Looking down ticket, it appears John McCain might have done his Republican Senate colleagues a favor when he picked Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for his ticket. It looked like Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich would upend indicted Senator Ted Stevens -- leading by 13 to 17 points at times. But two polls that have come out since the Palin announcement show Stevens catching up. One, from the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee (so partisan caveats apply) has Stevens up two points, but the other, from Ivan Moore (whose previous polling showed the race trending strongly towards Begich) has the Democratic challenger only leading by three.
This no doubt reflects the presidential preference trending in the state, which was hinting at being competitive for Obama, but since Palin's pick has gone strongly for McCain. How ironic would it be if Palin, who desperately wishes to be seen as a reformer, helps keep the corrupt Stevens in office? Not that ironic, considering her work on his 527 and regular campaign appearances together. Oh, and it looks like Stevens is the only one defending Palin on her "Bridge to Nowhere" lie. One wonders if a discerning voter should believe him, or every single news agency?
--Tim Fernholz
