In Alaska, Palin overshadows Democratic efforts to oust Sen. Stevens and Rep. Young

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s addition to the GOP presidential ticket has turned all eyes to her state, but being overshadowed are Democratic attempts to retire two veteran Republican lawmakers.

In the Senate race, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D) is waging a tough challenge to indicted Sen. Ted Stevens (R), an Alaskan political institution who has represented the state in the upper chamber since 1968.

{mosads}Stevens is facing the first tough reelection challenge of his career; he has never received less than 66 percent of the vote since being elected to his first full term in the Senate in 1970. Since then, Stevens has made a reputation for himself as a king of pet projects. He famously threatened to quit the Senate if his colleagues voted to cancel funding for the now-infamous “Bridge to Nowhere.”

Stevens’s vulnerability this fall largely stems from being indicted earlier this summer for improperly reporting gifts from the Veco Corporation, charges to which Stevens pleaded not guilty on July 31. The trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 22.

Polls taken immediately after the indictment scored a spike for Begich, though they now show a much tighter race. A Rasmussen poll taken last week shows Begich leading Stevens 48-46, well within the poll’s 4.5 percent margin of error. Begich held a three-point lead over Stevens a week earlier in a poll from Ivan Moore Research, leading 49-46 with a 4.4 percent margin of error.

“Every poll’s within the margin of error,” said Stevens spokesman Aaron Saunders, who argued that the margin narrowed after Stevens spent the August recess campaigning in the state.

While Stevens may be behind in the polls, he is winning the money race, raising almost twice as much as Begich had through Aug. 6, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings.

Stevens reported having $1.7 million in cash on hand through the same date, while Begich had just over $460,000.

“Sen. Stevens has been raising money for five years in this cycle,” said Begich spokeswoman Julie Hasquet. “We’ve been raising money for four or five months.”

The 84-year-old Stevens has gone “all-in” for this fall’s bid, insisting that his corruption trial be held before the election. And though Stevens’s lawyers failed in a motion to move the trial from Washington, D.C., to Alaska, Stevens is banking on a “not guilty” verdict boosting him to reelection, while taking the risk that a “guilty” verdict could hand the seat over to Begich.

Saunders said the campaign is still hopeful the trial will go off as planned before November. “The senator believes he’s innocent, and wants a speedy trial so all Alaskans have the facts when they go to the ballot box,” he said.

Stevens’s House counterpart, Rep. Don Young (R), doesn’t face much of an easier road, after a bruising primary and having to fend off his own allegations of corruption.

Young scraped by Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell in the Republican primary for the state’s at-large House seat by a mere 239 votes. Parnell has not yet conceded the late August primary, although one of his key backers, the conservative Club for Growth, has all but conceded the race on Parnell’s behalf.

The same Ivan Moore Research poll that showed Stevens trailing was even less forgiving for Young. The poll showed Young’s Democratic opponent, former state House Minority Leader Ethan Berkowitz, leading Young 54-37 with the same margin of error. Conversely, Berkowitz trailed Parnell 46-42, leaving some progressives to root for Young in last month’s primary.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has been high on Berkowitz, adding him to its Red to Blue fundraising and publicity assistance program.

The DCCC points to Young’s poor performance against Parnell, whom they deemed a lackluster candidate, as an indication that it can be successful against Young, who has served as Alaska’s lone representative in the House since 1973.

{mospagebreak}Democrats also hope to use investigations into Young’s relationship with Veco and ties to imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff to their advantage. Young went so far as to open a legal defense fund earlier this year to defray the costs of hiring lawyers in the investigation.

“Don Young’s made ethics an issue for himself,” said Berkowitz spokesman David Shurtleff. “The fact that Don Young could very likely end up in a federal prison doesn’t alter our course.” Shurtleff said that the Berkowitz campaign will focus instead on energy, which virtually all the campaigns said will be the decisive issue in the race.

Young will also tout his experience in Congress.

{mosads}“What Young brings right now is an ability to work within the minority or majority because of the relationships he’s built with the leadership of both parties,” said spokesman Michael Anderson.

Berkowitz’s fundraising operation has come online, raising $125,000 in July and August, besting Young, who raised $100,000 in the same period. But any recent advantage is outdone by Young’s having raised almost $100,000 more than Berkowitz to date, as well as his advantage in cash on hand. Young had $370,000 saved through Aug. 6, while Berkowitz had just under $100,000 at the end of the same period.

And while both the House and Senate races would have been competitive on their own, they have also been jolted by the selection of Palin for the national ticket. All four of the campaigns now emphasize their ties to Palin, recognizing her popularity in the state.

Palin endorsed Parnell, her running mate in the 2006 gubernatorial race, in his primary challenge against Young. When she boasts she was responsible for killing the “Bridge to Nowhere,” she boasts of killing one of Young’s signature earmarks. Almost everyone but Young’s campaign references the less-than-cozy relationship between Young and Palin.

“They both have a deep love for the state of Alaska,” said Young’s spokesman, Anderson. “They do sometimes see things a bit differently.”

Berkowitz’s camp said it would not be surprised if Palin endorses Berkowitz over Young.

“If you listen to what McCain says on the campaign trail, he always goes back to her having fought corruption in the Alaska Republican Party,” Shurtleff said. “That’s talking about Ted Stevens and Don Young.”

Shurtleff added that he cannot see Palin supporting Young, and said that she has had a good professional relationship with Berkowitz, an endorsement of whom, Shurtleff said, would underscore her maverick reputation.

Meanwhile, Palin has been much more hesitant to challenge Stevens, the godfather of Alaskan politics.

“We expect Gov. Palin to create a significant turnout among Alaskans and her base, which are the Republicans,” Saunders said.

The Stevens campaign also expects a high-turnout election in which Palin stirs previously apathetic citizens to vote, citizens the Stevens campaign thinks will break Republican.

Hasquet said the Begich campaign hopes Palin’s anti-corruption rhetoric will translate into assistance for their candidate. “If a lot of voters come out on the anti-corruption platform she’s running on, they’re voting for Begich,” Hasquet said. The campaign also sends signals linking Begich’s youthfulness with Palin’s, mentioning both candidates’ similar age.

Palin’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Regardless of her relationship with Young and Stevens, Palin’s candidacy could, ironically, save Stevens’s and Young’s, boosting Republican turnout in her home state.