Super Tuesday

Once again, it's "Super Tuesday" in the USA. The day upon which a number of States have their presidential primaries or caucuses. In an ideal world (if you are hoping that "your" party will win the November election) - the nomination will be sown up on, or by this day. Of course this hasn't happened for the Republicans this year.

The States where the action will be are -

Alaska - caucus
Georgia - Primary
Idaho - Caucus
Massachusetts - Primary
North Dakota - Caucus
Ohio - Primary
Oklahoma - Primary
Tennessee - Primary
Vermont - Primary
Virginia - Primary

The important thing to remember is that each state has different rules. Some are open, others are only for registered Republican voters. The results are binding in all of today's caucuses - though some earlier ones (such as last Saturday's caucus in Washington State), are non-binding. In some states the delegates will be allocated proportionally to the number of votes cast, while in certain circumstances - it changes to 'winner take all'. In some States not all candidates have been able to get on the ballot paper (Virginia only has Romney and Paul - the VA rules can be found here.). It's an evening for either sitting there with the detailed rules for each state Republican party - or letting the experts explain who gets what. (Even then the experts can differ - which explains why different websites have different figures for the numbers of delegates won by each candidate).

Alaska - At Large

The State of Alaska may be huge in size, but it is small in population terms. It is therefore entitled to two Senate seats (as are all States - which is why the Senate has 100 members) and one Representative (when this happens they are referred to as the 'Representative-at-large').




This blog looked at the Senate race on August 29th. Representative Don Young is fighting to retain the seat he has held since March 1973. As Electoral-Vote.com notes - "Normally an 18-term congressman who wants to be reelected just has to show up." But Representative Young has been involved in one of the many scandals which are affecting Alaskan politics. He is the subject of a federal investigation concerning bribes and failure to report gifts. He had a hard time in the Republican primary, but won by just 304 votes.

Prior to entering Congress Young was a tugboat captain on the Yukon. National Journal describes him as "a hot-tempered, salty-tongued true believer, given to malapropisms and tough talk". He once described environmentalists as a "self-centred bunch, the waffle-stomping, Harvard-graduating, intellectual idiots".

Representative Young's campaign website is http://www.donyoung08.com/

His Democratic challenger is the former Alaska House Minority Leader, Ethan Berkowitz. He's had an interesting life - how many politicans can make claims similar to that on Mr Berkowitz's website-

"Ethan’s hauled nets and picked fish on commercial boats in Bristol Bay, herded reindeer in the Aleutians, and snowmachined from Manley to Nome. He has traversed glaciers, and driven the Haul Road. He has dipnetted on the Copper and hunted caribou on the Kobuk. He’s shared food everywhere from Metlakatla to Barrow, slept on couches in places from Kaltag to Kenai, picked berries in Bethel, gotten stitched up in Palmer, purchased a wardrobe in Petersburg, flipped a skiff in the Lynn Canal, tipped his truck just off the Glenn Highway, celebrated a birthday in Cordova, and spent a lot of time jawboning in Juneau."

His website is http://www.ethanberkowitz.com/index.php.

Alaska politics is very interesting at the moment (an example of typical British understatement). Newspapers in the state can be accessed via http://www.50states.com/news/alaska.htm

Alaska

Alaska has not been a state at risk of a turnover from the Republicans to the Democrats for a long time. It's Representative-at-large (the population is not large enough for more than the minimum one Representative) has served since 1973. Ted Stevens, the Senior Senator has served since December 1968 and he is the longest serving Republican in history (Although Strom Thurmond died a Republican, he was first elected as a Democrat). Yet this week The Cook Report reports the Senatorial race as "leaning Democratic".

Senator Stevens, whose seat is at risk, has been in trouble of late. He was indicted by a Grand Jury at the end of July and is due to go on trial in Washington DC on September 22nd. The charges relate to allegations that he failed to report gifts and favours received from the VECO Corporation and its Chief Executive, Bill Allen. Allen has already pleaded guilty to bribery, extortion and other charges.

The trial date will be difficult, just six weeks before the election. Washington has been shocked by a scandal which threatens the reputation of a Senator with a distinguished career. He has been President Pro Tempere of the Senate from 2003-7; Chairman of the Appropriations Committee 1997-2001, 2003-05; Chairman of the Commerce Committee 2005-07. He was a key player in Alaska gaining its statehood. During the Eisenhower Administration he worked at the Interior Department. "He did all the work on statehood," Roger Ernst, Assistant Secretary for public land management, later said of Stevens. "He wrote 90 percent of all the speeches. Statehood was his main project." A sign on Stevens' door proclaimed his office "Alaskan Headquarters" and Stevens became known at the Department of the Interior as "Mr. Alaska." Some have argued that in promoting statehood so aggressively Stevens overstepped the rules.

The Democratic contender who could benefit from the scandals which are dogging Alaskan Republicans (Representative Don Young is facing himself multiple investigations - further details of recent woes are described at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amanda-coyne/another-alaska-republican_b_112005.html) ) is Mark Begich, Mayor of Anchorage. He is the son of Nick Begich, who was lost in the (presumed) aircrash in which Majority House Whip (who was campaigning for Begich) Lindy Boggs also died. As a result of the failure of the search to find the plane or its occupents, Congress passed a law requiring all US civil aircraft to have Emergency Locator Transmitters.

The websites of the two main candidates are -

Stevens http://tedstevens2008.com/

Begich: http://www.begich.com/home

The State has a population of 670,000 - and has seen tremendous growth in recent years. It 550,043 in 1990. That is still less than a quarter of a percent of the US population, for an area which is 16% of the USA's total. Oil and Gas; Defence and Government are the major industries.