CONGRESS IN BRIEF

Stevens foe has edge in Alaska tally

With the remaining 25,000 votes in the race to be counted today, it appears Republican Sen. Ted Stevens, a stalwart of Alaska politics who was convicted of felony charges last month, may lose his bid for re-election.

In counting late last week, Mark Begich, the two-term mayor of Anchorage, increased his lead to 1,022 votes from 814. Begich had 47.4 percent of the vote to Stevens’ 47.0 percent. The remaining votes to be tallied in the drawn-out count are largely from Anchorage, where Begich is favored.

Even David Dittman, a pollster who has worked for Stevens, said his friend’s chances were extremely slim. He said many of the votes being counted were absentee ballots cast before Stevens returned from his trial and began to campaign personally, which helped him in the polls.

Kennedy back at Capitol Hill office

Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), who is fighting a malignant brain tumor, was back at work Monday in the Senate for the first time since July.

He met with his staff on Capitol Hill and said he is looking forward to working on an economic stimulus package and is optimistic he can help forge a breakthrough on health care reform.

Kennedy had a seizure in May and underwent surgery in June. After undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, he has increased his public activity. In July, he made a surprise return to Capitol Hill to vote on a Medicare bill.