This is the place to talk about Alaska politics -- state, local, national. Public life in the Last Frontier has probably never been more interesting than right now -- the governor as candidate for vice president, the broad and still-evolving corruption investigation, a big election, powerful members of Congress under scrutiny, and the usual hardball Alaska politics. Come here for news, tidbits and information, and join the discussion. Keep your comments civil and on point. Avoid personal attacks. Do not use profanity. Posts that violate the Terms of Use will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be banned.
Erika Bolstad
Erika Bolstad covers Alaska issues, including the congressional delegation, from Washington, D.C., for McClatchy Newspapers. Before joining the bureau in 2007, she spent seven years as a reporter at the Miami Herald, where she covered politics, government and the state legislature. E-mail Erika at ebolstad@adn.com.
Sean Cockerham
Sean Cockerham writes about Alaska state politics. He spent three years based in Juneau for the ADN before joining the Tacoma News-Tribune to write about Washington state politics. He went to Iraq twice for the News Tribune, and previously wrote about Alaska government and politics for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. E-mail Sean at scockerham@adn.com
Kyle Hopkins
Kyle Hopkins covers politics and other stories 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 was a reporter at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and Anchorage Press. E-mail Kyle at khopkins@adn.com
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The FBI raided state legislatures offices in Aug. 2006, and the fallout since has been epic in Alaska's political world.
Bob Poe running for governor - 1/7/2009 1:50 pm
Before the storm - Palin e-mails from Aug. 27 - 1/7/2009 12:07 pm
Reid on punishment for Stevens - 1/7/2009 7:32 am
Polling on Palin vs. Murkowski - 1/6/2009 3:24 pm
Citgo 'suspends' free heating oil program - 1/5/2009 2:37 pm
Palin's comments on first grandchild - 12/31/2008 4:35 pm
Suicide council audit - 12/30/2008 9:11 pm
Son of Snowzilla - 12/30/2008 8:55 pm
'People' editor: No deal for baby photos. Yet. - 12/30/2008 1:12 pm
'Baby Name Bible' - 12/29/2008 8:14 pm
Anchorage Mayor: Begich out, Claman in Jan. 3 - 12/26/2008 12:40 pm
No trash power? (Plus: School board pay) - 12/26/2008 11:22 am
PETA's beef with Palin - 12/24/2008 12:02 pm
"The opportunities that were not seized." - 12/22/2008 1:48 pm
Palin's next big speech? - 12/22/2008 12:37 pm
Here we go - a look at potential 2010 election matchups (and Palin popularity) - 12/20/2008 1:42 pm
Hawker to Palin: Try again - 12/19/2008 5:11 pm
Video: Palin on salary, energy plan - 12/19/2008 9:58 am
Walt Monegan is planning to run for mayor - 12/18/2008 4:40 pm
Covering Juneau - 12/17/2008 5:07 pm
Palin says no to raise; energy plan delayed - 12/17/2008 2:19 pm
Meyer joins majority, gets LB&A (Updated with McGuire, Menard joining too) - 12/16/2008 5:45 pm
Posted: November 13, 2008 - 2:21 pm
Comments (0) |
From Erika Bolstad in Washington D.C. --
Who would think Republican senators would actually want one of their own to lose?
Well, if it means not having to cast an awkward vote on whether to oust Sen. Ted Stevens from their caucus, it almost looks as though some Republican senators would prefer that Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich win the race.
Here's a sampling of today's comments from Republican senators asked whether they would boot Stevens from the caucus. (Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., has called for Stevens to be removed from the Republican Senate caucus, meaning Stevens wouldn't be able to vote on GOP matters and would lose his committee assignments. That internal Republican election, if it actually happens, could occur Tuesday, Stevens' 85th birthday.) After the jump:
Currently, Begich leads with 814 votes; twelve percent of ballots remain uncounted.
From Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla.: "I think it would be very difficult, as a convicted felon, that he should remain in the conference. The Republican Party needs to send a signal that we are at a moment in time where we are not to tolerate that. I understand that Senator Stevens has concerns about the trial, and an appeal is pending." But, "the appeal is not going to deal with the issues of fact. A jury of his peers made a decision about the facts of the case. And that decision is not going to be changed by any appellate court...I'm hopeful that the election will resolve this perhaps, and we won't have to deal with it... I think a convicted felon is pretty inconsistent with serving in the U.S. Senate."
From Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho: "The latest report I saw is that Begich is pulling ahead.
But then he added: "Look, we have due process rights. Until a person has been exhausted all of them, we should reserve judgment till he's had full due process. That being said, it comes down to votes." Crapo also said "it's premature" to say how he would vote on ousting Stevens from the GOP conference. "We need to wait to see the outcome of the election as well as due process."
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