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Anchorage developer David Cuddy on Wednesday officially filed to run in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate.

It’s the second time Cuddy has challenged Ted Stevens for his seat in the Senate.

Cuddy, a former state representative, spent almost $1.5 million, most of it his own money, trying to unseat Stevens in 1996. Cuddy received 27 percent of the primary vote.

Cuddy, 55, said he expects this time around to be no less of a challenge.

“I think anytime there’s an incumbent in the race, it’s always a difficult race,” he said.

Stevens, 84, was appointed to the Senate in 1968. He won a special election in 1970, and has been re-elected six times.

But Stevens’ apparent unassailability has been called into doubt by a wide-ranging federal corruption investigation into his ties to former VECO Corp. owner Bill Allen and the use of federal earmarks that allegedly benefited his former aides.

Stevens has refused to discuss the investigations, citing the advice of his attorneys and concerns about obstructing justice.

Stevens’ son, Ben, a former president of the state Senate, is also under federal investigation. Neither Stevens has been charged with a crime.

Cuddy said the corruption investigations will be an issue in the election, but not one on which he plans to focus.

“I’ve been there, done that,” he said. “I talked about Stevens’ ethics problems in 1996. That is not going to be the thrust of the campaign this time. I want to focus on the problems facing the nation.”

Cuddy, who considers himself a small government conservative, says he’s focused on national issues, such as health care, education, the economy, foreign policy and reducing national debt.

“Our challenge in Alaska is the same as other states,” he said. “We must get the voters to care more about the long-term health of our nation and our children’s future than the short-term benefit of pork-barrel spending, personal favors and special interest benefits.”

In the past, Cuddy said voters have tended to focus on local issues and the benefits of a senator who could send hundreds of millions of federal dollars back to the state.

“We tend to ignore the national issues,” he said.

Cuddy is hoping to buck that trend this year.

“There’s always going to be people out there who will respond to concerns that the country is going in the wrong direction,” he said. “If there’s enough of them out there to win an election, I don’t know.”

Stevens released a statement Wednesday saying Alaska needs someone in the Senate who has a proven track record of protecting the state’s interests.

“This campaign will be about who can best fight for individual Alaskans, and I look forward to continuing to discuss with Alaskans my record of doing just that,” he said.

Cuddy, who made his fortune working in his family’s banking business before entering politics, plans to run a barebones campaign, predominately on the Internet and through speeches at as many Chamber of Commerce luncheons and local Rotary club meetings as will have him, he said.

While Cuddy, who put roughly $60,000 of his own money into his campaign in the first quarter of this year and raised another $8,500 from individual donors, is trying to limit spending in the primary, he expects the general election in November will be an expensive race.

“The general will be a much more costly campaign,” he said. “Whether it’s Ted or myself in the general, that will be a big election.”

Spending in the knock-down, drag-out 2004 congressional race between Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski and former Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles topped $5 million.

Cuddy says he has about $10,000 in cash on-hand.

Stevens raised $578,000 in the first quarter of this year, and had $1.3 million in cash on-hand as of March 31.

Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich is running for the Senate as a Democrat.

Ray Metcalfe of Anchorage and Homer’s Frank Vondersaar are also vying for the Democratic nomination in the August primary.

Other candidates competing in the GOP primary are Jerry Heikes of Palmer, Rick Sikma of North Pole and Rich Wanda of Anchorage.

Nikiski school teacher Bob Bird is the lone candidate running under the Alaska Independence banner.

The deadline for filing for national office is June 2.