Stevens Easily Wins Alaskan Primary « The Washington Independent
Jul 31, 2020573 Shares572.8K Views
Sen. Ted Stevens, the earmark-happy Alaska Republican who’s facing federal charges of failing to disclose gifts from an oil services company, won the GOP primary Wednesday by a sweeping 63 percent. Six Republicans had thrown their names into the hat in hopes of unseating the seven-term Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in the Senate.
Meanwhile, Alaska’s embroiled Rep. Don Young (R) is in race still too close to call.
Stevens still faces a tough road ahead in the form of Democratic challenger Mark Begich, the popular mayor of Anchorage. But, at least in the early stages of this contest, it seems that voters are willing to ignore his alleged crimes in favor of his ability to drag billions of federal dollars back to Alaska.
It’s a depressing saga — one not unlike that surrounding indicted Democratic Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana, who’s also retained his popularity in the face of multiple indictments. But facing dark news like this, it’s better to reach for George Bernard Shaw than for the arsenic. What was that great quote of his? Oh yeah: “Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.”
Hajra Shannon
Reviewer
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