From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage --

Andrew Halcro is paying for a Dittman Research poll this weekend to test how Lisa Murkowski would fare if she lost the Republican primary and ran as a Libertarian.

Halcro said he is not coordinating with the Murkowski campaign about this and never told Murkowski about the poll. The statewide poll will ask Alaskans if they are happy with the Republican primary results so far and about how they feel about Murkowski, Joe Miller and Democrat Scott McAdams.

It will also ask how people would vote in race between Miller, McAdams and Murkowski running on a third party ticket. Halcro said Murkowski is focused on winning the Republican primary but he wanted to see if there were "opportunities for her" if she doesn't.

Alaska Libertarian officials have signaled an openness to talking with Murkowski about running on the party's ticket. Murkowski has called such talk premature.

Miller leads Murkowski by 1,668 votes with over 20,000 absentee and questioned votes remaining to count. The first count will be Tuesday and the last Sept. 8

Halcro, a political consultant, said that wouldn't leave much turnaround time if Murkowski wanted to pursue a third party run. The state will finalize the ballots for the November general election on Sept. 15.