Alaskan senator Ted Stevens has been found guilty of accepting gifts from oil companies, making it unlikely the Republican will hold on to his senate seat, the Guardian reports.

“The verdict significantly harms Republican chances of holding onto Stevens’s seat in Congress next week, when he must stand for re-election against a young Democratic mayor, Mark Begich. The prospect of ending Stevens’s 40-year career has raised Democratic spirits.

“The Stevens conviction has the potential to help as well as hurt John McCain in the final days of the presidential race. Stevens and McCain, both famous for their tempers, often clashed over spending policy – with the Alaskan remaining a staunch supporter of the congressional pet projects, known as earmarks, that McCain often rails against.”

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