The news program, Alaska Fish Radio, a production of Laine Welch, published an action alert to its followers on Facebook, advising commercial fishers to re-register as undeclared or nonpartisan voters. She wants them to vote in the Aug. 21 primary, and vote against Mike Dunleavy — but for Mead Treadwell.
Alaska Fish Radio, heard on 30 radio stations, has received awards for public service programming from the Alaska Press Club. On its official Facebook page, it routinely bashes President Donald Trump. Now it’s is going after Mike Dunleavy with a fillet knife.
Sponsors of Alaska Fish Radio include the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (which gets $1 million from the State of Alaska each year), the nonprofit Alaska Marine Safety Education Association, and the nonprofit Northwest Trade Adjustment Assistance Center. Ocean Beauty Seafoods is also a sponsor.
Welch writes a column called Fish Factor, which appears in newspapers across the state.
Here is the alert, in full:
Action alert for Alaskans:
Mike Dunleavy would be a disaster for Alaska fishing communities and the fishing industry!! Any AK voter who is registered as Undeclared or Nonpartisan can vote in the August 21 primary where voters will choose between Dunleavy and Mead Treadwell as the candidate who will run against Walker (Independent) and Begich (Democrat).
If you want to vote in the Republican primary (even if you do not intend to vote for a Republican in the Nov. general election) you must change your registration to U or N by July 20.
This is really a low blow that the commercial fisheries that make their house payments on the resources are now just starting to see this? That’s like playing pool and just blocking your opponents balls by putting yours in the way, rather than trying to win outright. Last ditch efforts because Dunleavy will not coddle the comfishers like Walker does. Dunleavy believes in a level playing field, not a stacked deck like Walker’s. When you appoint a drifter who is on the Board of Upper Cook Inlet drifters association,( Dr. Maw) to the Board of fisheries, that is sooo telling. Thank you Suzanne for bringing this up.
Wait, I thought you had to be a republican to vote in the Republican primary?????
You can be nonpartisan or undeclared as well. – sd
Has anyone looked into the relationship between Mead and Alice Rogoff? Alice started Platinum Financial with Hugh Short and that morphed into PT Capital. Mead was a participant during the Platinum to PT capital change. Hugh Short as we recall had dinner with Obama at Alice’s Home. Just wondering because I haven’t seen anyone look into PT Capital.
Interesting that the state funds Welch and uses state money or funds from non profits and she is allowed to run partisan political ads.
This could be somewhat effective, however. Years ago when we had really open primaries the Dems crossed over and voted for C.R. Lewis in the U.S. Senate race when Mike Gravel was the lone serious Dem Candidate. Lewis was a State Senator and also a John Birch Society member. Translation: controversial”. He won the primary over another good GOP candidate because of the cross over and then in spite of getting far more votes than Gravel in the primary, he lost big time in the general election. All those Dems that voted for him in the primary to make sure he was in the general and not the other guy, then voted for Gravel. Any GOP candidate other than Lewis could have defeated Gravel.
Welch is pretty clever. But, If there was a strong opponent to Begich those undeclared or independents who re registerer in order to vote for Treadwell might cost Begich the Primary. But not this time.
Fortunately Welch’s readers are pretty limited to the commercial sector which is already anti Dunleavy. And they have been factored into the polls. He is like a snowball gaining speed and size. The only person who can stop him from being the next Governor is him. And it “ain’t “ going to happen!
Laine Welch here. The action alert was my own personal opinion and in no way reflects the positions of any of my sponsors. I accept that posting under my business name was misguided and I should have done so under my own name. Mea culpa.
That said, I personally believe that Dunleavy has little understanding or respect for Alaska’s seafood industry. Along with his brother from Texas, he is heavily backed by deep-pocketed sport fishing interests that have spent tons of money over decades bashing the commercial fishing sector.
I will make a point to contact Mr. Dunleavy and let him speak for himself about his views on Alaska’s seafood industry, which includes far more than going fishing.
Suzanne, one point of clarification: the state of Alaska has zeroed out ASMI’s $1 million in funding. //
Thank you. The state’s ASMI funding is zeroed out next year, is my understanding. Thank you. – sd
Wow. If that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black. I’d be interested to see who these “deep-pocketed sport fishing interests that have spent tons of money over the decades” are, and how much by comparison the commercial fishing industry has spent lobbying for more and more of Alaska’s salmon. It’s easy to throw unsubstantiated and unsupported words around. Let’s see some hard data, and the sources for that data too, please.
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