As more Alaskan votes are counted, Senator Stevens may have more time to focus on sentencing issues

As documented by this Alaska webpage and as further explained in this post at 538, the counting of additional votes in Alaska has led to a new "leader in the clubhouse" in the Senate race between Ted Stevens and Mark Begich.  Though Stevens had been ahead by more than 3000 votes before the latest batch of votes were counted, Begich is now ahead by nearly 1000 votes.  In addition, folks in the know seem to think that Begich is to have an advantage in thousands of votes that still need to be counted.

Though I was genuinely looking forward to the possibility of a felon being a sitting member of the U.S. Senate, it would probably be good for the country (as well as both political parties) not to have to figure out the political fate and future of Stevens had he been reelected.  And, assuming Begich does prevail, Stevens and his team of lawyers can also benefit by now being able to devote all their time and energy to all the complicated legal issues sure to arise in his sentencing and appeals.

Some recent related Stevens posts:

• Senator Stevens convicted on all counts
• Some sentencing questions after Senator Stevens conviction
• How should (and will) Senator Stevens' political past and future impact his sentencing?
• Senator Ted Stevens not (yet) disenfranchised
•  Will Senator Stevens pay at sentencing for election-related comments?
• Another appellate issue for Senator Stevens?
• Has a mega-jury in Alaska essentially rejected the DC jury's conviction of Senator Stevens?