Alaska Republicans vote to withdraw support for Rep. Kelly Merrick, Eagle River

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Republicans from District 14, Eagle River, requested the Alaska Republican Party withdraw its support for House Rep. Kelly Merrick, due to her joining a Democrat majority in the House.

The party did this in prior years with former Rep. Jim Colver, former Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux, and former Rep. Paul Seaton, who broke from the Republicans to join the Democrat-led caucus. The party also withdrew support from now-House Speaker Louise Stutes, who is a Republican but doesn’t caucus with Republicans.

Merrick ran in 2018 and again as the incumbent in 2020. She has heavy labor union support, and is married to the top labor boss in the state, Joey Merrick, who runs independent expenditure groups that work against Republican candidates.

The fragile 21-member Republican majority was broken when Kelly Merrick negotiated a role as the co-chair of House Finance Committee, in exchange for leaving the Republican majority caucus. She wasn’t the only one: Rep. Sara Rasmussen left the Republican caucus but did not join another caucus, and she was not censured by the party.

The vote was 52-10 in favor of what is effectively a condemnation of Merrick’s actions. The party will provide no financial support for Merrick, should she choose to run for reelection.

18 COMMENTS

  1. What a sham representative. Send her back to her Left-wing husband (and union goon boss). She’s another fraud through and through.

  2. I will stand on the corner by Carrs and Fred Meyer with a sign that says

    “Eagle River, Kelly Merrick stabbed you in the back!”
    If she runs again.

  3. This is good news. Now, can we learn more about those 10 “Republican” votes that went against the Party on this issue.

    • This is a sign that these “coalitions” the minority party and RINOs have used over the years to wrest control might finally come to an end.

  4. She’s rolled over and gave control of the Legislature to Stutes when Alaskans elected a Republican majority. She claimed she was a Republican, but in reality, she’s a Union shill like her fat cat Union husband. Eagle River deserves better. I voted for Jamie Allard, but I will actively campaign against Merrick and would vote for a rusted toaster over this POS.

  5. I confronted Merrick when she ran for office in 2018 about her connections to the Radical Democrats, who she sleeps with every night when she is not beer binging behind restricted closed doors in Juneau. Merrick was offended in 2018 that someone challenged her sincerity as a Republican. Well the cat is out of the bag and Merrick has shown her true Blue color. A liar in 2018 as Merrick is a liar today.

  6. I wonder why censure Merrick, yet allow her partner Sara Rasmussen face no discipline? I think that’s not very fair to Merrick, and the favoritism for Rasmussen sends a confusing message to other party members.

    Democrats would censure both while harassing and casting their disloyal members out of all political opportunities permanently for going against what the party’s bosses will allow and how much cooperation they allow of its members to its opposites.

    I get the feeling Rasmussen never recieved any discipline for her inconsistencies and her poor habits have been excused far too long.

  7. I don’t think it’s fair to discriminate against candidates because they identify as ham sandwiches, or rusty toasters. – M.John

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