The Eye

Because of this lost clout, Halcro contended, Young has "basically become an 18-term freshman."

Halcro's primary bid will mark the second time in four years that he has challenged the state's political establishment. He ran in 2006 as an independent and took 9.5 percent of the vote in the governor's race that Republican Sarah Palin won with 48.3 percent and Democratic former Gov. Tony Knowles lost with 41 percent.

The primary challenge, along with state Rep. Harry Crawford's decision to seek the Democratic House nomination, presents Young with the kind of two-front campaign he endured in 2008. But it is not yet clear if either Halcro or Crawford will provide as difficult an obstacle as that presented by Young's higher-profile opponents in the last round.

Young just narrowly escaped a Republican primary loss in 2008 when Sean Parnell, then the state's lieutenant governor, held him to a 304-vote margin.

News reports prior to the primary indicated Young was under federal investigation related to his ties to an oil services company, a firm that was at the center of a sweeping state political corruption scandal that would also contribute to the defeat of veteran Republican Sen. Ted Stevens by Democrat Mark Begich that November.

Young needed a late-campaign surge to overcome his general election opponent, Ethan Berkowitz, a former state House Democratic leader who had run for lieutenant governor in 2006 on Knowles' gubernatorial ticket.

Neither of the 2008 challengers will be a direct threat to Young in 2010. Parnell on July 26 moved up to the office of governor to succeed Palin following her surprise decision to resign and will be running for a full term next year. And Parnell may well face a showdown with Berkowitz, who has stated his plan to run for the Democratic nomination for governor, rebuffing suggestions that he seek a rematch with Young.

CQ Politics rates the race Leans Republican.

To follow the 2010 House races, check out the CQ Politics election map