In 2006, former mayor Sarah Palin (R) beat a sitting governor in the Republican primary in Alaska, then beat a widely popular former governor in the general, and not by a small margin. Someone is having some fun now, matching Palin up with embattled Alaska Senator Ted Stevens. The results? Palin beats Stevens 59%-36%.

It's not bad when, after just half a year on the job, you boast 84% approval ratings and just 5% disapproval ratings, as Palin does. More importantly, for Democrats, Stevens' approval rating is just 44%, compared to 40% disapprove.

In other polling news, Congressman Bobby Jindal (R) has a huge lead over his nearest competitor in the race to replace Gov. Kathleen Blanco (D) in Louisiana. Jindal is taking 63% compared with State Sen. Walter Boasso's 14%. Add New Orleans Gov. Ray Nagin to the mix and he pulls just 11% to Jindal's 60% and Boasso's 10%.

New Orleans has a very fast turn-around from filing to the election. The filing deadline is September 6th, and the general is October 20th. If Jindal somehow falls below 50% before the 20th, a runoff takes place November 17th. At the moment, though, it looks as if Jindal's days in DC are numbered, and that he will take up residence in Baton Rouge shortly.