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WASHINGTON — With an election-year corruption investigation looming, Republican Rep. Don Young has tapped his campaign donations to pay not only his own million-dollar legal bill but also to hire lawyers for his campaign manager, who also is under scrutiny by federal investigators.

The Alaska lawmaker spent more than $35,000 between last October and April on lawyers for longtime campaign manager Steven Dougherty. That’s more than Dougherty earned during that period and nearly as much as the campaign spent on political polling, according to campaign finance reports.

The payments, which are legal under federal law if they are associated with the candidate’s official duties, are another indication of how the FBI investigation has become a drag on the congressman. Instead of coasting to a 19th term, as he had expected, Young is shelling out money to pay his bills and Dougherty’s even as he faces a well-funded opponent in August’s Republican primary.

“With respect to people who have served him and been loyal to him and who have served Alaska, he’s been loyal back,” said Young’s campaign spokesman, Mike Anderson.

Young is one of a spate of Republican lawmakers alleged to have been involved in various illegal or impolitic activities during recent years. Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress in 2006 partly because of voter reaction.

Dougherty has worked for Young’s campaigns since 1996 and became campaign manager in 2000. Employers may pay legal bills for their employees during criminal investigations as long as there are no competing interests: if Dougherty wanted to cooperate with authorities investigating his boss, for instance.

Young and Alaska Republican Sen. Ted Stevens are under scrutiny for their relationship with VECO Corp. executives, who have admitted bribing Alaska lawmakers to push legislation favorable to their oil field services company. VECO executives were, until recently, Young’s largest contributor and hosted an annual pig roast fundraiser for him.

Like Young and Stevens, Dougherty’s telephone conversations were taped by the FBI as part of a sting operation involving the VECO executives, according to people close to the corruption case. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation still is in progress.

“I am not going to comment on Congressman Young’s investigation or anybody else’s,” Dougherty said. “Congressman Young has made it totally clear we’re not going to discuss the investigation.”

Neither Young nor Stevens has been charged and both deny wrongdoing in the case that has upended Alaska politics.

Young has spent more than $1 million in campaign contributions on legal fees. He is represented by the Washington law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld. His campaign finance reports also show $35,020 in fees to John W. Wolfe, a prominent white collar defense attorney who represents Dougherty as well as Stevens’ son, Ben.

The Young campaign also has paid about $196,000 since October to Tobin, O’Connor and Ewing, a Washington law firm, although it was unclear whom the firm represents.

“I have learned that the legal process is an expensive process, but I have nothing to hide,” Young said in a statement. “When it comes to my family and my character, the truth is priceless. That is exactly why I hired good legal counsel, and I have worked fully with the Department of Justice by answering their questions and providing them with anything they have requested.”

Young, who has served in Congress since 1973, is facing Lt. Gov Sean Parnell in August’s primary. Parnell has shown strong fundraising numbers and has the backing of Alaska’s popular Gov. Sarah Palin, also a Republican. Such a challenge would have been unheard of before the FBI investigation.

The FBI is investigating Young’s fundraising practices. The campaign tried last year to reimburse former VECO president Bill Allen $37,626 for years of expenses associated the annual pig roast fundraiser. When the check was never cashed, the campaign sent the money to the U.S. Treasury.

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Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have won the Alaska’s presidential caucuses.

With 39 of 40 districts reporting, Obama was leading the Democratic race with 74 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton had 25 percent.

Among Republicans, Romney had a commanding lead over Mike Huckabee with 30 of 40 districts reporting. Romney took 44 percent of the vote compared to Huckabee with 22 percent. Ron Paul was leading John McCain for third place.

Alaskans fought overflowing crowds and bone-chilling weather Tuesday to cast their votes in the state’s Democratic and Republican caucuses.

Democrats in Anchorage, the state’s largest city, pushed the start of caucuses back a half hour to allow people to find parking and get inside the meeting hall, a middle school. The fire marshal instructed police to begin towing cars from the school.

Large crowds also greeted Democratic voters in Fairbanks, where several hundred people gathered at a community center — the main caucus site. Police there asked crowds to move their vehicles off the streets to keep emergency lanes open.

Several thousand Anchorage Democrats packed various gathering points at Begich Middle School. Various chants could be heard, including “Yes We Can,” and “Obama” and “Hillary” coming from the two camps.

“I like the feeling I get from him. It is time for a change. I don’t want a manager anymore. I want a leader,” said John Sorenson, 60, a Barack Obama supporter.

J.T. Watson, 25, said he will be voting Democratic for the first time. He is supporting Hillary Clinton largely because of her support for certain social issues, specifically women’s issues and gay rights.

“I like her because she has such a bright outlook,” said Watson, a former Republican. “I couldn’t find anybody I liked on the social issues, so I am switching parties.”

Both Democratic and Republican venues were hopping in Alaska’s capital city as people braved more than 2 feet of new snow, slippery roads and biting winds to weigh in. At the ballroom of the Hangar at the Wharf restaurant, a steady stream of Republicans poured in to mark their ballot and quickly leave.

Print shop owner Chuck Collins was there to cast a vote for John McCain, whom he described as a more centrist candidate. Collins was pleasantly surprise at the turnout.

“Especially, you know, in Juneau where our counterparts, the Democrats, usually have better turnout than we do,” said Collins.

Indeed, Centennial Hall where the Democrats gathered was a congested mob. Lines for the food table crisscrossed lines for the various districts as a crush of people munched snacks and hobnobbed in the confusion.

Teacher Cinda Stanek wasn’t sure which line to stand in but she was there to cast her vote for Obama.

“I’m ready for a change. More than any other time I can remember I am excited for this presidential election,” she said.

The harshest weather conditions were in Alaska’s interior, where some communities were braving temperatures pushing 60 below zero. The bitter cold in Fairbanks, where the mid-afternoon temperature was minus 33, kept sign wavers off street corners.

Voters in the western Alaska community of Nome were greeted by sunny skies and temperatures of minus Tuesday as they made their way to caucus sites.

In Barrow, the nation’s northernmost town, Paula and Leon Boyea conducted GOP voting at their house — a last-minute choice. Her three-bedroom home was called into service when no other site in Barrow was available.

“This is a totally new horizon for me; we were just interested in making sure that it happened,” said Paula Boyea, who made homemade sugar and oatmeal cookies for the event. “Hopefully other people will do the same in the other North Slope villages after this.”

Presidential races have typically rendered Alaska to an irrelevant state. That’s changing this year for states such as Alaska, those with smaller delegate representation.

Alaska’s Super Tuesday results are not the final word on the party’s candidate choice, but rather a first step toward choosing delegates for this summer’s national conventions.

Two factors make Alaska relevant this time: extremely tight presidential races in both political parties; and federal corruption investigations into U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens and House Rep. Don Young.

The latter item remains secondary to caucuses, but it’s stirred Democrats’ hope rarely seen in a staunchly Republican state such as Alaska. It also has the GOP saying, not so fast, folks.

“In tight contests like these any state could be decisive,” said John Pitney, a former researcher at the Republican National Committee who teaches government at Claremont McKenna College. “The fight for Republicans is to tamp down the Democratic gain with somebody who can prevent the big down draft.”

The state is broken up into 40 House districts, but the similarities between the two parties’ methods pretty much stop there.

For Democratic candidates, 18 national convention delegates are at stake. Alaska Democrats first send 411 delegates to its state convention in May, then elect its national delegates.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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REPUBLICANS

John McCain: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma

Mitt Romney: Alaska, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Utah

Mike Huckabee: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, West Virginia

DEMOCRATS

Hillary Clinton: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee

Barack Obama: Alaska, Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Utah

STATE

Alabama: Barack Obama, Mike Huckabee

Alaska: Barack Obama, Mitt Romney

Arizona: Hillary Clinton, John McCain

Arkansas: Hillary Clinton, Mike Huckabee

California: Hillary Clinton, John McCain

Colorado: Barack Obama, Mitt Romney

Connecticut: Barack Obama, John McCain

Delaware: Barack Obama, John McCain

Georgia: Barack Obama, Mike Huckabee

Idaho (D): Barack Obama

Illinois: Barack Obama, John McCain

Kansas (D): Barack Obama

Massachusetts: Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney

Minnesota: Barack Obama, Mitt Romney

Missouri: Barack Obama, John McCain

Montana (R): Mitt Romney

New Jersey: Hillary Clinton, John McCain

New Mexico: TBD

New York: Hillary Clinton, John McCain

North Dakota: Barack Obama, Mitt Romney

Oklahoma: Hillary Clinton, John McCain

Tennessee: Hillary Clinton, Mike Huckabee

Utah: Barack Obama, Mitt Romney

West Virginia (R): Mike Huckabee

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Alaska is among a number of states for which its value in the nomination process is rising this year, the Juneau (Alaska) Empire reports.

The combination of hotly contested races and Alaska’s participation in Super Tuesday for the first time has made the state a new player in presidential candidate selection, state Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux said, according to the Empire.

“This is much more interesting,” she said.

Votes could get Alaska some national attention as well, said state Sen. Kim Elton, because Alaska results may not come in by Lower 48 news deadlines.

“Alaska will be in the next news cycle,” he said.

Click here to read the full report in the Juneau Empire. 

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — While many states wrap up their Super Tuesday voting, Alaska voter will embark on theirs.

Late Tuesday afternoon, voters will be reporting to an eclectic variety of caucus sites throughout the state.

They will meet in convention centers, middle schools, local watering holes, churches and even a Chinese restaurant in Anchorage.

They will also be braving peak winter conditions — including lows of minus 50 degrees — just to reach their caucuses.

In Juneau, voters will trudge through more than a foot of new snow that has consistently fallen on icy roads and sidewalks since Saturday morning. Temperatures have been hovering in the mid-20s, making each step a careful one.

Meanwhile, about 650 miles and 75 degrees away, voters in the Alaska interior community of Fort Yukon will brave some of the coldest temperatures in the state to cast their presidential preference in a radio station lobby. Monday’s high in Fort Yukon was minus 54.

Presidential races have typically rendered Alaska to an irrelevant state. That’s changing for states such as Alaska, those with smaller delegate representation.

Alaska’s Super Tuesday results are not the final word on the party’s candidate choice, but rather a first step toward choosing delegates for this summer’s national conventions.

Two factors make Alaska relevant this time: extremely tight presidential races in both political parties; and federal corruption investigations into U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens and House Rep. Don Young.

The latter item remains secondary to caucuses, but it’s stirred Democrats’ hope rarely seen in a staunchly Republican state such as Alaska. It also has the GOP saying, not so fast, folks.

“In tight contests like these any state could be decisive,” said John Pitney, a former researcher at the Republican National Committee who teaches government at Claremont McKenna College. “The fight for Republicans is to tamp down the Democratic gain with somebody who can prevent the big down draft.”

The state is broken up into 40 house districts, but the similarities between the two parties’ methods pretty much stop there.

For Democratic candidates, 18 national convention delegates are at stake. Alaska Democrats first send 411 delegates to its state convention in May, then elect its national delegates.

For the Republicans, there are 26 delegates at stake. First 550 delegates attend the state convention next month in Anchorage, where the 26 delegates get elected. They and three party officers will head to the summer’s national convention.