Hello, World

This post will serve as a requisite brief introduction.

I am a political science student attending a private college in California. I was born in Alaska, and subsequently lived there for 18 years. I have been involved in Alaskan politics for years, and have met everyone from Tony Knowles to Ted Stevens in the process. This blog will primarily focus on the campaign currently being waged for Ted Stevens' seat in the US Senate. Senator Stevens has held the seat since his initial election in 1968, but faces his most serious electoral challenger in 40 years in democratic Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, who was born and raised in the state.

Bears and Ballots will not be narrowly limited to this race, however; I will address the wider context in which the race occurs, and will use the race as an avenue to explore Alaska's fascinating, unique, and criminally misunderstood political climate. I have worked on both the Begich and Stevens campaigns in the last few months, and have met both candidates. I would recommend supplementing the perusal of this blog with the indefatigable blog of Andrew Halcro, one of the better contemporary statesmen Alaska has seen.

And, yes, speaking as an Alaskan political scientist living in California who has suddenly found himself quite a recherché commodity, I am sick of talking about Sarah Palin.