• On November 17, 2008, after a recount of votes, challenger Mark Begich was declared the winner of an extremely tight Alaskan Senate race. According to reports, Begich was leading Ted Stevens by 3,724 votes, with 2,500 more absentee ballots to count.MLive: Stevens loses race to Begich (November 18, 2008)

  For the 2008 presidential election, the state of Alaska had three electoral votes, each of which went to Republican candidate John McCain. McCain's vice presidential running mate, Sarah Palin, is the current governor of Alaska. Alaska has voted "red" since it was established as a state in 1959 in all but one election— the landslide win of Democrat Lyndon Johnson in 1964.

• 1. Electoral votes: 3
  2. Polls open: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time
  3. Registered voters: 490,656 as of October 2008Alaska Politics Blog: Increase in Alaska voter registration (October 14, 2008)
  4. Democratic Primary winner: Barack Obama
  5. Republican Primary winner: Mitt Romney

• Alaska Senate Race

  Election returns on the morning of November 5, 2008, showed incumbent Senator Ted Stevens and Mark Begich in a very tight race. With 99 percent of the precincts reporting, CNN had Stevens leading Begich by just one percentage point. After a two-week process in which votes were recounted, Begich was declared the winner. MLive: Stevens loses race to Begich (November 18, 2008)

  Stevens was convicted on seven felony counts related to a corruption probe in late October 2008.CNN: Alaska Election Results

• Alaska Turnout

  Many pollsters and analysts are confused as to why Alaska's voter turnout in 2008 was so much lower than that recorded in 2004—and during an election when their own governor was on the ballot. In addition, Ted Stevens and Don Young, both of whom were convicted on federal charges, were predicted by several polls to lose their races badly; instead Young won, and Stevens initially led the vote count until a recount declared his rival, Begich, the winner.*The Washington Post: Alaska Turnout, Results Raise Questions (November 6, 2008) MLive: Stevens loses race to Begich (November 18, 2008)

• Alaska Races

  • Senate:
    • Incumbent: Ted Stevens (R)
    • Challenger: Mark Begich (D)
    • Begich defeated Stevens 47.8% to 46.6% with 99% of precincts reportingCNN: Alaska Election Results MLive: Stevens loses race to Begich (November 18, 2008)
  • Representative, Alaska's At-Large Congressional District:
  • Incumbent: Don Young (R)
  • Challenger: Ethan Berkowitz (D)
  • Challenger: Don Wright (Alaska Independence Party)
    • According to CNN, Young leads Berkowitz 52% to 44% with 99% of precincts reportingCNN: Alaska Election Results

• Past Alaska Winners

  • 2004: George W. Bush
  • 2000: George W. Bush
  • 1996: Bob Dole
  • 1992: George H. W. Bush
  • 1988: George H. W. Bush
  • 1984: Ronald Reagan
  • 1980: Ronald Reagan
  • 1976: Gerald Ford
  • 1972: Richard Nixon
  • 1968: Richard Nixon

• Alaska Government

  • Governor: Sarah Palin
  • Lieutenant Governor: Sean Parnell
  • Attorney General: Talis J. Colberg
  • Senators: Ted Stevens, Lisa Murkowski
  • Senator-elect: Mark Begich

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