

Contact Joshua Saul at jsaul(at)alaskadispatch.com.