Republicans scramble after Stevens conviction

Alaska Republicans launched “Plan B” Tuesday after Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican senator in history, was convicted on seven felony counts of failing to report gifts on financial disclosure forms.

The pressure on Stevens to resign was intense, coming even from the highest levels of his own party. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the Republican presidential nominee, and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, both called on the senator to step aside.

Stevens has served in the Senate for 40 years and has never been re-elected with less than two-thirds of the vote. But even before he was convicted, polls showed him in a tight race with Democrat Mark Begich, the mayor of Anchorage.

Stevens faces up to five years in prison on each of the seven counts arising from his failure to  the remodeling of his home in the ski resort town of Girdwood and other gifts from Bill Allen, former head of VECO Corp., an oil-services company. But the 84-year-old senator is considered likely to receive a lighter sentence because of his age and his years of public service.

Much remains unclear on what could happen next.

Stevens, who is not required to give up his position because of the convictions, said he would appeal and would abandon neither his seat nor his re-election campaign. Senators have the option of voting to expel him on the recommendation of the ethics committee, but the Senate is not scheduled to return to session until after the election.

Even if Stevens were to step aside, Alaska law contradicts itself on how he would be replaced, raising the prospect of a prolonged court battle before Alaskans could vote in a special election.

GOP: Vote for Stevens anyway
Republicans had banked on Stevens’ acquittal to bolster their chances of preventing a veto-proof 60-vote Democratic majority in the Senate. After he was convicted, they turned to what they called “Plan B” — re-electing Stevens anyway so they would have a shot at deciding his replacement next year.

Leaders of the state Republican Party stressed that they still believed Stevens was innocent, but they asked Alaskans to vote for him even if they thought he was guilty. If Stevens were to take his seat and then resign, a special election would be held to replace him, a prospect party leaders find far preferable to simply handing the seat to Begich next week.

“If you don’t vote for Ted Stevens now, you don’t have an option in the future to have a conservative candidate,” said McHugh Pierre, chief spokesman for the state Republican Party. “You’re stuck. You’re stuck with a liberal who does not represent your views and beliefs.”

But Democrats said Stevens should resign immediately.

“He knew what he was doing (was) wrong, he did it anyway and then he lied to Alaskans about it,” said Patti Higgins, chairwoman of the state Democratic Party. “Alaskans deserve better than that. It’s time for us to elect an honest and ethical senator who can move our state forward.”

Support for Stevens appeared to be limited mainly to state Republican leaders.

In an interview with CNBC, McCain — who has butted heads with Stevens on numerous issues, including oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the practice of “earmarking” federal appropriations for local projects — said Stevens should resign. His campaign issued a statement saying Stevens had “broken his trust with the people and ... he should now step down.”

Video   Palin chastises Stevens Oct. 28: Sarah Palin criticized Sen. Ted Stevens following his conviction on seven counts of corruption. NBC News Channel

Palin, also interviewed by CNBC, said Stevens “needs to step aside and allow our state to elect someone who will be supportive of those ideals of America: the free enterprise, the missions that we’re on, to win the war, those things that have got to take place in order to progress this country.

“Ted Stevens has got to play a very statesmanlike role in this now.”

The White House said it would not comment on the case while it remained under appeal, but Sens. John Ensign of Nevada, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate Republican leader, made it clear that Stevens had lost the national party’s backing.

“Ted Stevens served his constituents for over 40 years, and I am disappointed to see his career end in disgrace,” Ensign said.

McConnell said in a statement: “Senator Stevens was found guilty by a jury of his peers, and now must face the consequences of those actions. As a result of his conviction, Senator Stevens will be held accountable so the public trust can be restored.”

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