Gov. Palin calls on Sen. Begich to resign seat
Alaska GOP says voters deserve a new election
Gov. Sarah Palin said Thursday that Sen. Mark Begich should step down and run again for the Senate seat he won last fall. The governor said there was "undue influence" in the campaign in which long-time Sen. Ted Stevens was ousted.
"I think it is obvious the election was tainted by a lot of voters believing, via a verdict that was announced just days before the election, that Sen. Stevens was guilty," Palin said.
The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday moved to reverse Stevens' conviction on seven felony counts, saying evidence that may have been critical to the case was withheld from the defense.
A week before the November election, jurors found that Stevens lied on Senate financial disclosure forms to conceal hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts and home renovations from an oil contractor.
Even with the convictions, Stevens lost to Begich by less than 4,000 votes.
Palin said Alaskans deserve a new election.
"I'd love to see a fair special election. I can't see how Mark Begich would argue with that," she said.
Begich spokeswoman Julie Hasquet said that was not going to happen.
"The senator has no intention of stepping down," she said.
Alaska Republican Party Chairman Randy Ruedrich on Thursday also called on Begich to step down to allow for a special election so Alaskans could vote without the "improper influence of the corrupt Department of Justice."
Democratic Party Chairwoman Patti Higgins said a special election was unwarranted.
"Ted Stevens was convicted on seven felony charges of accepting gifts that he then never reported, as required by law. The fact that the Obama administration has decided to not pursue a case that the Bush administration lawyers handled in a faulty manner does not take away the fact that Ted Stevens broke laws," she said.
Federal prosecutors did not say why they decided a new trial would be inappropriate.
Palin said she believed Stevens had fully answered all the questions about his relationship with VECO Corp., an oil field services company that had bribed numerous public officials in Alaska in recent years. Several former lawmakers are now in prison or awaiting sentencing.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, did not call on Begich to resign.
"In light of the good news yesterday, I am sure many of us wish we could turn the clock back to last November," Murkowski said. "Unfortunately, that is not an option."
Begich, who did not make Stevens' ethics issues a focus of his campaign, issued a statement Thursday saying he would remain in office.
"I got into the Senate race long before Sen. Stevens' legal troubles began because Alaskans were looking for a change and a senator as independent as Alaska," he said in a written statement.
Begich said he intends to remain in the Senate to work on Alaska priorities such as economic recovery and jobs.
"That is my job in the Senate, and I'm honored to serve Alaskans for the next six years," he said.
• The Associated Press contributed to this story. Contact reporter Pat Forgey at 586-4816 or patrick.forgey@juneauempire.com.