The Republican Party lost another Senate seat tonight as Mark Begich defeated Senator Ted Stevens by a slim margin. With two races still up in the air, the Democrats will hold at least 58 Senate seats when the new Congress is sworn in.
It is rarely a good thing when the Democrats gain a Republican Senate seat, but it’s a little difficult to be upset about this one. As we know, Ted Stevens is a convicted felon. There is no simply no place for such a person in either the U.S. Senate or in the Republican Party. It’s a shame the Republicans did not pressure Stevens to drop out before the election. It might not have worked, but it was worth a shot.
The silver lining in all of this is that there will now be a Senate Democrat who supports drilling in ANWR. With 58 Senate Democrats, it is unlikely that Begich will have much sway on that front, but at least drilling now has a small foot in the Democrat Party door.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
On one hand, this really sucks. From another point of view he WAS found guilty of a felony.
The numbers game just wasn’t in our favor this time, and when the Dems “find” enough votes in Minnesota, they’ll be that much closer to a filibuter-proof body — they’ll always be new-tone RINOs willing to go with bad policies to impress the press with “bipartisanship.”
I always thought Alaska would “retire, not fire” Stevens. C’est la guerre.