Democrat claims victory in Alaska Senate race

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Democrat Mark Begich claimed victory on Tuesday in the race for an Alaska seat in the U.S. Senate, defeating six-term Republican incumbent Ted Stevens.

"I feel very confident that we are victorious tonight," Begich said in an interview on KTUU television.

Stevens, convicted last month on corruption charges, trailed Begich by 2,374 votes as the vote count for the Senate race neared its end, state election officials said.

(Reporting by Yereth Rosen; Editing by Anthony Boadle)