Mark Begich (D-AK)

Mark Begich is pulling away in the latest counts in the Alaska Senate race. His vote lead over ConvicTed Stevens has grown to 2,374, and there are only 14,000 or so left to count. 538 has called it:

Stevens would have to win by a margin of over 25% of the outstanding ballots to tie Begich.

That would require something of a Gravelanche.

Currently, Begich leads by 0.77%, which is outside the free 0.5% recount zone. The recount fee is a paltry $15,000, not a sum Stevens has ever had trouble acquiring via one means or another. Given his likely expulsion by either the Republican caucus or the U.S. Senate as a whole (though we are in "reconciliation" mode, so who knows?), it seems unlikely anyone besides Stevens himself would have the desire to pursue such action. Still, the Anchorage Daily News calls such a recount "likely."

Congratulations, Senator Begich.

I think the Alaska Republicans would step in to stop a recount that would most likely be unsuccessful. No reason to stick with a felon any longer than you have to.

No wonder the Senate Republicans deferred the question of expelling Stevens from the caucus today. The writing was on the wall.

UPDATE: NBC and the AP have both called it for Begich. That's 57 Democrats in the Senate. (58 if you want to count Lieberman)