Sen. Stevens Gaining Ground Since Palin Pick

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) is gaining ground on his Democratic opponent, according to polls taken after Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) was named as John McCain’s running mate.

Stevens has rebounded from a 13-percentage-point July deficit to trail Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D) by two and three points in polls conducted this month.

Rasmussen reported Stevens trailing by two percentage points yesterday; a poll conducted by two Alaska newspapers, a TV station, and a radio station reported Stevens trailing by three percentage points Sept. 3. McCain announced Palin as his running mate Aug. 29.

Begich mounted a 13-point lead over Stevens after the veteran senator was indicted on corruption charges July 29, according to a Rasmussen survey conducted the day after the indictment. Begich had maintained a seven-point lead in mid-August, according to the same collection of Alaska media outlets that reported him down by three points last week.

Begich had built a consistent single-digit lead of two to eight points this summer before Stevens’s indictment swayed things further in his favor.