During each weekday this month, we’ll be posting a new open thread for every state featuring a senatorial or gubernatorial contest, and asking for your thoughts on who should run.
Alaska will feature two statewide contests of note — the gubernatorial race featuring Sarah Palin, and the Senate contest featuring incumbent Republican Lisa Murkowski.
So whom do you like for challengers to these seats? As David said the first time we did this, don’t be afraid to think creatively:
Don’t limit yourself to politicians. Businesspeople, community leaders, activists – even athletes or celebrities (think Heath Shuler or Al Franken) – are all fair game. Even seemingly outlandish suggestions are welcome. Would you have ever predicted that the guitarist from Orleans would now be a Congressman-elect?
Have at it. Alabama to come tomorrow.
it doesn’t look like we’ll make 50% against a convicted felon (though we may still win) i think our best shot is convincing rightwingers to run 3rd party. that being said, any chance todd palin will run for senate as the alaska independent party candidate? 😛
I think the Democratic Party of Alaska has kind of a short bench – Begich and Berkowitz were probably two of the strongest candidates on their bench, and both of them failed to clear 50% against corrupt incumbents. That said, if Begich beats Stevens in the recount, Berkowitz could challenge Murkowski but I doubt it would be terribly successful.
If he still lived in Alaska. Even though it’s probably copyrighted, can you imagine a political ad with some variation of the phrase “We’ll leave the light on for ya.”
Or when he was on the Animaniacs cartoon series with the Good Idea/Bad Idea skits. Can you picture the commercials you could get out of that one?
is about it for our bench.
Murkowski is probably weaker. I’d say go for a re-match if he isn’t part of the cabinent.
Fact is Alaska’s a tough nut to crack though. Probably one of the toughest states with Utah and Oaklahoma. Wyoming and Kansas are tough nuts too.
And honestly I don’t think there are a whole lot of innovative people to recuit.
thats it. 5 people.
The one thing that does strike me is that Murkowski may be even weaker than she was last time.
One, she still has that last name.
Two, Stevens has been convicted, which despite the fact that it doesn’t seem to have stopped his re-election, though he can still lose, will still be a culture of corruption meme.
Three, Palin’s popularity has plummetted and she also adds to the culture of corruption with troopergate.
I say Knowles and Begich is he isn’t in the senate already.
Run Knowles for Governor and Begich for senate and run on their spotless records. Heck, bring Berkowitz back for the House too.
For small-population states like Alaska, House races are statewide too.
Before worrying about 2010, how about worrying about 2008? Something smells very funny in Young and Stevens’ defying of the polls. If there’s fraud involved, the Republicans will get away with it if we just say oh well, on to 2010. Moreover, if they committed fraud this time, then why worry about 2010? That election is already over.
Sarah Palin has to appoint a replacement (or resign and get herself appointed), right? Then Alaska has, what, six months to conduct a special election, and I assume that Begich would run against Palin or whatever stooge she appoints. I think that Begich is going to be the senator from Alaska sooner or later, it just may be a longer and more convoluted process than we think.
Assuming he holds on (which seems unfortunate but likely at this point), why did he win? This was the only Senate race result that really was shocking from last Tuesday, and I can come up with a bunch of different possible explanations:
1 — Alaska is just that damn Republican, especially with Palin on the ballot, that it is too steep a hill to climb.
2 — Ted Stevens is just that popular, and enough of the voters had a “What’s a little corruption among pork” attitude.
3 — This was sort-of a collective “Up Yours” to outsiders, with enough Alaskans having the attitude of “We’ll choose who our Senator is, thank you very much” to the rest of the world.
4 — Alaska Republicans were kind-of saavy here, in that they probably know Stevens is going to be off to jail soon, so they re-elected him over a Democrat, knowing that a Republican governor would replace him with another Republican.
Is Trajan Langdon still playing somewhere? The Alaskan Assassin is certainly well known ana as a Dukie probably OK for the interviews.
I think Olympic ski medalist Tommy Moe was an Alaskan as well.
Then there are Iditarod competitors. Susan Butcher, Martin Buser (a new citizen), Jeff King, or Deedee Jonrowe come to mind.
Deos it matter? We cannot even beat a convicted felon in that state. A turd sandwich with an (R) next to their name could beat any Democrat in Alaska. Sorry but I’ve lost all faith in winning anything statewide in that damn state.
maybe the AK Dems need to find a socialist
What killed us was presidential turnout. Same thing that did Knowles in back in 2004. We should do much better in a non-presidential year.
As for governor, Palin has shed some 20 points in popularity, but that’s still gonna be a tough one.
is from Alabama who could tell us if there are any popular state senators or representatives who are looking to move up and might run against Rogers in AL-03?
thats why I think it will be possible to win these seats come 2010.
Palin’s approvals are falling and can fall even further is the heat is kept up.
Stevens will have his convictions upheld bringing that back again.
Don Young is under investigation if I’m not mistaken. His comeuppance could be coming.
Knowles (Gov), Begich (Sen) and Berkowitz (House) and Croft (Lt. Gov) are all candidates who can draw significant support and run solid campaigns that can win these seats.
If Begich does in fact win the senate seat before then, there are other people who could be run that have been mentioned.
Seriously, though.
The usuals: Begich, Berkowitz, and Knowles come to mind.
Although I’m still holding out hope for Begich for Stevens seat.
Of the few states that saw a decrease in turnout from 2004.
Why do you think we’ll do better in a non-presidential year? Generally, Republicans are thought to be more regular voters and thus do better in low turnout elections. Obviously, this is a generality and there are lots of exceptions. But, it’s not like Democrats have done well in AK in non-presidential years, so I do not understand what is the basis for believing 2010 will be any different. And, the political wind was definitely at our backs this year; no gurantee it will continue to be so.
I think he’s got a good rep and the base in Anchorage to make an okay statewide candidate. I agree that if Begich and Berkowitz are struggling, French is a longshot, but he’d be a new statewide name, at least.
the former Lt. Gov. who lost to Murkowski in 2002, I dont remember her name. IIRC, she ran a respectable race against a sitting US senator without the nepotism issues wich came up later.
I rather doubt he was a Democrat before, but perhaps Walt Monegan would consider running against Palin for governor in 2010.