Updated: 2:56 p.m.

Senate Republicans Tuesday decided to strip Sen. Lisa Murkowski of her ranking member slot on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee as a signal to Alaska voters that Joe Miller has the backing of the Republican Party in the race for Murkowski’s Senate seat.

Murkowski is running a write-in re-election campaign after losing her primary to Miller in August.

Republicans will vote Wednesday to officially remove Murkowski and name a new ranking member for the committee. Sen. Richard Burr (N.C.) is next in line, but he is the ranking member on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

Murkowski has already resigned her position as vice chairwoman of the Republican Conference.