Palin’s Stevens Problem

The Hill reports that "Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is not saying whether she will vote in November to send the indicted Ted Stevens back to the Senate for a seventh full term."

The indictment has put Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) running mate in a tricky position. If Palin endorses Stevens, it will appear that she is undermining her message of taking on the GOP establishment and cleaning up corruption in her state. But should the popular governor oppose his reelection, it could deliver a blow to Stevens’s campaign and give Democrats ammunition as they try to pick up one more Senate seat.

Palin’s spokesmen in the McCain campaign have not responded to several inquiries seeking comment on the governor’s position on Stevens. A spokesman for the McCain campaign told the Alaska-based Peninsula Clarion that Palin has yet to endorse Stevens, the paper reported on its website Friday.

The Huffington Post on Palin's connections with Stevens:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin began building clout in her state's political circles in part by serving as a director of an independent political group organized by the now embattled Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens.

Palin's name is listed on 2003 incorporation papers of the "Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service, Inc.," a 527 group that could raise unlimited funds from corporate donors. The group was designed to serve as a political boot camp for Republican women in the state. She served as one of three directors until June 2005, when her name was replaced on state filings.

And there’s this from Slate Magazine:

They've worked together since at least 2003, when Palin was a director on Stevens' independent fundraising group, Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service Inc. In her unsuccessful campaign for lieutenant governor in 2002, she received about $4,500 in campaign donations from an oil firm involved in the Stevens scandal. Palin also filmed a commercial with Stevens in 2006 to demonstrate the senator's support of her gubernatorial campaign. New York Times op-ed columnist David Brooks wrote that Palin has since made "mortal enemies" of Alaska's senators, and Palin has kept her distance from Stevens since his indictment on felony charges of accepting illegal payments from an oil company.

I didn't want to cherry pick the quotes, so I left the David Broder comment in the quote from Slate. But I'm not sure if I agree with Broder's assessment that Palin has made mortal enemies of Alaska's senators. She has endorsed Parnell over Don Young but her ties to Stevens are a lot more complex. I don't think it's unreasonable to ask Sarah Palin if she supports Stevens or not. The questions is whether she will answer the question, and if so, when she will answer the question.

See also : The Palin Effect

The Palin Effect

I wonder if the outcome in the Republican primary for Alaska’s lone congressional district would be any different if Palin had been picked a little earlier. In that race Palin’s lieutenant governor, Sean Parnell is about 150 votes behind incumbent Don Young, with absentee ballots and some provisional ballots yet to be counted. Young, who’s facing all sorts of ethical allegations, would be a much weaker candidate (in the general election) against the Democratic nominee, Ethan Berkowitz.

And then there’s the senate race where long-serving Sen. Ted Stevens (R) is in for a race of his lifetime. He faces popular Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D) and polls have shown Stevens trailing Begich. Stevens was indicted on various corruption charges recently and the verdict in this trial is expected sometime before the November elections. Whether Stevens’ likely indictment will be a drag for Palin remains to be seen but here’s an ad Palin probably wishes didn’t exist.