From The Hotline for Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008

ALASKA

Way Better Than A Surprise Party

Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008


Election workers will count the remaining 24K ballots today from Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula, SW and SE AK. "As it stood before today's count" Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D) leads Sen. Ted Stevens (R) by 1,022 votes (Anchorage Daily News, 11/18).

In DC, "with leadership elections little more than coronations and their committee assignments to be determined later," Senate GOPers "hope to get through today's Conference organizational meeting with as little drama as possible" (Stanton, Roll Call, 11/18). Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) "has been very public about his proposal to ask" the GOP conference to vote to formally expel Stevens from the conference (Kady, Politico, 11/17). DeMint was expected to bring the issue up this a.m., but instead released the following statement.

DeMint: "After talking with many of my colleagues, it's clear there are sufficient votes to pass the resolution regarding Senator Stevens. The question now is timing. Some who support the resolution believe we should address this after the results of his election are confirmed in Alaska. For this reason, I will ask the Conference to postpone the vote on Senator Stevens until Thursday" (release, 11/18).

According to "several aides," there was a "growing sentiment within the Conference that lawmakers should wait until Stevens'" re-election race is resolved. The vote tallying "is expected to be completed" by the end of the day (Roll Call, 11/18). Today also happens to be Stevens' 85th birthday.

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