Joe Miller, the tea party Republican from Alaska, spoke to a room full of Libertarians on Saturday about commonality and shared ideals as fervently as any politician hitting the campaign trail, but said he still hasn't decided whether he will run for office again.
As his fellow Republicans, including Sarah Palin, gathered for the annual Conservative Political Action Conference just outside Washington, D.C., Miller showed up at the Best Western Golden Lion Hotel in Anchorage as a guest speaker at the Alaska Libertarian Party Convention.
Miller, who lost to write-in candidate Lisa Murkowski in the 2010 Senate election, wouldn't say if he's running in 2014, but rumors are swirling he's gearing up to take on incumbent Democrat Sen. Mark Begich.
Next year's elections "will be a referendum on government control," Miller said Saturday. "In 2014, there'll be a resurgence of those looking for liberty."
Miller touched on gun control and, more specifically, the government's alleged preparations for civil war. But despite being in a room packed with Second Amendment enthusiasts, some who often visibly display that enthusiasm, no guns sat atop the white cloth. Instead, semi-formally dressed attendants simply ate from a buffet.
After inquiring as to whether there were any Alaska media members in the crowd and brandishing a pair of silver handcuffs, Miller said outright that he hadn't agreed to speak at the convention for political reasons. He is uncertain he will run in 2014, he told the Libertarians.