Republican Senator Ted Stevens received some very bad news in the first poll completed since his conviction for seven felonies. He was tied or ahead marginally in all prior polls until this Rasmussen Poll released today that finds him behind 52% to 44%. It couldn't have happened to nicer guy - I can't imagine the rant when he read about this poll!
Republican Senator Ted Stevens has fallen eight points behind Democrat Mark Begich in his bid for re-election, and most Alaska voters now believe Stevens should resign from office.
The latest Rasmussen Reports survey of Alaska voters, conducted a day after Stevens was found guilty of filing false financial disclosure forms, finds that 52% plan to vote for Begich while 44% support Stevens. Alaskan Independence Party candidate Bob Bird picks up three percent (3%) of the vote while two percent (2%) remain undecided.
Polling before the trial showed the Senate race to be a toss-up.
Only 74% of Republicans say they will vote for the nominee of their party while 21% of GOP voters will cast their ballot for Begich, the mayor of Anchorage.
Fifty-two percent (52%) of Alaska voters say Stevens should resign while 39% disagree. Republican leaders including John McCain, his running mate Sarah Palin, the current governor of Alaska, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have all called upon Stevens to step down.
Rasmussen Reports