Sen. Stevens Slips in Alaska Vote Count

Susan Davis reports on the election. Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich is inching closer to defeating Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens a full 13 days after Election Day. The remaining 24,000 absentee and questioned ballots will be counted Tuesday, according to the Anchorage Daily News . As of Friday, Begich had a 1,022 vote lead over the embattled Republican senator, who was convicted in October on seven felony counts of lying on his Senate disclosure forms to conceal gifts. Begich appears poised to maintain his lead because ballots from the most pro-Stevens regions of the state have already been counted. However, Begich’s campaign told the Anchorage Daily News that they are already preparing for a recount in December. In Minnesota, a recount board consisting of Democratic Secretary of State Mark Ritchie , two county judges, and two state Supreme Court justices appointed by Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty will decide the race between GOP Sen. Norm Coleman and Al Franken , which ... (link)