ANCHORAGE, Alaska (September 1, 2010)--Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is the third senator this year to lose her party's primary.

Murkowski conceded Tuesday to Republican Joe Miller, who was backed by Sarah Palin and the Tea Party Express.

Miller’s win is a big boost for Palin's king-making credentials.

Murkowski's stunning defeat ends a 30-year family tradition of holding that seat, an era that spanned a majority of Alaska's statehood.

Murkowski was chosen in 2002 by her father, Frank, the newly elected governor, to fill the seat he left in the U.S. Senate where he served for 22 years.

Despite cries of nepotism, Lisa Murkowski won the seat outright four years later when she defeated former two-term Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles.

Few observers felt she served long enough to build a legacy, but
University of Alaska Fairbanks political science professor Jerry McBeath said during her eight years in office, Murkowski established herself as a capable and energetic advocate for Alaska's interests.