Guest Column
by Dwayne Hood
ATLANTA — Three Republican senators are still fighting desperately for reelection in order to deny Democrats a 60-seat filibuster-proof U.S. Senate. But the odds are daunting; one incumbent faces a runoff, another faces a recount and the third may be ousted from the Senate.
The most notable of the three is Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska who was convicted of seven federal corruption charges one week before the election. But despite the convictions, Stevens, 84, the longest serving Republican in the Senate, edged past Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich by 3,257 votes. The election will ultimately hinge on more than 50,000 absentee ballots that are being examined and contested by both parties with certification of election results set for Nov. 25.
Stevens, who was named Alaskan of the Century, has funneled billions of dollars of pork projects to the state which enjoys the largest per capita outlay of federal funds in the nation. He still garners widespread support from Alaskans who blame the convictions on a Washington, D.C., jury.
The Republican incumbent was convicted of lying on Senate financial disclosure forms about $250,000 in home renovations performed by an oil contractor. But Stevens denies he has been convicted because he has not yet been sentenced and vows to be exonerated on appeal. He plans to take office for his eighth term in January.
But political observers claim Stevens is suffering from denial because even if he withstands the challenge from Begich, he will still face a possible ouster from Senate members. Law does not prohibit a convicted felon from serving in the Senate but it has never occurred. And Democrats and Republicans alike promise that Stevens will not be the first. It is almost certain they will reach a two-thirds majority needed to remove him from office.
That would present an interesting scenario. Under Alaska law, Governor Sarah Palin would then nominate a successor to Stevens. She could nominate herself or any other Republican she chooses. The candidate would then face possible contenders in a special election. But Palin, a popular governor who has expressed interest in a 2012 presidential run, may get voter support to catapult her into the Senate for much needed federal experience.
In Georgia, Sen. Saxby Chambliss faces a runoff against Democrat Jim Martin on Dec. 2.
Under Georgia law, a runoff is held if the winner cannot get at least 50 percent of the vote. Chambliss led with 49.8 percent of the vote in a bitter three-way race against Martin and Libertarian Allen Buckley.
As a result, both parties are committing more than $5 million in advertising for the runoff and presidential contender John McCain will campaign for Chambliss in Georgia on Nov. 13. Palin is also considering campaign appearances for Chambliss. Martin has asked President-elect Barack Obama to visit but it has not been announced whether he will appear.
Chambliss, who received five student deferments and a medical deferment to avoid military service, won his seat in 2000 largely by questioning the patriotism of former Democratic Sen. Max Cleland who lost both legs and an arm in the Vietnam conflict. Chambliss has been a loyalist to President George W. Bush which has left him vulnerable to Martin’s challenge.
The key to the runoff victory will be voter turnout which is expected to be low for both parties. There is also an effort to attract Libertarian voters who tend to favor Democrats. High ranking Democrats and Republicans are now being drawn to Georgia with millions of dollars in advertising to fight for a seat once considered safely Republican.
In Minnesota, Sen. Norm Coleman is facing a razor thin challenge from former comedian Al Franken.
At last count, Coleman was leading Franken by 204 votes out of more than 2.9 million cast. Coleman declared victory on election night and questioned whether Franken would want to put state taxpayers through a $90,000 vote recount. But Minnesota law requires an automatic recount if the margin of victory is less than one half percent. In this case, the victory margin is less than one-hundredth of a percent. The manual recount with both parties participation is estimated to take one month.
With 57 Senate seats, Democrats admit they may not win all three contested races to reach the 60 seats needed to stop a filibuster. But they are still confident of a filibuster proof Senate on important matters because of moderate Republicans who have crossed party lines in the past.
In any event, the three remaining races show the ferocity of the GOP as they struggle to maintain waning government power left at the end of the 2008 election.
It is now apparent that the Reagan era of conservatism is over.
Dwayne Hood is a former newspaper reporter from Alabama who now spends most of his time in more academic pursuits, although he writes this weekly column exclusively for The Locust Fork News-Journal.
