Send in the Goons
Alaska Republican Joe Miller was far from the first politician to duck the press this year — Nevada Republican Senate nominee Sharron Angle resorted on at least one occasion to using a decoy to distract the press — but he was certainly the most combative in his evasion. On Oct. 15, private security guards for the Senate candidate detained and handcuffed Alaska Dispatch reporter Tony Hopfinger at a campaign event in Anchorage. Hopfinger, who was seized while pursuing Miller with a video camera, was held for 30 minutes before Anchorage police arrived and released him. The incident was caught on tape and added drama to the closing weeks of an already theatrical Senate race. For his part, Miller insisted that security personnel did not know Hopfinger was a journalist and that he "appeared irrational, angry and potentially violent."