Republican Joe Miller said he won't stand in the way of Sen. Lisa Murkowski being certified the winner of Alaska's U.S. Senate race, but he vowed to not end his legal fight over the state's handling of the vote count.

Miller's announcement late Sunday paves the way for Murkowski, the incumbent and a write-in candidate, to be officially named winner of the race.

He said he wants to ensure Alaska has full representation when senators are sworn in for the new term of Congress on Jan. 5.

U.S. District Judge Ralph Beistline last month said the state courts were in a better position, at least initially, to decide who had won. He barred the state from certifying the results until the "serious" legal issues raised by Miller were addressed and said he'd remain available for Miller to argue any outstanding claims once the state courts had their say.

On Wednesday, the Alaska Supreme Court refused to overturn election results favoring Murkowski, saying it found "no remaining issues raised by Miller that prevent this election from being certified."

Earlier this month, Beistline said Alaska should have a senator in place when Congress' new term begins, even if that means later having to replace that person when all legal disputes are eventually resolved.