NPR: Anchorage Mayor to Run Against Sen. Stevens

Anchorage Mayor to Run Against Sen. Stevens

It's been a tough year for Alaska Republican Senator Ted Stevens. Last July, the FBI raided one of his homes as part of a wide-ranging corruption investigation into ties between Alaska politicians and the oil services giant VECO. Stevens has refuted the charge.

The Anchorage Daily News has also reported that "The government is also investigating the extensive connections between Ted Stevens, his son Ben Stevens, who is a former Alaska Senate president, and Alaska and Seattle fishing companies, according to other subpoenas that have become public."

Now comes word that Stevens may face his toughest competitor in years in his 2008 contest to keep his seat in the Senate. Politico.com reports that "Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich is expected to announce this afternoon that he'll be running against Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), setting up a political battle between an iconic figure in Alaska politics against one of the rising Democratic stars statewide."

Stevens faces self-funding businessman David Cuddy in the Republican primary, which will be held August 26. And Begich still has to win his party's nomination, where he is set to face former state Rep. Ray Metcalfe.

2:37 PM ET | 02-27-2008 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

I think you mean Stevens has disputed the charge, not refuted. I think the investigation is on-going, so the charge has not been proven false yet.

Sent by Harold Neal | 2:38 PM ET | 02-28-2008

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