Comments on: What Will Happen With Alaska's Senate Seat? http://www.ohioverticals.com/blogs/akron_law_cafe/2008/11/what-will-happen-with-senator-stevens-seat/ University of Akron School of Law Blog Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:05:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Tony http://www.ohioverticals.com/blogs/akron_law_cafe/2008/11/what-will-happen-with-senator-stevens-seat/comment-page-1/#comment-654 Tony Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:06:33 +0000 http://www.ohioverticals.com/blogs/akron_law_cafe/?p=609#comment-654 Well, Begich is ahead now. If he pulls it out, then the problem is solved the easy way. Well, Begich is ahead now. If he pulls it out, then the problem is solved the easy way.

]]> By: Tony http://www.ohioverticals.com/blogs/akron_law_cafe/2008/11/what-will-happen-with-senator-stevens-seat/comment-page-1/#comment-647 Tony Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:33:10 +0000 http://www.ohioverticals.com/blogs/akron_law_cafe/?p=609#comment-647 I see Prof. Lee's point, but I'm not sure if the situation is even that complicated. It may be simply that there were enough people who wanted to make sure that a Republican won the seat to give give Ted Stevens the win. They may not have wanted Stevens to retain the seat, but it's pretty much a sure thing he will be gone (through quitting or expulsion), at which point there will be a special election (and Alaskans can elect a different Republican). If they vote for Begich, Stevens is out, but a Democrat is in. I see Prof. Lee's point, but I'm not sure if the situation is even that complicated. It may be simply that there were enough people who wanted to make sure that a Republican won the seat to give give Ted Stevens the win. They may not have wanted Stevens to retain the seat, but it's pretty much a sure thing he will be gone (through quitting or expulsion), at which point there will be a special election (and Alaskans can elect a different Republican). If they vote for Begich, Stevens is out, but a Democrat is in.

]]> By: The Reverend http://www.ohioverticals.com/blogs/akron_law_cafe/2008/11/what-will-happen-with-senator-stevens-seat/comment-page-1/#comment-645 The Reverend Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:51:47 +0000 http://www.ohioverticals.com/blogs/akron_law_cafe/?p=609#comment-645 What you leave out here is the problems with the Alaska vote count. It is beginning to look like there were shenanigans at work. How is it possible for Alaska to have registered 20,000 new voters, had record early voting numbers and had their own Governor on the ticket....AND YET....the total Alaska vote count was 11-14% lower than in 2004? In addition, the only state where pre-election polling was off by a wide margin was....Alaska. The question is....did Stevens actually win? What you leave out here is the problems with the Alaska vote count. It is beginning to look like there were shenanigans at work.

How is it possible for Alaska to have registered 20,000 new voters, had record early voting numbers and had their own Governor on the ticket….AND YET….the total Alaska vote count was 11-14% lower than in 2004?

In addition, the only state where pre-election polling was off by a wide margin was….Alaska.

The question is….did Stevens actually win?

]]> By: Professor Brant Lee http://www.ohioverticals.com/blogs/akron_law_cafe/2008/11/what-will-happen-with-senator-stevens-seat/comment-page-1/#comment-643 Professor Brant Lee Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:02:21 +0000 http://www.ohioverticals.com/blogs/akron_law_cafe/?p=609#comment-643 I would think that the general presumption about the election serving as a kind of referendum on the conviction would be weakened by the fact that the conviction was so close to the election and the appeal was (is still) pending and the candidate himself was saying on that basis that he was not in fact convicted yet, not really. This reminds me of other situations where an incumbent has strong community standing--sometimes Democrats in African American districts--and they are reelected after a conviction and people around the country think they must be crazy or in the thrall of racial demagoguery against "outsiders." I would think that the general presumption about the election serving as a kind of referendum on the conviction would be weakened by the fact that the conviction was so close to the election and the appeal was (is still) pending and the candidate himself was saying on that basis that he was not in fact convicted yet, not really. This reminds me of other situations where an incumbent has strong community standing–sometimes Democrats in African American districts–and they are reelected after a conviction and people around the country think they must be crazy or in the thrall of racial demagoguery against "outsiders."

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