Will Prospect Of Palin In Senate Save Stevens From Expulsion?

Not to rain on our post-election parade...but here's some food for thought...Among the yet-to-decided U.S. Senate races is the Alaska seat where 7-count convicted felon Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) is seeking re-election. The last count I've seen shows him with a modest lead.

While it seems quite likely that Stevens would face a likely expulsion from the Senate if he wins re-election -- even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) guaranteed it -- I now wonder whether some Senate Republicans and Democrats might back-off such a move given the possibility that Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) might then appoint herself (or make a deal with her LG for the appointment) to any vacancy created as a way of remaining relevant on the national stage? 

Would some members of that chamber believe that Stevens remaining is the lesser of two evils and, conversely, might some Palinists push hard for expulsion for this very reason?

Thoughts?

Update: Thanks to former Senator Frank Murkowski's (R-AK) decision to appoint his own daughter to his seat after he was elected governor, Alaska law now requires a special election within 90 days. So, Palin could either appoint herself (or more likely resign and have her LG appoint her), or simply skip the appointment, call a special election, and run.

Regardless, and back to my original point, a Stevens' vacancy as a result of expulsion will likely result in Palin being the next senator from Alaska and you have to figure that will be part of a strategic decision on all sides as far as how to proceed.

Here's how Alaska law reads:

Sec. 15.40.140. Condition and time of calling special election.
When a vacancy occurs in the office of United States senator or United States representative, the governor shall, by proclamation, call a special election to be held on a date not less than 60, nor more than 90, days after the date the vacancy occurs. However, if the vacancy occurs on a date that is less than 60 days before or is on or after the date of the primary election in the general election year during which a candidate to fill the office is regularly elected, the governor may not call a special election.

Sec. 15.40.145. Temporary appointment of United States senator. [See revisor's note]..
When a vacancy occurs in the office of United States senator, the governor may, at least five days after the date of the vacancy but within 30 days after the date of the vacancy, appoint a qualified individual to fill the vacancy temporarily until the results of the special election called to fill the vacancy are certified. If a special election is not called for the reasons set out in AS 15.40.140 , the individual shall fill the vacancy temporarily until the results of the next general election are certified.

Mark Nickolas is the Managing Editor of Political Base, and this story was from his original post, "Will Prospect Of Palin In The Senate Save Stevens From Expulsion?"

Follow Mark Nickolas on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mnickolas

Comments

[zoodc]

isn't it time to just cut Alaska out of national politics completely? Haven't we learned our lesson that they simply can't be trusted to make rational electoral decisions?

And doesn't a Senator need to, like you know, know stuff? I don't mean skinning moose. I mean like policies and countries and rules and processes. You'd think she'd find that stuff boooooring.

Besides, Tina Fey is retiring her Palin so should Alaska.

[SirHenryClinton]

OK, Palin might run. If Palin ran, she might win. However, Mark Begich (or any other Democrat) could run and win. I missed the part about why Stevens shouldn't be expelled especially if he is in Federal prison. Your statement "my original point, a Stevens' vacancy as a result of expulsion will likely result in Palin being the next senator from Alaska" is quite a stretch.

Nevertheless, thanks for clarifying the Alaska State codes regarding this.

[2876]

I say let her resign and have her Lt. appoint her. That will destroy the" mavericky; I'm not a washington insider" image that she brags about. The rest of the country will finally realize what a power hungry opportunist she really is.

[SouthernIL]

Say it isn't so Gov!!!!!!

[nkhogan]

I don't know if Sarah would think the Senate salary was enough to keep her and her family in the lavish style to which she's become accustomed unless some wealthy backers or lobbyists stumped up for an addtional $200-300,000 a year clothing allowance! She wouldn't qualify for as many perks as Senator and it would be expensive for her and the family to move down there.

However, life being what it is...I would not be surprised if Palin took over Stevens job. sigh! I really hoped we'd be rid of her for awhile.

[XME]

From what I understand Palin cannot appoint herself. This occured elsewhere, and the governor who wanted the job had to resign, and the deputy governor who took over then appointed him.

What would be funny is if Palin stepped down to get the job and her replacement decided not to give it to her!

[Oregon Ivy]

I heard on the news today that Russia moved some missiles to the Polish border. Where was Sarah? Why isn't she doing her job of keeping an eye on Russia?

[kemstone]

Turns out she'd been looking in the wrong direction, at Canada.

[scooperss]

Never say she's a slacker?!

[AnniePauls]

Alaska has an underground motto – “We don’t give a damn how they do it outside.” Sarah’s Alaskan political career may fizzle out because she went national. We’ll see.

When Wally Hickel left the Governor's office (to be the Secretary of Interior under Nixon), it took 20+ years for Alaska to let him back in the fold. In fact, when the Alaskan Republican party ran a woman for Governor (Arliss Strugelewski), the Alaskan Independence Party (the one wanting to secede from the Union) used Hickel to win that contest.

Maybe Palin will be put outside the igloo to freeze by the old white guys.

[MajorKong]

That's "Convicted felon Ted Stevens", by the way.

[Indie2008]

Now that even FOX News has reported the GOP inside information on her, there is nowhere she can hide her woeful lack of knowledge of civics and geography. I can only imaging the dismay of the GOP handlers when the magnitude of it began to reveal itself.

[Russycle]

Any chance Palin could get recalled before Stevens gets expelled? I mean, if California could recall Gray Davis because of, well, just because, Alaska should be able to drop Moose Girl in a heartbeat.

[midwesthousewife]

Sadly, can you think of any reason Alaskans would decide to recall Palin? After all, they just retained Stevens!

[scooperss]

Excellent point.

[Samson1]

Come on! perfect. I cannot think of a better way to screw up the GOP than that. It is perfect. If Palin is the head of the party, then we could give this think in DC a long run.

[ckt]

It's interesting that you wrote this article. I posed the same question to Bob Cesca on the open blogs yesterday and he blew it off and never answered. So I thought that may be it was a dumb question. Now I see that Mr Cesca was too busy answering the important questions such as whether he wears boxers or briefs and what beer to drink during the elections. In case you want the answers to these searing questions, it's boxer-briefs and Samuel Adams beer.

Anyway, thank you Mr Nickolas for confirming that I'm not a totally brain-dead person even though I do reside in the quite provincial and politically irrelevant state of Nebraska.

[jennbeez]

Was that you who asked that? I remember getting a sense of deja vu when I read the headline. Palin in the senate seat would give her ample opportunity to get her hands dirty enough to taint her run for pres in 2012, wouldn't it? She's too stupid to keep her corruption discrete. Like a spoiled brat, she grabs at all manner of perks and goodies with both hands. I say give her the rope and let's watch her hang herself with it.

[midwesthousewife]

Hey, fellow Nebraskan, if the economy had not fallen apart at a particularly opportune moment this fall, we might have had a tie for President, 269-269, and our politically irrelevant state would have been the center of an electoral storm today over the final outcome of the 2nd Congressional District. Omaha may still pull off one more electoral vote for Obama once the provisional ballots are counted!

[the-lexicon]

I don't think that Sarah would like the senate.

Especially with Joe Biden, "really getting in there" and "running things" and stuff...doing HER JOB.

Here's my prediction for Palin: Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Doomed to a runner-up kinda life, you betcha.

lexicon

[HonorJusticeTruth]

Would Miss Governor Palin run as a Republican or on the Alaskan Independent Party ticket?

[fwcetus]

Har !!! Good point ...