Alaska Politics Blog : The most important third-party candidate in the 2008 election?

Alaska Politics Blog

This is the place to talk about Alaska politics, state, local, national. Public life in the Last Frontier has rarely been more interesting -- a full slate of federal and state elections, the influence of former Gov. Sarah Palin, the usual hardball Alaska politics. Come here for news, tidbits and information, and join the discussion. We encourage lively debate, but please keep it civil and stay on point. Don't use profanity, make crude comments or attack other posters. Posts that violate the Terms of Use will be deleted. Repeat offenders will lose their ability to post comments.

Contributors

Sean Cockerham

Sean Cockerham writes about Alaska state politics. He's worked for the ADN in Anchorage and Juneau, covered the legislature for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, and covered Washington state politics for the Tacoma News Tribune. E-mail Sean at scockerham@adn.com

Kyle Hopkins

Kyle Hopkins covers rural affairs, general assignments and politics for the ADN. He covered the 2006 campaign for governor, has blogged extensively about Alaska politics, covered Anchorage city government and was a reporter based in the Mat-Su. He grew up in Southeast Alaska and previously wrote for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and Anchorage Press. E-mail Kyle at khopkins@adn.com and also find him on our rural Alaska blog, The Village.

David Hulen

David Hulen, the ADN's state and local news editor, is responsible for political coverage. He has been an editor and reporter at the ADN for more than 20 years. E-mail David at dhulen@adn.com

Features

SECTION

Alaska political corruption

When the FBI raided state legislature offices in Aug. 2006, it publicly launched an investigation that ultimately reached the highest levels of Alaska politics, and continues to this day.

The most important third-party candidate in the 2008 election?

Posted by Alaska_Politics

Anchorage Daily News

Posted: November 17, 2008 - 6:29 pm

From David Hulen in Anchorage --

The Washington Post makes the case that the distinction could belong to Bob Bird, the Alaskan Independence Party's candidate for U.S. Senate this year. The story suggests Bird's candidacy may have cost Ted Stevens the election.

(Stevens') biggest obstacles appeared to be a potential prison sentence and his Democratic opponent, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich.

Little did he know that one Bob Bird, the nominee of the conservative Alaska Independence Party, would stand in his way by grabbing 4 percent of the vote.

When a majority of votes were counted on Election Day, Stevens held a 3,200-vote lead. Last week, after 70,000 more votes were tallied, Begich pulled ahead by more than 1,000 votes, with fewer than 30,000 remaining to be counted Tuesday.

Bird -- running a conservative antiabortion, pro-gun-rights campaign -- has collected 12,144 votes. Bird may end up being the most important third-party candidate in the 2008 race...

Bird's support, the story notes, almost certainly came from conservatives unlikely to vote for Begich.