Scott McAdams seems to have Lisa Murkowski scared. Here's her new ad, attacking McAdams.

The ad shows various Sitka residents, including a former mayor, criticizing McAdams and declaring that the town is "Lisa Murkowski territory." But one line is also a clear pitch to Democratic-leaning voters, casting support for McAdams as a wasted vote: "A vote for Scott McAdams is definitely a vote for Joe Miller."

No, a vote for Scott McAdams is a vote against Lisa Murkowski and she very well knows that by consolidating independents, moderates, Dems, and women, McAdams can win this three-way race. And he's got the momentum.

McAdams, a former local school board member and Sitka mayor, has been cast by Murkowski as too inexperienced and by Miller as being of the same "liberal" ilk as Murkowski. Murkowski's gone so far as to suggest a vote for McAdams is akin to a vote for Miller. But McAdams has proven to be a tireless campaigner, filling town hall meetings, working the phones with potential donors and proving to many Democrats — lukewarm about Murkowski but frightened by what a Miller win would mean — that he's not a token candidate. McAdams, 40, has called Murkowski's run a lost cause and himself a "safe" vote, since his name is on the ballot and immune to the kinds of challenges a write-in will likely incur.... "It's all about timing," said longtime Alaska pollster Jean Craciun, who sees movement away from Miller and toward McAdams and Murkowski. "The question is, on Election Day, where will that movement be?"

There's definite movement on McAdams' side, and a Dem source close to the campaign writes, referencing unreleased polling they're familiar with:

Scott will be close. The numbers in the last week for the two target areas have decreased on Lisa and increased on Scott. Our target was Anchorage/women. Anchorage is now 30/28/26 Miller/Murkowski/McAdams. Last week it was 31/36/23 Miller/Murkowski/McAdams. Undecideds in Anchorage are now 13%, up from 6$. 53% of remaining of the total undecided universe is in Anchorage. A week ago women were 65/29 Positive to Negative for Lisa; in the last week this has changed to 51/41. Clearly our targeting is working. We are pouring everything on at this point.

Miller's ethics problems have consumed all the oxygen in his campaign for two weeks, and he's using that to remind Alaskans that Murkowski has been somewhat less than squeaky clean in her own tenure. That'll serve to remind Alaskans, particularly Democrats, that they don't really like Murkowski that much either. McAdams has emerged as serious candidate and valid contender.

That's why Murkowski's running scared.