Senator Ted Stevens Loss Adds to Democrat's Senatorial Clout
Alaska Senator Ted Stevens lost his bid to stay in office after his conviction on felony charges as ballot counts two weeks after Election Day gave Democrat Mark Begich an insurmountable lead.
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Stevens, the longest-serving Senate Republican, lost on his 85th birthday. He will be replaced in Alaska's three-member congressional delegation by Begich, a 46-year-old mayor of Anchorage whose father once served in Congress with Stevens.
``I am humbled and honored to serve Alaska in the United States Senate,'' Begich said in a written statement. ``I can't wait to get to work fighting for Alaskan families.''
The result means Democrats won at least seven Republican- held seats in the Nov. 4 election, putting them two short of the 60 needed to prevent the minority party from blocking legislation with a procedural move known as a filibuster. Two races are still unresolved. The Minnesota Senate contest is headed for a recount, and Georgia will hold a runoff Dec. 2 to choose a senator.
``Stevens's downfall makes the magical filibuster-proof Senate more viable,'' for Democrats, said Julian Zelizer, a history and public-affairs professor at Princeton University in New Jersey.
Begich has 150,728 votes to 147,004 for Stevens, according to Gail Fenumiai, director of the state division of elections. There are about 2,500 uncounted ballots mostly from military families overseas yet to be counted, not enough to overcome Begich's 3,724-vote lead, she said.
Not Enough Ballots
Stevens conceded the race in a statement issued by his campaign today. ``I am proud of the campaign we ran and regret that the outcome was not what we had hoped for,'' Stevens said in the e-mailed statement. He also said that he and his staff would help Begich prepare to take the Senate seat he has held for 40 years.
Stevens, who was best known for steering billions of dollars to his home state during his congressional career, faced long re- election odds after his conviction last month on charges of hiding $250,000 in gifts from a company in his home state.
Begich's victory saves the Senate from having to decide whether to expel Stevens, the first senator since 1981 found guilty of a felony. Many fellow Republicans called on him to resign, including presidential candidate John McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska.
Senate Republicans yesterday delayed a vote on expelling Stevens from their caucus and stripping him of his committee posts to await the election outcome.
`Still Have Faith'
From his Appropriations Committee seat, Stevens sent funds to Alaska for projects such as running water for Eskimo villages and revamping the Anchorage airport, which is named in his honor. Now he's fighting to overturn his conviction and avoid going to prison.
A jury in Washington found Stevens guilty Oct. 27 of all seven felony charges of failing to report more than $250,000 in gifts from Alaska oil-services company Veco Corp. and founder Bill Allen. The gifts included renovations to Stevens's Alaska home, a gas grill, a massage chair and a sculpture of migrating salmon. The charges carry a maximum five-year prison term.
After being indicted July 29, Stevens sought a quick trial, gambling on a not-guilty verdict to clear his name before the election. After his conviction, he insisted ``it's not over yet,'' vowing to appeal and returning to Alaska to campaign for re-election.
`On With the Show'
During the candidates' only debate Oct. 30 in Anchorage, Begich said Stevens's conviction and appeal would distract him from Senate work. ``We need to get on with the show,'' the Democrat said.
``Why would you want to send a new person down there, somebody with no experience at all?'' Stevens responded. ``This state needs me.''
Stevens was appointed to the Senate in 1968 to fill a vacancy and won six full six-year terms after that. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, will now become Alaska's senior U.S. senator, having served since 2003.
Between 1995 and 2008, Stevens secured more than $3.3 billion in federal funds for projects in Alaska, according to Citizens Against Government Waste, a Washington-based nonprofit advocacy group.
`Bridge to Nowhere'
One project, labeled as the ``Bridge to Nowhere,'' earned notoriety for Stevens, who threatened at one point to resign if the Senate rescinded funds to build a bridge to an island of 50 full-time residents. The project eventually was canceled.
The senator helped sustain military bases and established programs to help rural Alaskan villages, which have some of the highest poverty rates in the nation. And he ensured remote airports were maintained; air travel is how many rural residents get around because the state has few roads.
The criminal charges against Stevens stemmed from a federal investigation of political corruption in Alaska that began in 2004 and has resulted in nine convictions or guilty pleas. His son, former Alaska state Senate President Ben Stevens, also was investigated. He hasn't been charged and denies wrongdoing.
Jurors decided that Stevens deliberately failed to report the home improvements and other gifts on his Senate financial disclosure forms. Stevens and his wife Catherine testified that she oversaw the renovations and that they didn't want many of the improvements and gifts in the first place.
``We have lots of things in our house that don't belong to us,'' Stevens testified.
Begich was elected mayor of Anchorage in 2003 and won a second term three years later.
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