You can’t keep a good man down. From CQ:
The Alaska Democrat who almost toppled Rep. Don Young last year is gearing up for another statewide race — against Gov. Sarah Palin, if she chooses to run for re-election.
“My sights are now on the governor’s race,” Ethan Berkowitz, a former leader of the Democratic minority in the state House, said in a phone interview on Wednesday.
Of course, we still aren’t exactly sure what Palin’s plans are for 2010. She’s already ruled out a primary challenge against Lisa Murkowski, but has otherwise stayed mum on the prospect of seeking a second term in the Governor’s cabin (something that would impede her ability to run for President in 2012).
As for any formal announcement from Berkowitz, don’t hold your breath:
Though he sounds ready to begin another campaign, don’t look for a Berkowitz candidacy announcement any time soon.
“It’s summertime here,” he said. “People don’t want to hear about all this yet. They want to go fishing.”
On another note, Alaska Democrats may want to think about looking for a new candidate to take on Don Young in 2010.
I was just thinking about him challenging Palin. I do not think she is invincible for 2010. She is a walking gaffe machine who if challenged, now being in the spotlight and all, could really say something to cripple her reelection or maybe she’ll just pack it in and move to Iowa.
I had hoped he’d go aver Young again, and besides we already have a pretty good candidate in Bob Poe who’s gotten some good reviews from the Alaska blogosphere. Besides, while Palin’s clearly been weakened by her, well, political train wreck, it’s still an uphill fight. But if that’s what he wants….
That said, if you want someone to take on Young, I’d recommend State Rep. Scott Kawasaki.
to focus on 2012. If she does want to run in 2012, the logistics of being Gov of Alaska are pretty tough.
He’ll lose unless another major scandal breaks out, but somebody has to try.
I’m glad we have someone who can at least challenge Palin for the Governor’s mansion. I don’t have a strong feeling that Palin will be vulnerable, but at least she will have to defend her record to the Alaskan people.
Anyway, worse case scenario is that she defeats Berkowitz handily. I personally believe she has less than a 1% chance of ever becoming the US President, so if she does win handily, it may give her a false sense of confidence to run for President. I know her voice resonates with many conservatives throughouit the South, and they may be willing to vote for her in the US President GOP primaries. I am actually hoping this will happen because I imagine that Obama would crush her in the electorate map. She could not bring one state that Obama won in 2008 to her column except for possibly NC, and I think that is even a stretch (NC is a strong military state, but at least we have a lot of common sense people now that will understand her game). If she won, I could see us picking up states like Missouri, Georgia, North Dakota, South Dakota, Arizona, and Montana.
He should challenge Young again and hope for an indictment between now and next November.
This business of challenging Palin is chasing windmills, it’s pointless. It’s a given he’ll do worse against Palin than against Young.
Some of the posters on this site are really out there. Anyone who thinks we have a shot at taking down Palin Outside of some insane stuff coming out, knows virtually NOTHING about Politics. Probably the same people who think Sestak running against Specter is GREAT NEWS! btw this is not meant as an attack, I just can’t believe some of the stuff people post.
Yes her approval ratings have fallen, so has virtually every Governor in Americas. That does not mean we can beat her.
I really like Berkowitz, but he couldn’t even beat Don Young last year. He has virtually no chance of beating Palin if she runs. And if she doesn’t I would say he has a very small chance of beating Parnell.
It’s a shame we didn’t win the Anchorage Election because now we have virtually NO bench in AK outside of Knowles and Berkowitz, both of whom lost last election they were in.
if I was a Democrat I would be too excited about a man who couldnt even beat a corrupt old windbag like Don Young, posing even a threat to Palin.
If he couldn’t beat Young last time, you have to ask yourself what has changed to increase the likelyhood that he would win in 2010.
Ok, Palin isn’t running for VP, but that is the only positive change. The fact that Ted Stevens was exonerated helps Young quite a bit IMO. Plus the fact that Stevens seniority is gone, also helps Young argue that he is unreplaceable. I’m sure Obama isn’t too popular in AK either. It is easier to win a state office in a deep red state than a federal one.
You could make the argument that Berkowitz should sit out 2010, but if Berkowitz is going to run for AN office in 2010, it might as well be Governor. Murkowski seems safe, so that is out.
Keep in mind that the GOP establishment might be all too happy to vote for Berkowitz in order to retailiate for her beating Frank Murkowski, and her differences with the GOP powers in the legislature.
Lastly, the fact that her poll numbers have dropped so far so fast, lead me to believe her support is more broad than deep. Her prior uber popularity was based more on oil revenues and persona than actual accomplishments in office. She ain’t invincible in my book. Berkowitz has a SHOT at a win, even if he is an underdog.
When it comes to politics, you really do need to take a shot at Palin with the hope being that she drops out of the race to run for President. When and if that happens, we get to take a crack at Parnell, who may have some bad blood out there over the primary challenge to Young.
I personally always like to see our strongest candidates giving it a go in any state.