Begich Wins Alaska Senate Race Against Ted Stevens

Juneau, AK (AHN) - The longest-serving Republican of the Senate lost his bid for a seventh term Tuesday night, the same day he turned 85 years old and three weeks after he was found guilty of concealing gifts from an oil services company.

The race in Alaska was called for Anchorage Democratic Mayor Mark Begich by major newspapers, including the Anchorage Daily News, as final absentee and questioned ballots were tallied.

The latest results from the state Division of Elections has Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) trailing with 147,004 votes or 46.58 percent, and Begich ahead with 150,728 votes or 47.76 percent. Begich had overtaken Stevens for the first time last week with 814 more votes; he now leads with 3,724 votes.

"I am humbled and honored to serve Alaska in the United States Senate," Begich said in a statement. "It's been an incredible journey getting to this point, and I appreciate the support and commitment of the thousands of Alaskans who have brought us to this day. I can't wait to get to work fighting for Alaskan families.

Begich's victory gives Democrats a 58-vote majority in the Senate, including the two independents who caucus with them, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-VT). They are looking to two other races to gain a 60-vote filibuster-proof majority: in Georgia, where the contest between Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) and Democrat Jim Martin is headed to a runoff, and in Minnesota, where Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) and Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidate Al Franken will have to wait at least a month until after a statewide manual recount begins on Wednesday.

Stevens' defeat comes the same day Senate Republicans held party leadership elections but decided to postpone a vote on whether the expel him. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who retained his top GOP post in the chamber, and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) have both called for Stevens to step down. Republicans plan to vote on Thursday on the expulsion resolution introduced by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC).

Stevens was found guilty eight days before election day of concealing $250,000 worth of gifts, including home improvements, from now-defunct oil services company VECO Corp. in his Senate financial disclosure forms from 1999-2006. He has maintained his innocence and plans to appeal his conviction.