ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Former state Attorney General Dan Sullivan held a lead in early primary returns in the fight to be the Republican candidate to take on U.S. Sen. Mark Begich in the fall.

Sullivan held an edge Tuesday night over tea party favorite Joe Miller, who made a late push reminiscent to his 2010 primary upset of U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell was in third.

Sullivan entered the primary the presumed front-runner, with the backing of national GOP powerbrokers and a huge cash advantage over his rivals.

ANCHORAGE — Needing to net six seats in November to regain control of the U.S. Senate, Republicans ought to be able to count on reliably conservative Alaska as something of a gimme.

But they’ll first have to settle on a candidate. And as the Republicans on next Tuesday’s ballot snipe, bicker and fight their way toward the primary, some are worried their candidate — no matter who it might be — will emerge too weakened to defeat Democratic Sen. Mark Begich.

JUNEAU — The release of carbon dioxide into the air from power plant smokestacks to the tailpipe on your car could pose a risk to red king crab and other lucrative fisheries in Alaska, a new report says.

Ocean water becomes more acidic when it absorbs carbon dioxide released by human sources, such as the burning of fossil fuels. Increased ocean acidification could harm important Alaska commercial and subsistence fisheries and communities that rely heavily on them, according to the new research aimed at spurring discussion on how to address the changes.

JUNEAU — The decision Alaska voters make on an oil-tax referendum next month could have implications for a proposed liquefied natural gas project, the senior project manager said Tuesday, a point deemed a scare tactic by one state lawmaker.

In an interview, manager Steve Butt said the state and companies that hold leases have a shared interest in making money off the resource. He said if decisions are made that benefit one party at the expense of another, it compromises the project.