WASHINGTON — Sen. Ted Stevens cannot move his corruption trial from Washington to his home state of Alaska, a federal judge ruled Wednesday in a decision that could hamstring the powerful Republican’s re-election bid.
The patriarch of Alaska politics, Stevens could normally expect to coast to his seventh full term in the Senate. But Democrats want to capitalize on the lengthy FBI investigation and trial to capture the once-safe Republican seat.
Stevens, 84, had hoped to stand trial by day and campaign on nights and weekends. In a state where he is known as “Uncle Ted,” he could have faced a more sympathetic jury. Stevens was named the Alaskan of the Century in 2000, the Anchorage airport bears his name, and he has brought billions in federal aid to the frontier state.
Wednesday’s ruling puts a damper on his campaign plans. Stevens asked for, and received, an unusually speedy trial that he hopes will clear his name before voters go to the polls. But with the trial in Washington, Democrats will have the state largely to themselves while Stevens is tethered to a defense table in the weeks leading up to the November election.
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan said he would consider holding court only four days each week to make it easier for Stevens to fit in campaign trips to Alaska. But that could delay a verdict.
“We want the verdict as far on this side of Election Day as possible,” said defense attorney Brendan Sullivan, no relation.
Stevens is charged with lying on Senate financial disclosure forms about hundreds of thousands of dollars in home renovations and other gifts he received from VECO Corp., an influential oil services contractor.
