Stevens Falls Further Behind in Alaska Senate Race (1,022)

[underpants]

Source: Fox News

Mark Begich, the two-term mayor of Anchorage, increased his lead from 814 votes to 1,022 over Sen. Ted Stevens as state election workers counted 17,100 ballots.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Republican Sen. Ted Stevens, a stalwart of Alaska politics who was convicted of felony charges last month, fell further behind his Democratic rival Friday, and most remaining ballots come from parts of the state that have favored the challenger.

Mark Begich, the two-term mayor of Anchorage, increased his lead from 814 votes to 1,022 as state election workers counted 17,100 ballots. Begich had 47.4 percent of the vote to Stevens' 47.0 percent.

"With the gap widening slightly in our favor today, I feel even more optimistic that when all the ballots are counted next week, we'll see Alaskans came out to vote for new leadership in Washington, D.C.," Begich said in a news release.

The 25,000 remaining votes will be counted Tuesday. They come mostly from Anchorage and the surrounding area, where Begich is leading, and from the state's southeastern panhandle, where he was doing even better.

Read more: http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/11/15/stevens-falls-alaska-senate-race/

[Botany]

1. Alaska, Minnesota, and (maybe) Georgia too?

[legin]

2. Leiberman geting closer to becoming all-powerful again

I make that 58 (56 + 2 independents) if Mark Begich wins.

(warning: my margin of error is geting worse)

[last1standing]

6. The only reason to keep LIEberman in the HHS chair at this point is venality.

The only reasons to keep Holy Joe in the Democratic caucus are to first obtain the 51 vote majority for control of the Senate and second to gain more seats in each committee by virtue of numbers. The problem with the second reason is that Holy Joe is very likely to do more damage to the Democratic party and obstruct President Obama if he is left there than passing another seat to the repubs ever could.

Based on that, there is no good reason to keep the traitor whether he could make that 'magic' number 60 or no.

[PCIntern]

3. Stevens's gonna lose!

TF BAD!

[lisa58]

4. YESSSSS!!!!!!!!

[NV Whino]

5. Good news!

Can you say GOOD NEWS!

[Auggie]

7. This is great news because it keeps Palin from making a Senate Bid

Stevens would have been kicked out.

[gristy]

8. He was down 1,061 last night, per the AK SOS.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3602043

[Zambero]

9. The behinder he gets the better

If he was to win, which doesn't appear likely at this point, the GOP would just kick him out anyway, paving the way for Palin to grab his seat in order to "strengthen" her resume. Curses, she's been foiled again! :)

[elocs]

10. Palin might win a special election, but she cannot "grab" Stevens' Senate seat. n/t

[tclambert]

11. Dear President Obama, please do something about elections.

This is fracking embarrassing. In 2000, we had dangling chads. In 2004, we had hacking of voting machines. In 2008, we have to wait weeks to find out who won Senate races in multiple states. This is some kind of 3rd world banana republic crap. People should be able to vote simply and conveniently and clearly. The votes should be counted, all of them, accurately and quickly. Recount procedures should be clearly laid out, fair, and efficient. This shouldn't be so hard. Please, Mr. President, give the order to get it fixed. You don't have to spend a lot of time on it personally. We've got lots of good people who you delegate it to. kthxbai.

[No Elephants]

14. I doubt President Elect Obama reads here, but he has two websites and probably an office you can

contact. And a snail mail mailbox. I encourage you do to contact his peeps.

[sutz12]

12. IIRC the "magic number" is arround 1,500

I heard some talking head say that the automatic recount occurs at around 1,500 votes

If he can get over that many, the would pretty much end it completely. If he's not there, there might be an auto recount.

[Lugnut]

13. Good! n/t