In the financial disclosures posted at the Federal Election Commission, Congressman Don Young started 2022 with $630,000 cash on hand for his coming race.
Of that amount, $164,209 was raised by Young in the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter report:
- $33,173 came from the House 2022 “Take Back the House” Political Action Committee.
- $138,400 came from union political action committees, or about 70 percent of funds coming in the door.
- $13,559 came from individual Alaska contributions, or about 6.87 percent.
The donations from union political action committees include organizations such as the North America’s Building Trades Union PAC, the Seafarers Political Activity Donation, Laborers International Union of North America, Teamsters Drive Committee, UA Union Plumbers and Pipefitters, IBEW and several others, according to the FEC reports.
Young ended his 2020 campaign year with $249,173 in the bank after his most expensive race in his then-24 term history. He had raised $1.94 million for that cycle, with Democrat-endorsed Alyse Galvin raising over $5.2 million.
Young’s most likely competitor for for 2022 is his 2020 campaign co-chair Nick Begich, who raised $150,000 from Alaskans in the last 60 days of the fourth quarter of 2021 for his race; he didn’t file for Congress until the end of October and put $150,000 of his own money in at the start of his campaign.
Begich’s campaign account began 2022 with $227,336 and it received no PAC checks.
Campaign coffers are one sign of strength for candidates, because getting around Alaska, building enthusiasm for the candidates, and getting messages out over the airwaves takes cash. Inflation will be an influence on the 2022 cycle, as costs are going up for labor, fuel, and materials for candidates, just as inflation is pinching household budgets. This could be Young’s most expensive campaign in his 26 races.
Also running is no-party candidate Gregg Brelsford, who raised $26,027 last year and started 2022 with $6,308 cash on hand.
Randy Purham, a Republican, has raised $1,485 and started 2022 with $304 cash on hand.
