The 2008 United States Senate election in Alaska was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican Senator and former President pro tempore of the Senate Ted Stevens ran for re-election for an eighth term (a seventh full term). It was one of the 10 Senate races that year that Senator John Ensign of Nevada, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, predicted as being most competitive. The primaries were held on August 26, 2008. Stevens was challenged by Democratic candidate Mark Begich, the mayor of Anchorage and son of former U.S. Representative Nick Begich Sr.
On October 27, 2008, Stevens was convicted on seven charges of ethics violations and corruption. If re-elected, Stevens would have been the first convicted felon to be elected to the United States Senate. On November 19, Stevens conceded, a day after the Associated Press called the election for Begich. Stevens became the longest serving senator to ever lose re-election, surpassing the previous record set by Warren Magnuson's loss to Slade Gorton in 1980.
Begich was the only Democrat in 2008 to flip a Senate seat in a state that Barack Obama lost to John McCain in the concurrent presidential election. With a margin of 1.3%, this election was the second-closest race of the 2008 Senate election cycle, behind only the election in Minnesota. This was the first time since 1966 that a Democrat won Alaska's Class 2 Senate seat, and the first time since 1974 that a Democrat won an Alaska U.S. Senate election. A Democrat did not win another statewide election in Alaska until the August 2022 special election when Mary Peltola was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. This was the first time Alaska voted for candidates of different political parties for U.S. senator and president since Democrat Mike Gravel was reelected as Republican Richard Nixon carried the state in 1968.
Stevens's conviction was set aside in April 2009, and the U.S. attorney general dropped all charges against him, citing serious prosecutorial misconduct during the trial. On August 9, 2010, Stevens died in a plane crash.
Democratic–Libertarian–Independence primary
The ADL ballot contained all of the primary candidates for the Alaska Democratic Party, the Alaskan Independence Party, and the Libertarian Party of Alaska.
Candidates
Alaskan Independence
Democratic
- Mark Begich, Anchorage Mayor
- Ray Metcalfe, former State Representative and founder of the Republican Moderate Party of Alaska
- Frank Vondersaar, perennial candidate
Libertarian
Republican primary
Candidates
- Michael Corey, judge, attorney
- David Cuddy, former State Representative
- Gerald Heikes, minister
- Rick Sikma, pastor
- Ted Stevens, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1968
- Vic Vickers, former assistant State Comptroller
- Richard Wanda
Campaign
With three and a half weeks to go before the primary, Stevens still held a large polling lead over chief rival Dave Cuddy, 59% to 19%. Political newcomer Vic Vickers said on July 28 that he expected to pour $750,000 of his own money into his bid to defeat Stevens. According to Rasmussen polling of Alaskans, Cuddy "does nearly as well against Begich" as Stevens, trailing Begich 50% to 35%, while Vickers trailed the expected Democratic nominee 55% to 22%.
Results
In the Republican primary on August 26, results from 70.5% of precincts showed Stevens winning with 63% of the vote; Cuddy had 28% and Vickers had 6%.
General election
Candidates
Major
- Mark Begich (D), Mayor of Anchorage
- Ted Stevens (R), incumbent U.S. Senator since 1968
Minor
- Bob Bird (AI)
- Fredrick "David" Haase (L)
- Ted Gianoutsos (I)
Campaign
The FBI investigation and subsequent seven-count indictment of Ted Stevens, as well as the investigation of the state's only Representative, Don Young (R), generated some negative feelings in Alaska towards Republicans, even among Republican primary voters. Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (son of the last Democratic Rep. from Alaska, Nick Begich) was courted by both the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. In February 2008, he announced the formation of an exploratory committee for the Senate seat. The possible Democratic field also included former Governor Tony Knowles, State Rep. Eric Croft and State Senators Hollis French and Johnny Ellis. Former Minority Leader of the Alaska House of Representatives Ethan Berkowitz was considered a possible candidate, but he decided to challenge Don Young instead. Sensing discontentment within the GOP, conservative Republican Dave Cuddy announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate in December 2007.
Stevens was perceived by many as corrupt, but was also highly regarded by many Alaskans for his ability to steer federal funding toward the state; he was the longest-serving Republican in the Senate entering 2008 (first elected in 1968), and through his seniority, he amassed a great deal of influence there. The selection of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as the vice-presidential running-mate of Republican presidential candidate John McCain in late August 2008 coincided with a substantial improvement in Stevens' performance in opinion polls. A poll in August showed Begich with a 17% lead, but in early September a poll from the same source showed Begich leading Stevens by only 3%. Begich's campaign and some observers attributed this change to Palin's popularity and the enthusiasm stimulated by her selection, although Palin's reputation was partially based on her perceived opposition to Stevens or distance from him.
The Stevens campaign disputed the low numbers shown in the August poll and said that the numbers had improved in September because Stevens had begun heavily campaigning. His campaign also presented the relationship between Palin and Stevens as positive, contrary to some portrayals. Stevens was convicted of seven felony counts of failing to report gifts on October 27, 2008. This was considered a serious setback in his already difficult bid for re-election; he had requested and received a quick trial in hopes of winning an acquittal before election day. After the verdict, Stevens maintained his innocence and said that he was still running for re-election.
Results
Begich won the election by 3,953 votes. Incumbent Stevens had held a lead of over 3,000 votes after election night, but a tally of nearly 60,000 absentee and mail-in ballots released on November 12 erased that lead and reduced the vote margin separating the candidates to less than 0.5%, with further counting, released on November 18, increasing the margin to more than 1% in favor of Begich. On November 19, 2008, Stevens conceded to Begich.
Boroughs and census areas that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Aleutians West Census Area (largest city: Unalaska)
- Anchorage
- Bethel Census Area (largest city: Bethel)
- Denali Borough (largest city: Healy)
- Kusilvak Census Area (largest city: Hooper Bay)
- Nome Census Area (largest city: Nome)
- Dilingham Census Area (largest city: Dilingham)
- Fairbanks North Star (largest city: Fairbanks)
- Kodiak Island (largest city: Kodiak Island)
- Lake & Peninsula Borough (largest city: Newhalen)
- North Slope Borough (largest city: Utqiaġvik)
- Northwest Arctic Borough (largest city: Kotzebue)
- Prince of Wales–Hyder Census Area (largest city: Craig)
- Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area (largest city: Fort Yukon)
- Juneau
- Sitka
- Skagway
- Hoonah–Angoon Census Area (largest town: Hoonah)
- Petersburg
- Haines Borough (largest census-designated place: Haines)
- Yakutat