Will Stevens Expulsion Vote Still Happen?

18 Nov 2008 // As Ted Stevens' vote deficit widens in Alaska, the chances diminish that Senate Republicans will bother to expel him from the GOP conference in a secret ballot on Tuesday.

Some GOP aides say Republican senators might not be in a mood to oust Stevens from their conference if it looks more and more likely that Stevens won't close the gap with Democrat Mark Begich, who now leads by more than 1,000 votes in the ongoing Alaska election recount. Vote counting will continue Tuesday in Alaska.

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) has been very public about his proposal to ask Senate Republicans, at a 9:30 meeting Tuesday morning, to formally vote on expelling Stevens from the Republican Conference, which would strip Stevens of all his committee seats, take away his seniority and essentially leave him without a party. Stevens would still be a senator, of course, but this conference expulsion would send a strong signal that expulsion from the Senate itself is a likely next step.

But the Alaska recount has thrown DeMint's plans into jeopardy, because Republicans might not want to be on record expelling someone who just might lose the election anyway.

"Sen. DeMint can raise it, but members might not be in any mood, especially since the election won’t be settled by then [Tuesday]," said one Senate Republican leadership aide. "I just don’t know what will happen."

A DeMint aide insists that nothing has changed.

"The vote is schedule to go forward tomorrow," the aide said.