By SUZANNE DOWNING
In Alaska, where nearly half the electorate is Undeclared or Nonpartisan, Republicans cannot afford to fracture.
When a Republican legislator cuts a deal with Democrats for a committee gavel, they hand over legislative control, give away key votes, and betray the people who elected them. It is political ambition at the expense of principle, and it changes the direction of our state.
The mechanics are simple: A small number of Republicans agree to caucus with Democrats in exchange for leadership roles or committee assignments. This flips the balance of power, shifts control of the legislative calendar, and places Republican priorities in the hands of those who oppose them. It has happened in both the House and the Senate, flipping control of key committees and burying conservative bills while advancing policies directly opposed to the Republican platform.
Every time this happens, Republican legislators who stay loyal to the caucus lose committee seats, bill hearings, and negotiating leverage. Conservative legislation gets buried while Democrat priorities move to the front of the line. The result is a Republican minority forced to fight uphill battles in a Legislature that should reflect the majority of voters who elected them. It is not just an internal party problem; it is a direct hit to the voters who sent Republicans to Juneau expecting a Republican-led agenda.
Defections do more than weaken party unity, they hurt districts. When a legislator defects, his/her vote helps advance budgets and policies that raise costs, expand bureaucracy, and erode individual freedoms. This can include supporting binding caucus rules that punish legislators for voting their conscience, voting for budgets that spend beyond sustainable limits, and blocking efforts to protect the Permanent Fund Dividend.
These aren’t abstract political maneuvers; they are decisions that cost Alaskans real money and undermine trust in government.
This problem is not about coalition-building for the greater good. It is about personal ambition and the lure of a gavel, a title, or influence within a committee room.
Some legislators, such as Sen. Jesse Bjorkman of Nikiski, justify it as “working across the aisle.” In reality, it is surrendering power to those with a very different vision for Alaska. When Republicans defect, they tell voters that titles matter more than the promises they made on the campaign trail.
Today — Saturday — the Republican State Central Committee voted to uphold District 7 and 8’s censure of Sen. Bjorkman during its meeting. Bjorkman was there to defend himself, and the reasons he gave for leaving his fellow Republican Senators in the minority demonstrated this culture of ambition. It is a clear example of how personal political goals can outweigh the responsibility to stand with your caucus and your voters.
Undeclared and Nonpartisan voters decide elections in Alaska. They expect honesty and integrity from the people they send to Juneau. When they see Republicans break their word, they do not just punish that legislator; they question whether the party stands for anything at all. That is how you lose not only swing voters, but also the base that fuels campaigns and turns out on Election Day.
If Republicans want to earn and keep the trust of Alaskans, they must close ranks after the election, keep their word, and lead with the principles they ran on. Defections might serve one politician’s ambition, but they weaken the entire team and shift Alaska’s future into the hands of those who will take it in the wrong direction.
Suzanne Downing is the founder of Must Read Alaska and serves as editor.
The party of Lincoln deserves this fate. Republicans have always been evil, just as their first President was. Their abject cooperation with the forces of evil (Democrats, socialists) during WW2 and the Cold War only reinforced this abomination. The illiterate morons who venerate Reagan today perpetuate this demonic fantasy of Republican goodness. Republicans are evil. They always have been. Only fools maintain hope they can be good.
Blovius Maximus
🤣 Good one Joe! Love it!
Republicans evil.
Democrats Pure & Good.
Got it.
Thanks, I always wondered about that.
I have never said Democrats are good. Ever.
Well said Suzanne. Dems and Rinos call it bi-partisanship and “working across the aisle” when moderates and liberals gather as one. Imagine them calling it that if we actually had a conservative Republican majority working with a few middle of the road, rational Dems. With the Rinos and liberals on the outside looking in. Likely a different perspective they would have sayeth Yoda.
To stop this madness, Dunleavy needs to pull a Gov Abbott (TX) on his way out and take a lead on calling out the Merricks, Stupes, Giessels, Kopps, Stevens, et al and actually campaign for those who are running against them. The Republican Party of Alaska, in my view, also needs to be much more assertive and vocal in convincing Alaskans they’re just as mad about this as conservatives are and proactive in doing something about it. I like Carmela but it’s time to be much more aggressive.
Predictably, a Minnery misses the point. Somehow, you also don’t know what a demon Abbott is. No surprise there. Keep being an example of why conservatives don’t respect republicans, Minnery.
Another coward hiding behind a pseudonym. BM, if being a bitter crank is how you define “conservative”, I want no part of it. You stand for nothing but sniping, waiting for those who are actually doing the work to lick your boots – it ain’t happenin’ buddy. I’m convinced your ilk are merely democra/ posers trying to wreck the Republican Party. You wear your psychopathology on your sleeve for all to see and barely endure. The single biggest reason the more moderate Republicans are in control – and moderated our platform – is because the alt-right tru-cons like you refuse to get involved and work with the Party, to all of our detriment. Stop acting like a spoiled toddler.
In defense of Jim Minnery’s comment, I believe he is spot on here.
“…. don’t respect republicans” Who then Bron?
Who do conservatives respect? Mary Peltola? Lisa? Nancy Pelosi?
Are you only capable of viewing the world through a tiny straw?
Jim- is it a govt for the people by the people or…. a goverance for the people by the party?
Is it a representative govt of & for the constituency or the party?
As Pam mentioned earlier, your party continually disappoints and not merely these crossovers. One repub initiative still shakes my head, Repub Dunleavy and his party’s forced incarnation of mental health folks and the ability to misuse it (see Colony High School Principal Mary Fulp).
Your party like the Dems merely swings the wrecking ball of Freedom and Liberty straight through regular Alaskans. Rarely do they offer any alternatives to their complaining.
If delegates from the AK-GOP can’t // won’t abide by their own Party Platform, clearly stated on the party website … ‘https://alaskagop.net/about/platform/, that doesn’t bode very well for the confidence from constituents. AKGOP has to be able to figure this out, as these ‘attention hounds’ will stoop to boundless lows of double-speak and bait-n-switch, capturing all of the glory – fame at the expense of the long-time loyal party members. The best example of this is none other than … Daddy’s Litle Princess!
And this party over policy factionalism is exactly what Madison said would kill this country
Suzanne, you have intellectualized and given clarity to the problem of crossover Republican support to Democrats. An exchange for the illusion of power is not a new concept. The 1980’s produced a lot of cross-over support in the Legislature. But make no mistake, the Democrats were always in firm control. Bi-partisan support always tilts to the Democrats, never to the Republicans. The Democrats accept this as a slow brew to accomplish their agenda……and the Republicans fall for it. The Democrats are highly disciplined and the Republicans tend not to be. In exchange for entry into the social clubs and lopsided spirit of cooperation, Republicans lose their positioning and building of conservative ideals. And it’s exactly what the Democrats want.
It’s too bad that here in Alaska, too many Republicans have fallen for this trap.
That is the truth. Thanks, Marla.
What she said!
Right, MAGA is not conservative Rebpublicanism and it abhors dissent or original thought. Why do we even need parties? Why not just outlaw the “Demoncrats” and disband Congress and State legislators, who could be replaced with Executive Administrators hand picked by the White House. Who needs compromise when you can dominate? It would be far more efficient this way and if enacted now, would ensure that such policies are never controlled by anyone who isn’t the MAGA faithful. We don’t need Governor Dunleavy, Administrator Dunleavy would be more than sufficient. This way, we would know what the Party and its membership stand for–faith and adherence to what we are told to by our leaders. Seems like this system works in dozens of countries across the globe and would be the fastest way for America to assert its dominance–just think, no pesky lawsuits and cranky federal judges pausing or trying to end what the White House is trying to do.
That’s how the organized “mob” did it and look at how well they controlled things.
Cuts out all the back & forth, long sessions, debates & lawsuits.
Things are decided & then implemented quickly in the least expensive way.
That is a NYC thing and something DJT is very familiar with.
Alaska doesn’t have a functioning republican party. The Alaskan GOP leadership is to busy going to social events to worry about the loyalty and ethics of their party. They created this mess and can only blame themselves.
Unfortunately- I have to agree! It’s a damn shame and they are to damn smart to see it! 😡
I believe this commentary is wrong on multiple reasons. 1. The country is made up of many different beliefs and compromise in politics is the way it should be. No one idea is perfect, this you have 60 people elected to do the best they can for their district and state. 2. We are all Americans. We are not team red and blue. To not understand this falls in line with why president Washington did not believe we should have parties. Do not fall into the us against them when we are all friends and neighbors. We can disagree and not hate each other. Seems pretty unpatriotic and un-American to believe otherwise. Sometimes I fear if another 9/11 happens will we not be able to unify as a country? We should be better than this.
Lets not forget, the state GOP also attacks and works to get rid of popular Conservatives like Eastman. And they need to stop saying we need to build a Consensus
The voters in the Kenai Senate District had a choice: Bjorkman, a candidate with an obvious tilt towards unsustainable spending and robust government or Ben Carpenter, a guy who diligently worked at establishing a sustainable spending path for Alaska.
Carpenter was considerably more experienced than Bjorkman and a conservative candidate.
The voters elected Bjorkman. They get, along with all the ret of us, what we deserve in this little failing experiment up here in the Lost Frontier.
Great comment Joe, one of your best to date.
There was a fair bit of untruthful “mud” slung at Ben. He was falsely demonized as pushing hard for an income tax, which of course he wasn’t.
Any reader of MRAK could run in the next election thanks to the open primary.
Its beyond time for Alaskans to supercede the politicians. Over the years a number of commentators have made great points and expressed fantastic ideas that will NEVER be considered by Repubs or Dems.
Take the opportunity to challenge the party status quo by using the Open Primary as it was intended. Get Off the Sidelines! Provide your neighbors, your community with true representation in lieu the typical status quo.
Joe, all we know is what we’re told, that voters elected Bjorkman.
.
We hammer on this point ad nauseam because it’s arguably the weakest link in the narrative.
.
No, we have no smoking-gun proof to the contrary.
.
What we do have is a steaming pile of circumstantial evidence and unanwered questions suggesting there’s a problem, but finding, fixing, and finishing it is up to us.
Didn’t Carpenter support a statewide sales tax?
To be fair, the Valley did something similar by tossing David Wilson who caucused with democrats in favor of Yundt. Even doing that, Wilson was far more reliably supportive of Republican sorts of things than Yundt has been.
Maybe one thing we need to start doing is quit electing teachers or at least start vetting them extra hard. Cheers –
Suzanne that is the best write up I have ever read for this problem. I was the secretary of the Republican Party for several years in Sitka and not once did Senator Stedman ever show up to the meetings. So he could never be held accountable when he gave the dems the majority. He either thought we were too small to talk to him or he was afraid to answer. I think the problem in Southeast is the politicians are never held accountable like they are up north. It is disgusting to put signs up for campaigns then they do this. The top brass of the GOP party came to Ketchikan the other day and they acted like nothing is wrong.
Suzanne, the entire point of your position is undermined by the clause your first sentence: “In Alaska, where nearly half the electorate is Undeclared or Nonpartisan”
In other words, our politics are more nuanced and pragmatic than the strict binary divisions that you promote.
Get used to it; we will largely decide the outcomes of our elections, as opposed to the lockstep, party-dominated, no-matter-what’s of the strict Ds and Rs.
Well said.
This voting block exceeds card carrying Repubs and Dems.
I’d be very interested in reading MRAK contributor Bob Bird’s take on this subject.
Best line in this column, “When they see Republicans break their word, they do not just punish that legislator; they question whether the party stands for anything at all.”
I’ve been wondering whether the Republican party stands for anything at all for quite some time. If it does, please enlighten me.
Spot on Bill.
You’ve got a short memory, Bill. Republicans tossed Chuck Kopp for crossing over. He was redistricted and won in a new district who has yet to have their say. Republicans tossed David Wilson for crossing over. Sadly, Yundt wasn’t an improvement.
Like I said last week – prioritize your efforts. Go after the Override Caucus first, Republicans who caucus with democrats second, and democrats third. First opportunity to do this is Gary Stevens retirement. Stutes is going to run for senate in an open seat, leaving her seat open. Much easier to win an open seat than defeat an incumbent, though it has been done.
And no, it’s not a RCV problem, as i don’t think any legislative seats were decided by RCV last cycle. Cheers –
I live in Bjorkmans district and voted for him when he first came on the ticket as a Republican As I know now Jesse is a lair and a RINO. He was a RINO from the get-go.
To the point IT TIME TO DROP THE HAMMER ON JESSE
Jesse has paid nothing for all the crap he has caused the AK Rep Party
“Time to feel the pain of the lash”
Can you please do one or two pieces on Jesse and 2 or 3 other top ranking RINOs hitting them hard (Merrick, Giessel, Stevens)
Drag up anything that SOILS THEM
You are the only person on this earth who can and will do the written pieces
I implore you to LET THEM HAVE IT right between the eyes.
Hit pieces… yeah that’s exactly what is needed.
Or….
You could run Jim. You could step up and provide your district with an alternative thanks to the open primary.
You need only Courage and the ability to listen to the residents of your district.
Constituents before party as our Representative government was intended.
Thank you Suzanne. Finding a solution to “my way or the highway” personal ambition will be they key to sustaining our future. This will take an Act of God. Hearing Louise Stutes lecture on “how to best serve her constituents” was revolting – she was serving only herself.
Isn’t it funny how the betrayal of these turncoat legislators is ALWAYS in favor of the left, never the other way around?
Yea. Except it’s not funny.
Bjorkman was a middle school government teacher and ran as a Republican. Seriously, he was a plant. Trojan horse. Judas Iscariot. The “R’s” in his district were either duped or blind. Now you get what you get but the rest of us are stuck with this poser until 2029. Suzanne, your explanation of his behavior is spot on. Thank you for this simple explanation, one that should have been clear to all but went unnoticed. No more though. Just like Murkowski, we all know what to look for now. Sadly, with their ambitions working against conservative interests, much will be lost.
The well written article by Suzanne and many commentators fail to take into account: Alaska is 25% Republican, 16 % Democrat. Neither party has a mandate position on Alaskas direction!
Bi-partisan cooperation IS the choice of the people.
Work together! TRY IT-YOU MAY LIKE IT
A majority of Republicans in the Alaska Legislature voted to override the Governor’s BSA veto. Maybe the problem isn’t the 75% of Alaskans who want to adequately fund schools, it is the fact that Dunleavy et al seem to think somehow that because they are the largest party by affiliation, they have a right to do whatever they and their biggest donors want.
Try leading, as in getting a majority of voters (or their elected representatives) to support a direction, and then execute on it. Until then, my frustration with “disloyal” Republicans isn’t nearly as high as my frustration with this ineffectual Governor. I haven’t heard him mention the PFD in ages, wasn’t that THE reason he was running for office? Useless. Get a Republican in there who can accomplish something (/anything?), then maybe I’ll feel like they owe him votes on something.
Succinct SD! As to why these traitors work across the aisle claiming that political compromise is inherently appropriate, just ‘Follow the Money’ and you’ll see two things.
1. Compromise always goes ‘left’ degrading the conservative side.
2. Money is power and explains what we’re talking about.
I’ve been cheated by politicians who duped me with their words, stole my vote and legislated to the contrary!
Don’t worry though, we can count on folks like Lisa Murkowski, Cathy Giessel, Bernadette Wilson and Chris Tuck to carry the torch of freedom forward on behalf of the conservatives in Alaska!