At a campaign stop this evening, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville) said his Senate colleague Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) should resign, following Stevens' conviction yesterday on seven counts related to the concealment of gifts his received from an oil contractor.

"He should resign," McConnell said this evening, according to The Hill.

The campaign of McConnell's opponent, businessman Bruce Lunsford (D-Louisville), pressed the issue since the conviction, firing off several releases questioning if McConnell would call on Stevens to resign.

Several other Republican Senators in tight races added to the call for Stevens to resign in addition to the Republican nominees for President and Vice President.

Earlier in the day, McConnell released a statement saying Stevens should be "held accountable," though tonight's comments are the first directly indicating the Senate Minority Leader thought the Senator from Alaska should go.

Lunsford's campaign, however, criticized the delay and took credit for the newly reported position of McConnell's.

"Most people would realize right away that when a man is convicted on seven felony counts, he no longer belongs in the U.S. Senate and should resign immediately,"said Cary Stemle, Lunsford's spokesperson, in a statement.

"Finally, after a day and a half of avoiding the issue, McConnell is now calling for Stevens to resign. Instead of showing leadership and immediately calling for Stevens' resignation, McConnell was more interested in protecting Washington's culture of corruption.  It took Bruce Lunsford putting pressure on McConnell for him to make the right decision," Stemle added.