Begich Takes Lead in Alaska Senate Race

Mark Begich (D) 47% 132,196
Ted Stevens (R) 47% 131,382

Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich has taken a small lead -- 814 votes -- in the Alaska Senate race. Before Alaskan officials resumed counting of early and absentee ballots yesterday Begich trailed Incumbent Ted Stevens by more than 3,000 votes. Most of the newly counted votes were cast before Stevens was found guilty by a federal jury in Washington for failing to report approximately $250,000 in gifts he received. In total, the Anchorage Daily News reports, Alaskan election officials have counted 60,000 early, absentee and questioned ballots that "broke heavily in the Democrat's favor."

But don't count Uncle Ted out just yet. There are an additional 40,000 votes yet to be counted. The ADN also notes that this is shaping up to be "one of the biggest turnouts, if not the biggest in terms of ballots cast, the state has ever seen."

If Begich hangs on to his lead and is declared the winner, he will be the first Democratic Senator to serve Alaska since the '70s. Stevens, who has held the seat since 1968, is the longest serving GOP Senator in history.

The Alaska House race also remains undetermined. The state's sole member of congress, Rupublican Incumbent Don Young, is still holding onto a comfortable lead over Democratic challenger Ethan Berkowitz.

Don Young (R) 50% 140,269
Ethan Berkowitz (D) 44% 125,184

-- Michael Olson

10:40 AM ET | 11-13-2008 | permalink

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