A Democratic consultant in Alaska told me that the politics up there are fascinating. You have a civil war in the Republican Party between the old guard and new reformists. And you have a Democratic Party that is targeting the old guard. The consultant admitted that if Governor Sarah Palin continue to box them out on reform, ethics, and a degree of populism, it will be very hard for the Democrats to win any races. The News-Miner has a great wrap of these races.
The good news is at the House level, Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell is looking to defeat incumbent Rep. Don Young (R) in the primary. Parnell is up 37-34 over Young in the primary. In addition, Parnell defeats the likely Democratic challenger, 43-38, while Young loses 58-38.
On the other hand, the Senate seat is looking quite bad. Democratic candidate Mark Begich is up 51-44 over Ted Stevens. I have heard that Begich’s advisors biggest fear is that Stevens would get out and be replaced by a young, less-crooked Republican. They don’t think that they could beat a generic Republican.
I think that these polls bear a lesson for us. If Republicans are serious about small government, clean government, and reform, we can win. John McCain is showing life in a horrific environment with precisely this formula. And it is working in Alaska. Will anyone in Washington notice?