Anchorage Daily News

As Democrats prepare to choose their contender for U.S. Senate in Tuesday's election, let's look at the tale of the tape for the main challengers:

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Ray Metcalfe

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In this corner: Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, who has raised $1.8 million in campaign donations. He has roughly a dozen paid staffers, an army of volunteers and the blessing of national Democrats anxious to see him in a November title fight against incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Stevens.

Considered a lock in Tuesday's election by pollsters, his reach includes countless campaign commercials and statewide name recognition.

And in this corner: Ray Metcalfe, a former two-term Republican legislator and self-appointed corruption watchdog who has raised about $20,000. He started his own Republican Moderate Party before switching to the Democratic ticket and has no paid campaign staff.

His reach includes as many people as he can fit on a shuttle bus he bought for $2,500 and uses to offer a three-hour tour of Anchorage corruption.

If it sounds like a lopsided contest, it is.

Begich has essentially been running against Stevens, now indicted on felony counts of failing to report gifts and home repairs from Veco, for many months. One Begich television ad shows politicians getting scrubbed clean in a car wash. "Every Senator and their spouse should detail every nickel of their income," Begich says in the clip.

Over in the Republican Senate primary, Stevens faces six challengers, including newcomer Vic Vickers who has pledged to spend $1 million on his campaign.

Begich faces only frequent candidate and self-described "anti-fascist" Frank Vonderzaar, and Metcalfe, who has become the mayor's chief critic. Considered a bulldog by fans and a broken record by others, Metcalfe wrote in a Daily News candidate survey that his past attempts to win public office are "too numerous to mention as I have frequently used candidacy as a platform to expose corruption."

That means Metcalfe may not win many elections, but running against him isn't much fun.

He complains city parking officials gave special favors to a local developer through a parking deal, and spent his air time at a recent public television debate looking to corner Begich on details of what he considers a crooked real estate deal.

"If I'm elected to U.S. Senate, I will do what I have always done, I will bring light and ethics to government," he told the cameras.

Begich, in turn, says Metcalfe's claims are false and simply political ploys to get attention for his long-shot campaign.

"It's more about tearing down people than what Alaskans are interested in, Alaska families are interested in, and that's laying out what you're going to do to make a difference," Begich said.

"AGENT OF CHANGE"

On a recent weekday afternoon, Metcalfe held court before a weekly meeting of the Bartlett Democratic Club, a group of mostly retired, old-school Anchorage Democrats at an east side Denny's.

Described as an "agent of change" on the group's calendar, he began his speech by holding up a copy of a recent newspaper. The headline: "Stevens indicted."

"I think the last time I was here, I suggested that this was going to happen and a lot of people were quite skeptical," Metcalfe said before laying into the corruption case against Stevens. It was a welcome message at the club -- which is named after one of the few Democrats to represent Alaska in the Senate since Stevens took office 40 years ago.

Then Metcalfe switched targets, accusing Begich of wrongdoing, too. As he talked, the diners leafed through paperwork Metcalfe had placed among the silverware and coffee cups -- news stories and lease agreements, government memos and maps.

A commercial real estate broker, Metcalfe served in the state House from 1978 to 1982. Except for an unsuccessful bid for Anchorage school board, he's most recently run for U.S. House in 2006, losing in the Democratic primary to Diane Benson.

But what a time to be running as an anti-corruption crusader, with three former state lawmakers found guilty in corruption cases, another two awaiting trial and now Stevens facing criminal charges of his own.

Anchorage pollsters say more people may know Metcalfe now, but not enough to make him competitive.

"That kind of raised his credibility somewhat, but it hasn't raised it to the point where he can kind of credibly run for national office. There's a big gap there," said pollster and political consultant Ivan Moore, who usually works for Democrats.

Even if he loses, Metcalfe says he'll keep his corruption tour rolling.

BEGICH GAINS NATIONAL PARTY SUPPORT

In early July, on a day when Stevens and Gov. Sarah Palin made a rare joint appearance to discuss energy costs, Begich appeared at a South Anchorage shooting range.

He stood beside a group called "Gun Owners for Begich" and talked about the 2nd amendment and civil liberties before answering questions on fuel and power costs.

"We've had no energy plan in Congress for 40 years, and the crisis we face today is because of that," Begich said -- a reference to Stevens' four decades in the Senate.

On the campaign trail, Begich has rolled out blueprints for energy, ethics, education and health care. .

Early in the race, Begich foes questioned if he would be able to balance a Senate campaign with being mayor.

Since forming a committee to explore a run for Senate in mid-February, Begich's campaign travel has taken him from Bethel and Dillingham to California and Texas, according to his campaign.

The campaign also paid for a pair of multi-day trips that included city business in Florida and New York, the city says.

Begich said he spends as much as 30 to 40 hours a week on the campaign, but is used to multi-tasking. "At the end of the day, it's who you surround yourself with, what kind of team you have, and do you understand how to give directions."

Begich easily won re-election to his second and final term as mayor in 2006, and national Democrats have high hopes for what comes next. (The Republicans are watching too, with their state party recently criticizing Begich's campaign disclosure forms and fund-raising.)

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which often buys ads to influence state races, has endorsed the mayor and considers the state a key battleground.

DSCC spokesman Matthew Miller calls Alaska one of the Democrats best chances to win a seat, and calls Begich "one of the most outstanding candidates for Senate in the country."

He's raised money out of state too, with about two out of five donation checks coming outside of Alaska, according to Federal Election Commission records. Republicans complain many of his larger checks are from Outside.

Begich has met briefly with presidential candidate Barack Obama, and Alaska Democratic Party Chairwoman Patti Higgins said Howard Dean asked her about Begich last year.

At a meeting of state party officials this year, Dean "talked about Alaska so much, it was actually embarrassing."

LIVELY DEBATE

Begich and Metcalfe faced each other on stage for the first time this election cycle Wednesday night at a KAKM public television debate.

Begich introduced himself by talking about health care, energy costs and ethics. Metcalfe took credit for exposing corruption. When it was time for the candidates to ask each other questions, Metcalfe asked Begich about details of a commission he received on a 2002 land deal involving Anchorage developers Jon Rubini and Leonard Hyde.

Though casual viewers would have no context for the question -- Who is this developer? What land deal? -- Metcalfe pressed and Begich parried through a series of rebuttals.

Metcalfe's claims against Begich date back years and often share a common thread, with Metcalfe saying the mayor is too cozy with powerful developers. In this case, the topic was an interest Begich received in a pair of Midtown Anchorage office buildings.

Begich, a real estate agent, has said it was part of his payment for a deal he worked on before becoming mayor. Metcalfe says it was likely a gift, and should have been reported as such. He said he suspected bribery.

"I've been in the real estate business for 34 years -- I've never seen anybody pay a real estate commission in the manner that you described it, and I don't buy it," Metcalfe said.

Begich said he properly reported his end of the deal, wasn't in office at the time and that talk of bribes is "absolutely false."

"The fact is Ray continues to throw this mud on as an issue to get name ID on the campaign that he's facing between now and Aug. 26," he said.

After the debate, Metcalfe wasn't satisfied, saying Begich should show people his 2002 tax returns to prove he's telling the truth about the real estate commission.

Begich, in an interview the following day, refused.

"That's like me asking Ray to give me all his taxes. Forget it. I'm done dealing with Ray," he said.

Read Kyle Hopkins on our Alaska Politics blog: adn.com/alaskapolitics.

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