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AK-Sen: Mark Begich with the Momentum |
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Since declaring his candidacy in April, Mark Begich has travelled around the state of Alaska talking to voters. The result, as predicted here, is that the more they get to know Anchorage’s Mayor, the more they like him. The evidence is contained in the latest poll. In a survey taken by the Alaska firm of Hellenthall and Associates in early May, 51% of respondents supported Mark Begich and 44% supported incumbent Ted Stevens, with a 6% margin of error. Furthermore, Begich was viewed favorably by 58% of respondents and only 16% had a negative impression. As for Stevens, 49% had a positive impression, with 40% holding a negative impression. Importantly for Begich, only 11% of respondents did not recognize his name — a very good number for this early in the race.
There is a caveat about this poll — it only had 269 respondents so the margin of error is higher — and this is not a polling firm that is well known so that their track record can be tested. But the news is still good. As more Alaskans meet Mark Begich, the greater the impression he makes.
So how is Ted Stevens responding to this strong challenge to his 40 year reign in the U.S. Senate? Well skipping a critical vote on the Climate Change bill in the Senate seems to be part of his strategy. The man who described the Internet as a “bunch of tubes” almost certainly would have voted against the bill, which in itself illustrates that he may be out of touch with the reality of 2008. As Mark Begich explains:
“Alaska is ground zero for climate change. The do-nothing policy of the Senate is costing Alaska families billions of dollars,” said U.S. Senate candidate Mark Begich. “Alaskans deserve reliable representation in Washington, especially on critical bills like this that will help secure a better future for our state.”
Mark Begich gets it. he understands that Climate Change is an important issue for Alaska, which is why he is also one of the most active mayors in the country when it comes to greenhouse gases and global warming. As this campaign continues, I expect more Alaskans to come to the realization that their future is with Mark Begich.
