Last Stand

Stevens' years in power have earned him loyalty among Alaskans. At a Federation of Natives meeting on the weekend before the verdict--more than 4,000 native leaders in a massive convention hall in Anchorage--Stevens sent a video message in which he asked for their prayers and apologized for missing the meeting. Julie Kitka, a Chugach native who is the federation's president and was a character witness for the defense in Stevens' trial, predicted that the state's 125,000 natives--about 20% of the population--will stick by him. At the end of his video, she said, the entire audience rose and gave Stevens a standing ovation.

But local affection won't trump the mess he made. If Stevens loses on Nov. 4, the Dems could inch closer to a 60-seat Senate supermajority. He and Palin have not been particularly close, but she could also be tarnished by the sorry spectacle in Alaska. In the Lower 48, the only people cheering Stevens now are Democrats.