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Poll: Sen. Begich early favorite for re-election in Alaska
Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) is an early favorite for re-election in Alaska, holding a solid approval rating and leads over likely Republican opponents, according to a new survey released Thursday.
Begich holds a 49 approval rating, with 39 percent of those surveyed by Democratic pollster Public Policy Polling saying they disapproved of his handling of the job. Nearly a quarter of Republicans approve of his work, as do 54 percent of independent voters in the state.
More importantly for Begich's re-election chances, he holds leads over each of the most likely Republican opponents in hypothetical head-to-head match-ups. Begich leads Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan 47-41 percent, Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell 47-39 percent, former Lt. Gov. Loren Leman 50-40 percent, and 2010 Senate nominee Joe Miller 58-30 percent.
One Alaska Republican would begin a 2014 matchup dead even with Begich: current Gov. Sean Parnell. But, the survey found only one in 10 Alaskan voters wanted to see Parnell make a Senate bid, with the vast majority — including 56 percent of Republicans — hoping Parnell will instead make another bid for the governor's mansion.
Parnell is also the heavy favorite for re-election as governor, leading potential Democratic candidates by anywhere between 9 and 26 percentage points.
"The Alaska Senate race is certainly likely to be close next year," PPP director Tom Jensen said in a release. "But Mark Begich has proven to be pretty popular during his first term, and he won't be easy to defeat."
Begich won election in 2008 in a showdown with Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), the longest-serving Republican senator in history. Stevens was convicted in a federal corruption trial days before the election, effectively dooming his chances of re-election; the indictment was later dismissed when the Justice Department found evidence of prosecutorial misconduct.
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