From Ketchikan to Fairbanks, the first five candidates to receive the coveted endorsement and support of Americans for Prosperity Action Alaska were announced by State Director Bethany Marcum at a kickoff event in Anchorage on Thursday evening.
The candidates are all Republicans:
Jeremy Bynum of Ketchikan, running to replace retiring Rep. Daniel Ortiz for House District 1. An Air Force veteran, Bynum is a twice-elected member of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly, serving since 2020, and co-chairing the Assembly/School Board Liaison Committee. He serves on the University of Alaska Southeast Ketchikan Campus Advisory Council and is a member of Board of Directors for Southeast Alaska Power Agency.
David Nelson, running to unseat Democrat Rep. Cliff Groh for House District 18, Northeast Anchorage and JBER. After beating Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux, Nelson served one term in the House before the seat was taken by Groh in 2022. Nelson has served in the U.S. Army, as an Alaska Army National Guard First Lieutenant on JBER. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for exemplary service during the earliest days of the Alaska Army National Guard’s Covid-19 response. He is also past president of Midtown Rotary Club.
Rep. Stanley Wright, running for reelection to House District 22, East Anchorage. Wright is an U.S. Navy veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He was an aide in the Dunleavy Administration, where he served as legislative liaison and special assistant to the commissioner of the Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs.
Leslie Wien Hajdukovich, running to unseat Democrat Sen. Scott Kawasaki in Senate Seat P, Fairbanks. She served for six years on the Fairbanks School Board, including as board president, as well as U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan’s Fairbanks regional director for almost 5 years. She is a fifth-generation Alaskan who has worked in the family businesses.
Jerod Goecker, running to unseat Republican Sen. Kelly Merrick in Senate Seat L, Eagle River. Goecker, a Republican, has lived in Eagle River since he was a young child. After returning from college in 2017, Goecker began working for the Dunleavy Administration, negotiating labor contracts at the Department of Labor.
The five endorsements are bound to come with significant financial and volunteer support for the campaigns. Americans for Prosperity Alaska Action’s State Director Bethany Marcum said there may be other endorsements later.
