Well, it seems it’s not only Sen. John McCain’s candidacy that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has revitalized with her surprise arrival on the national scene. Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens (R) — despite facing seven charges for failing to disclose $250,000 in gifts from an oil services company — is now trailing his Democratic opponent, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, by just two percentage points, 46 to 48 percent, according to a Rasmussen pollreleased today. That’s a far cry from the 13-point lead, 50 to 37, that Begich held in July — just after Stevens’ charges were announced.
But the news is not all bad for the Democrats. Yesterday, a federal judge denied the callsfrom Stevens’ lawyers to have the charges dropped, indicating that the trial will proceed later this month, as planned. Still, the Palin phenomenon — aside from acting as daily reminder of how wrong the nation’s political prognosticators can be — is hardly encouraging for Democratic challengers facing incumbents notenmeshed in high-profile ethics scandals.