More On Alaska's Political Cesspool-- Athough Not About Any Palins This Time

Quick, someone get the lipstick!

Last night I did a quickie poll over at Kos asking who people who most like to lose their congressional seat. Alaska crook-- the original Bridge to Nowhere Man-- was the favorite. And as resistant as I've been to supporting candidates from the Rahm Emanuel wing of the Democratic Party, last night I actually added Young's Democratic opponent, Ethan Berkowitz-- who my friends in Alaska assure me isn't really in Rahm's pocket that much-- to a new ActBlue page. Last week, the last remaining votes from the most remote villages in Alaska were counted and corruption-tainted Don Young, who everyone expects to be facing prison time within the year, managed to win his primary against Sarah Palin's handpicked opponent, Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell.

This morning, Congressional Quarterly changed their rating on the race to Leans Democrat.

Alaska Republican Rep. Don Young ’s narrow 304-vote margin over a prominent primary challenger provides an exception to a political rule: that re-nominating an incumbent strengthens a party’s chances of holding a seat. Plagued by ethics allegations that cost him heavily in his primary contest with Republican Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, Young enters the brief general election contest trailing Democratic nominee Ethan Berkowitz by a double-digit percentage in the most recent independent poll.

The new Leans Democratic designation on this race means Berkowitz-- a former Democratic leader in the state House and the party’s 2006 nominee for lieutenant governor in the contest against Parnell-- has a tangible edge in his race with Young. But it also means the race remains highly competitive, with a comeback by Young certainly not out of the question.

Young has represented Alaska in the House as a statewide office-holder for 35 years. He dominated most of his elections in the Republican-leaning state, as his seniority helped him work in concert with Alaska Republican Sen. Ted Stevens to steer billions of dollars in federal funds to their home state. But after decades of political security, both Stevens and Young find themselves this year at serious risk of losing their seats-- in large part because both have longstanding ties to executives with Veco, an Alaska-based oil services company that is at the center of a sweeping state political corruption scandal.

Stevens is actually in more legal jeopardy than Young. He was indicted in July on federal charges of failing to report substantial gifts, including a major renovation to his Alaska home, that allegedly were provided by Veco officials. He faces a trial in Washington, D.C., scheduled to begin on Sept. 24 that, depending on its outcome, could make or break his hopes of overcoming his strong Democratic opponent, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, in a contest CQ Politics also rates as Leans Democratic.

Young-- despite news reports that Veco executives assisted his campaign fundraising efforts and questions raised about his efforts to obtain federal funding for a road project in Florida that might have benefited another campaign contributor-- has not been charged with wrongdoing.

Yet many more Alaskans appear to maintain affection for Stevens, who after 40 years in office is the longest-serving Republican senator in the nation’s history, than for Young, who has a rough-hewn and often confrontational manner that has left a trail of hard feelings among some Alaskans.

“Young is a very, very considerable underdog at this point,” Anchorage pollster Ivan Moore told CQ Politics. Moore noted that polls throughout the year have shown Young becoming steadily more vulnerable for re-election.

If you'd like to donate to Ethan Berkowitz' campaign, please visit The Impeachers, an ActBlue page dedicated to raising campaign funds for Democrats challenging the most vulnerable Bill Clinton tormentors (like Don Young).


As for Rolling Stone dubbing Don Young "Mr. Pork," let's not lose sight of the fact that Young may be one of the worst, but he's far from the only corrupt Republican slime bucket. In fact, one Republican who denounces Young's Bridge To Nowhere earmarks almost every single day has some answering to do about earmarks himself: