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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Brumar89 who wrote (403405)	8/1/2008 12:56:03 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1575183

Election 2008: Alaska Senate Alaska Senate: Stevens Trails By Double Digits Thursday, July 31, 2008 The first poll of Alaska voters since longtime Senator Ted Stevens was indicted Tuesday for trying to cover up more than $250,000 in illegal gifts finds the incumbent Republican dropping dramatically in the polls. But 50% still regard Stevens favorably and don’t want him to resign. Two-thirds (66%) view him as at least as ethical as most politicians. A Rasmussen Reports telephone survey, taken Wednesday night, shows Stevens trailing Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich by thirteen points, 50% to 37%. Just two weeks earlier, Begich had taken his first significant lead after the race had been a toss-up for months. While 90% say they have followed news stories about Stevens, only a third (33%) think he should resign from the Senate because of the federal charges. Stevens, who has been serving in the Senate since 1968, says he is not guilty and is expected to enter that plea in federal court today (Thursday). Despite Stevens’ difficulties, John McCain continues to hold a narrow lead over Barack Obama in the state. One of Stephens’ two far lesser-known Republican challengers, developer David Cuddy, now does nearly as well against Begich but still trails by a wide margin. The Democrat leads Curry 50% to 35%. A newcomer to the state, former Florida businessman Vic Vickers, has pledged to spend $750,000 on advertising between now and the August 26 Republican primary. In a match-up with Begich, he is far behind – 55% to 22%. Rasmussen Markets data shows that the Republicans are currently given a 35.0% chance of keeping Alaska's Senate seat in November. This figure is updated on a 24/7 basis by market participants. It costs nothing to join and add your voice to the collective wisdom of the market. One wild card is the state’s highly popular Republican Governor Sarah Palin, who has even been mentioned as a possible running mate for presidential candidate John McCain. It is too late for Palin to enter the primary race, but should Stevens win the primary and then resign, the governor could run. She has said she intends to remain as governor. Sixty-four percent (64%) of voters rate Palin’s job performance as excellent or good versus only 14% who view it as poor. Palin is seen as more ethical than most politicians by 51% of Alaska voters. Only 20% feel that way about Stevens. Half of the voters in the state continue to have a favorable opinion of Stevens, a number that has held steady for two months now. Forty-seven percent (47%) view him unfavorably, down a statistically insignificant one point from two weeks ago. Views of his Democratic opponent also have held steady. Begich is regarded favorably by 63%, the same as two weeks ago but up from 56% in June. He is seen unfavorably by 32%, down marginally from 34% in mid-July. Despite the indictment, only 27% think Stevens is less ethical than his peers. If Stevens loses the nomination, the Republican candidate will enter the race relatively unknown. Cuddy is viewed favorably by 37% of Alaska voters, unfavorably by 34%, and 30% have no opinion. However, even those with an opinion of the man who challenged Stevens 12-years ago don’t hold their views strongly. Only 6% have a Very Favorable opinion while 9% have a Very Unfavorable opinion. Vickers, who just moved to the state, is unknown to 40%. Just 2% have a Very Favorable opinion of him while 15% have a Very Unfavorable opinion. The state’s longtime congressman, Rep. Don Young, appears likely to suffer from the Stephens case as well. Young, who is also under investigation in the same case, has been the state’s only congressman since 1973. But 44% of voters say they are now less likely to vote for Young because of the Stevens’ indictment, while 41% say it will not influence their vote. Only 12% say they are more likely to vote for Young because of the indictment. Thirty-six percent (36%) say Young is less ethical that other politicians, 9% say he is more ethical, and nearly half (47%) see him as about as ethical as his political peers. Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports daily e-mail update (it’s free)… let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news. rasmussenreports.com