Alaska Senate
Filing Deadline: June 2, 2008 • Primary Date: Aug. 26, 2008 • General Election: Nov. 4, 2008Incumbent
Ted Stevens (R)
First appointed in 1968; seeking seventh full term.
Official Web siteAlmanac profile
NRSC profile
Challengers
Dave Cuddy (R), former state representativeJerry Heikes (R), drywall contractor
Nels Anderson Jr. (D), former state House majority leader
Mark Begich (D), Anchorage mayor
Ray Metcalfe (D), former state representative
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Race Ranking: 5
This is perhaps the toughest race to handicap, since historical trends seem to be at cross-currents here. Most incumbents with Stevens' legal issues (and poll numbers) would be presumed lost. But no Democrat has won a majority in a statewide vote here since 1974, except for Tony Knowles' 51 percent re-election as governor in a year (1998) when everything was going for him. This is one of those states where we just have to say: We'll believe a Dem can win a Senate seat here when we see it (same goes for Texas, and for the GOP, New Jersey.)
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Previous Election Results
| 2002 General | Total Votes | Percent | Expenditures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ted Stevens (R) | 179,438 | 78% | $2,295,429 |
| Frank Vondersaar (D) | 24,133 | 11% | $1,049 |
| Jim Sykes (Green) | 16,608 | 7% | n/a |
| 2002 Primary | Total Votes | Percent | Expenditures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ted Stevens (R) | 64,315 | 89% | n/a |
| Mike Aubrey (R) | 7,997 | 11% | n/a |
| 1996 General | Total Votes | Percent | Expenditures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ted Stevens (R) | 177,893 | 77% | $2,711,710 |
| Jed Whittaker (Green) | 29,037 | 13% | n/a |
| Theresa Obermeyer (D) | 23,977 | 10% | n/a |
Hotline Coverage
Check out the Hotline's coverage of the Alaska senate race.
Race Rankings
Based on likelihood of seat switching party control
1.
Virginia
(Open-R)2.
New Mexico
(Open-R)3.
N.H.
(Sununu-R)4.
Colorado
(Open-R)5.
Alaska
(Stevens-R)6.
Louisiana
(Landrieu-D)7.
Mississippi
(Wicker-R)8.
Oregon
(Smith-R)9.
Minnesota
(Coleman-R)10.
North Carolina
(Dole-R)11.
Maine
(Collins-R)12.
Kentucky
(McConnell-R)13.
N.J.
(Lautenberg-D)14.
Kansas
(Roberts-R)15.
Nebraska
(Open-R)
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