Alaska GOP sounding confident

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska's Republican old guard talked tough Wednesday after a bruising primary, sounding confident they can prevail in the November general election despite criminal investigations.

U.S. Rep. Don Young, under federal investigation for ties to a corrupt Alaska businessman, was locked in a virtual dead heat with Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell for Alaska's sole House seat, which Young has held for 35 years.

Sen. Ted Stevens, the Senate's longest-serving Republican, breezed to a primary win Tuesday, gaining 63 percent of the vote against six GOP challengers. But 33,000 GOP primary voters went against him, more than four times the number who did so in his last primary in 2002.

Two formidable opponents still stand in the way of Stevens' seventh full term: federal prosecutors who next month will try to prove he's a felon, and the energetic mayor of Anchorage, Mark Begich, a Democrat receiving strong national party support.

For more than three decades, Young and Stevens have won re-election with a simple strategy: strong support for developing natural resources combined with bringing in federal money to build up Alaska infrastructure.

University of Alaska Anchorage history professor Stephen Haycox said Wednesday the closeness of Young's race may reflect the difference in attitude toward him and Stevens. Alaskans' attitude toward the 84-year-old senator has run toward the tragic.

"I don't think it runs to resentment or outrage," he said.

Haycox said that Young's lack of transparency in spending more than $1 million in campaign money on legal fees before a possible indictment shows that "he seems to be uncowed and unapologetic about anything that is happening."

Young trailed Parnell for most of Election Night, but with 99 percent of Alaska precincts reporting he was ahead by 152 votes, 42,539 to 42,387. The race is too close to call.

Young, 74, said Wednesday that he will prevail once all absentee votes have been counted.

Stevens, indicted on charges that he failed to report more than $250,000 in home renovations and other gifts from a wealthy Anchorage patron, says he will be exonerated. Resignation is not an option, he said.