ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Just as Sen. Ted Stevens appeared ready to take his criminal record back to Congress, his re-election bid faltered.

Democrat Mark Begich, who trailed Stevens by more than 3,200 votes to start the day Wednesday, jumped to an 814-vote lead as state officials resumed counting early and absentee ballots. The tally was 132,196 to 131,382, with an estimated 30,000 ballots remaining to be counted, some on Friday and some next week.

“After watching the votes today, I remain cautiously optimistic,” said Begich, a two-term Anchorage mayor, in a news release. “We ran an aggressive campaign.”

Stevens’ campaign did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Last month, a federal jury in Washington, D.C., convicted Stevens of lying on Senate disclosure forms to conceal more than $250,000 in gifts and home renovations from an oil field services company.