Defiant Stevens Restarts Campaign, Pending Appeal

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens returns home tomorrow to campaign for reelection after being convicted on felony corruption charges yesterday; his team vows a "nonstop, very aggressive" effort, the Anchorage Daily News reports. Stevens enjoys deep loyalty in the state, particularly in rural areas, where he’s brought billions of federal dollars.

He’ll ask Alaskans to withhold judgment until he can appeal, an aide says: "Basically what I think most people understand, it's really three words—"prosecutorial misconduct and appeal." Still, no convicted senator has ever been reelected. Alaskans rallied behind Stevens after he was first indicted, in what a pollster describes as “a backlash against outside influence.” Alaska political analysts say another backlash is possible, if unlikely. Polls show the race against Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich tied.


(More Election 2008 stories.)