AK-Sen, AK-AL: Stevens' and Young's numbers dropping

Being corrupt doesn't endear you to voters, apparently. And as such, Alaska's Rep. Don Young and Sen. Ted Stevens are seeing voter support plummet.

Hays Research. 6/14-15. Adults. MoE 4.9% (No trend lines)

Ted Stevens

Very Positive 26
Somewhat positive 20
Neutral 15
Somewhat negative 23
Very negative 13

Don Young

Very Positive 18
Somewhat positive 22
Neutral 15
Somewhat negative 18
Very negative 23

[W]hen asked the likelihood of voting for the Republican senator given the recent corruption investigations, 15 percent responded they were likely to vote for Stevens, while 39 percent indicated they were unlikely to support him. Another 40 percent said the investigation makes no difference in their opinion of Stevens.

Now look at the Democrats biggest hope for the Senate race, Anchorage mayor Mark Begich:

Mark Begich

Very Positive 26
Somewhat positive 21
Neutral 21
Somewhat negative 9
Very negative 9

Eric Kleefeld has more in Begich:

Another reason for optimism about Begich: While Alaska is a heavily Republican state, the Anchorage Mayoralty makes a good launching pad for a Democrat, as the city's total metro area contains over half the state's population.

Begich's candidacy would undoubtedly be helped by his deep roots in the state — and by Alaskans' memories of his father. Begich is the son of the late Congressman Nick Begich, who served for one term before his death in a 1972 plane crash.

While Steven's son Ben has been caught up in the FBI's probe of the corrupt Alaska GOP, the senior Stevens' involvement is a recent revelation. As that story gets more play, and as his legal woes multiply, we'll likely see a further erosion in Stevens' support or an outright resignation.

Does Alaska's Republican Gov. Sarah Palin have a daughter or son she could appoint to the seat in case of a vacancy? As we've seen in recent Alaska history, nepotism drives Republican decisions.