2008 United States Senate election in Alaska

Democratic–Libertarian–Independence primary

The ADL ballot contained all of the primary candidates for the Alaska Democratic Party, the Alaskan Independence Party, and the Libertarian Party of Alaska.

Candidates

Alaskan Independence

• Bob Bird

Democratic

• Mark Begich, Anchorage Mayor
• Ray Metcalfe, former State Representative and founder of the Republican Moderate Party of Alaska
• Frank Vondersaar, perennial candidate

Libertarian

• Fredrick David Haase

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

• Michael Corey, judge, attorney
• David Cuddy, former State Representative
• Gerald Heikes, minister
• Rick Sikma, pastor
• Ted Stevens, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1968
• Vic Vickers, former assistant State Comptroller
• Richard Wanda

Campaign

With three and a half weeks to go before the primary, Stevens still held a large polling lead over chief rival Dave Cuddy, 59% to 19%. Political newcomer Vic Vickers said on July 28 that he expected to pour $750,000 of his own money into his bid to defeat Stevens. According to Rasmussen polling of Alaskans, Cuddy "does nearly as well against Begich" as Stevens, trailing Begich 50% to 35%, while Vickers trailed the expected Democratic nominee 55% to 22%.

Results

In the Republican primary on August 26, results from 70.5% of precincts showed Stevens winning with 63% of the vote; Cuddy had 28% and Vickers had 6%.

General election

Candidates

Major

• Mark Begich (D), Mayor of Anchorage
• Ted Stevens (R), incumbent U.S. Senator since 1968

Minor

• Bob Bird (AI)
• Fredrick "David" Haase (L)
• Ted Gianoutsos (I)

Campaign

The FBI investigation and subsequent seven-count indictment of Ted Stevens, as well as the investigation of the state's only Representative, Don Young (R), generated some negative feelings in Alaska towards Republicans, even among Republican primary voters. Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (son of the last Democratic Rep. from Alaska, Nick Begich) was courted by both the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. In February 2008, he announced the formation of an exploratory committee for the Senate seat. The possible Democratic field also included former Governor Tony Knowles, State Rep. Eric Croft and State Senators Hollis French and Johnny Ellis. Former Minority Leader of the Alaska House of Representatives Ethan Berkowitz was considered a possible candidate, but he decided to challenge Don Young instead. Sensing discontentment within the GOP, conservative Republican Dave Cuddy announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate in December 2007.

Stevens was perceived by many as corrupt, but was also highly regarded by many Alaskans for his ability to steer federal funding toward the state; he was the longest-serving Republican in the Senate entering 2008 (first elected in 1968), and through his seniority, he amassed a great deal of influence there. The selection of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as the vice-presidential running-mate of Republican presidential candidate John McCain in late August 2008 coincided with a substantial improvement in Stevens' performance in opinion polls. A poll in August showed Begich with a 17% lead, but in early September a poll from the same source showed Begich leading Stevens by only 3%. Begich's campaign and some observers attributed this change to Palin's popularity and the enthusiasm stimulated by her selection, although Palin's reputation was partially based on her perceived opposition to Stevens or distance from him.

The Stevens campaign disputed the low numbers shown in the August poll and said that the numbers had improved in September because Stevens had begun heavily campaigning. His campaign also presented the relationship between Palin and Stevens as positive, contrary to some portrayals. Stevens was convicted of seven felony counts of failing to report gifts on October 27, 2008. This was considered a serious setback in his already difficult bid for re-election; he had requested and received a quick trial in hopes of winning an acquittal before election day. After the verdict, Stevens maintained his innocence and said that he was still running for re-election.

Predictions

Polling

Results

Begich won the election by 3,953 votes. Incumbent Stevens had held a lead of over 3,000 votes after election night, but a tally of nearly 60,000 absentee and mail-in ballots released on November 12 erased that lead and reduced the vote margin separating the candidates to less than 0.5%, with further counting, released on November 18, increasing the margin to more than 1% in favor of Begich. On November 19, 2008, Stevens conceded to Begich.

Boroughs and census areas that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Aleutians West Census Area (largest city: Unalaska)
• Anchorage
• Bethel Census Area (largest city: Bethel)
• Denali Borough (largest city: Healy)
• Kusilvak Census Area (largest city: Hooper Bay)
• Nome Census Area (largest city: Nome)
• Dilingham Census Area (largest city: Dilingham)
• Fairbanks North Star (largest city: Fairbanks)
• Kodiak Island (largest city: Kodiak Island)
• Lake & Peninsula Borough (largest city: Newhalen)
• North Slope Borough (largest city: Utqiaġvik)
• Northwest Arctic Borough (largest city: Kotzebue)
• Prince of Wales–Hyder Census Area (largest city: Craig)
• Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area (largest city: Fort Yukon)
• Juneau
• Sitka
• Skagway
• Hoonah–Angoon Census Area (largest town: Hoonah)
• Petersburg
• Haines Borough (largest census-designated place: Haines)
• Yakutat

References

References

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2. [https://www.elections.alaska.gov/2008_prim_info.php 2008 Primary Election Information] {{Webarchive. link. (August 5, 2008 Division of Elections from the ''Alaska Secretary of State'')
3. [https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/washington/AP-StevensTrial.html Alaska Senator Found Guilty of Lying About Gifts], ''New York Times'', October 27, 2008
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11. [http://www.adn.com/election/surveys/us-senate/story/498866.html Fredrick "David" Haase - Libertarian]{{Dead link. (June 2023)
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