Stevens Loses Alaska Senate Race

Ted Stevens

Senator TED STEVENS of ALASKA, convicted last month on federal ethics charges, lost his bid for a seventh term as final ballots were counted on TUESDAY, giving DEMOCRATS at least 58 seats in the Senate for the first years of the OBAMA administration, reports THE NEW YORK TIMES. With an estimated 2,500 votes still outstanding and other election certification steps still to take place, MARK BEGICH, the DEMOCRATIC mayor of ANCHORAGE, had taken a lead of 3,724 votes out of more than 315,000 cast, and he declared victory.

STEVENS was chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversaw communications issues, and is currently Ranking Republican Member of the committee. He was a hardliner on indecency and famous for calling the Internet "a series of tubes."

STEVENS did not immediately concede the race. He could request a recount, but he would have to pay for it if the current vote margins hold.

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