First, she was the shoo-in. Then she was the underdog. Now, in the closing moments of a quirky midterm election season, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) appeared to be on the verge of making history as the first successful write-in candidate for Senate in more than 50 years.

In a six-week blitz aimed at defeating the tea party-backed candidate who toppled her in the primary, Murkowski barnstormed the state, handing out bracelets and reminding voters how to spell her name. She rebuffed fellow Republicans who implored her to drop out. She seemed to be having fun.

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