Ted Stevens Republican Mark Begich Democratic The 2008 United States Senate election in Alaska was held on November 4, 2008.

Begich was the only Democrat in 2008 to flip a Senate seat in a state that Barack Obama lost (to John McCain) in the concurrent presidential election.

This was the first time Alaska voted for candidates of different political parties for U.S. senator and president since Democrat Mike Gravel was reelected as Republican Richard Nixon carried the state in 1968.

Stevens's conviction was set aside in April 2009, and the U.S. attorney general dropped all charges against him, citing serious prosecutorial misconduct during the trial.

[20] Former Minority Leader of the Alaska House of Representatives Ethan Berkowitz was considered a possible candidate, but he decided to challenge Don Young instead.

Stevens was perceived by many as corrupt, but was also highly regarded by many Alaskans for his ability to steer federal funding toward the state; he was the longest-serving Republican in the Senate entering 2008 (first elected in 1968), and through his seniority, he amassed a great deal of influence there.

The selection of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as the vice-presidential running-mate of Republican presidential candidate John McCain in late August 2008 coincided with a substantial improvement in Stevens' performance in opinion polls.

This was considered a serious setback in his already difficult bid for re-election; he had requested and received a quick trial in hopes of winning an acquittal before election day.