On Palin’s Coattails, Alaska’s Stevens Closes Gap
Well, it seems it’s not only Sen. John McCain’s candidacy that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has revitalized with her surprise arrival on the national scene.
Jul 31, 202033.9K Shares847.6K Views
Well, it seems it’s not only Sen. John McCain’s candidacy that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has revitalized with her surprise arrival on the national scene. Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens (R) — despite facing seven charges for failing to disclose $250,000 in gifts from an oil services company — is now trailing his Democratic opponent, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, by just two percentage points, 46 to 48 percent, according to a Rasmussen pollreleased today.
That’s a far cry from the 13-point lead, 50 to 37, that Begich held in July — just after Stevens’ charges were announced.
But the news is not all bad for the Democrats. Yesterday, a federal judge denied the callsfrom Stevens’ lawyers to have the charges dropped, indicating that the trial will proceed later this month, as planned.
Still, the Palin phenomenon — aside from acting as daily reminder of how wrong the nation’s political prognosticators can be — is hardly encouraging for Democratic challengers facing incumbents notenmeshed in high-profile ethics scandals.
Paula M. Graham
Reviewer
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