In Alaska's other hot race of the season, the fight for Don Young's at-large congressional seat, conventional wisdom says that if the bright-eyed-and-bushy-tailed Republican Lt. Governor, Sean Parnell, beats Young in the GOP primary then Republicans have a good chance to hold the seat -- in other words, that the Republicans' troubles in Alaska stem solely from the insanely poor quality of their incumbents.
But a new poll out shows a Democratic front-runner, Ethan Berkowitz, beating even Parnell in the general. If the poll is on target, it could be good news for Obama -- that dissatisfaction with Republicans in the state is a bigger phenomenon than just Uncle Ted and Uncle Don.
Another fun fact from the same Anchorage polling firm, Hayes Research: In Alaska they hate Don Young way more than they hate Ted Stevens.
(Note: RealClearPolitics is calling Hayes Research a "Democratic firm," but while the majority of its clients tend to be Democrats, it's an independent, nonpartisan firm that isn't hired by any campaign, according to a spokesman.)
--Eve Fairbanks