The Alaska Republican Party is urging voters to continue supporting Sen. Ted Stevens, despite his conviction yesterday on corruption charges, in order to prevent Democrats from getting a 60-seat.filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.



“Many questions are still left unanswered, but one choice is extremely clear: if Mark Begich wins this election, the state of Alaska will be stuck with a liberal senator for six years,” the party said in a statement. “This will give the Democrats a super majority in the Senate, blocking all filibuster capability from the Republican minority and rubber-stamping the liberal-elite agenda.”



Stevens has maintained his innocence, and vowed to fight all the charges. But if Stevens won the election against Democrat Mark Begich and later resigned, there would be a special election within 90 days of his resignation to choose a successor.



Alaska law doesn’t allow its governor to appoint a replacement for an open Senate seat – ever since former Sen. Frank Murkowski drew controversy by picking his daughter, Lisa, to succeed him in the Senate.



UPDATE: The Anchorage Daily News has a handy primer about all the election scenarios. There's some controversy over whether Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) would be allowed to appoint an interim senator or whether the seat would remain vacant.

Alaska's law on senatorial succession was changed twice in 2004 -- once by the Legislature, and once by ballot initiative. Both laws call for a special election within 60 to 90 days of the vacancy. But they disagree on whether the governor appoints an interim senator in the meantime.



The Alaska Supreme Court would ultimately have to decide which law the state follows.



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