Senate GOP may boot Stevens from caucus

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Convicted felon Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, could be ousted from his party's Senate caucus even before his re-election bid is settled, officials said.

Senate Republicans are considering whether to expel the chamber's longest-serving Republican from the party caucus. USA Today reported Friday that Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said he would demand the vote Tuesday, when the party caucuses, even if the Alaska Senate race remains undecided or heads for a recount.

The latest vote tally indicated Stevens trailed Democratic Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich by 1,022 votes, following an Elections Division count of 14,508 ballots Friday, the Anchorage Daily News reported. An estimated 24,000 ballots remain to be counted.

The newspaper said Begich extended his lead Friday even though many of the ballots came from an area the newspaper identified as a Stevens stronghold. Elections officials said the count should be completed next week.

Kicking Stevens out of the Republican Senate caucus would strip him of committee assignments and prevent him from voting on GOP leadership and policies. Should Stevens lose the election, the caucus expulsion would affect him during next week's lame-duck session.

Stevens was convicted in October of seven felony counts for failing to include more than $250,000 in gifts and home renovations on Senate financial disclosure forms, but hasn't been sentenced. Stevens said he would appeal the verdict.