Joe Miller is working to raise $100,000 as Alaska begins counting thousands of additional ballots in the Republican Senate primary. Miller’s campaign told supporters in an e-mail Tuesday that it needs the money for the “fight between the establishment and the conservative grassroots.”

“Unfortunately, Joe Miller and his homegrown base of conservative Alaskans are facing legal battles with well-funded special interests committed to maintaining the status quo in Washington,” the solicitation reads. “With your support, Joe can continue his momentum; stave off the inevitable lawsuits, and cross the finish line with another victory for the conservative movement.”

Sean Cairncross, chief counsel for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, was in Alaska three days last week at the request of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s campaign. The NRSC continues to maintain, though, that it is staying neutral in the primary bout and will support whoever comes out on top.

However, Miller remains convinced that outside interests are working on Murkowski’s behalf.

“We know that there are still national folk up here — don’t know who actually hired them,” Miller said Monday on the ABC/Washington Post “Top Line” online show. “But there certainly is an effort still under way, I think, to skew the result in favor of the opponent.”

Miller leads Murkowski by 1,668 votes. The state Division of Elections began counting more than 15,000 ballots Tuesday, with thousands more expected to trickle in and be counted by next week. All the outstanding ballots must be counted by Sept. 8, according to state law.