Just to add to David’s post, there’s some confusion on how a replacement for Stevens would be chosen should he win and his seat then become vacant. The Anchorage Daily News from October 28:
Can a re-elected Stevens keep his seat in the Senate if he loses on appeal? Doubtful, but that would be up to his fellow senators.
If Stevens were to resign from his seat or be expelled, how would a replacement be chosen?
Nobody can say for sure.
That’s because Alaska’s law on senatorial succession was changed twice in 2004 — once by the Legislature, and once by ballot initiative. Both laws call for a special election within 60 to 90 days of the vacancy. But they disagree on whether the governor appoints an interim senator in the meantime.
The Alaska Supreme Court would ultimately have to decide which law the state follows.
It should be noted that one of the reasons Sarah Palin became Governor Palin was because of voter outrage that then Governor Murkowski appointed his daughter, Lisa, as a Senator to replace himself as Senator when he became Governor.
To further complicate things, Lisa Murkowski is up for re-election in 2010 — a seat that goes without saying is a must win for the GOP.