A campaign mailer pointing out the weakness of House candidate Justin Ruffridge, who is running against Republican Rep. Ron Gillham for District 7, goes for the throat.
The mailer, from Alaska Family Action, reminds voters of the controversy that Ruffridge, who serves on the Soldotna City Council, refused to tackle last summer, when Anchorage drag queens took over a public park in the city and put on a show for children, wagging their naked-appearing butts at the numerous children invited to the sexually charged performance.
The mailer takes a shot at Ruffridge for his inaction as a council member and his apparent disinterest in the topic of drag queen performances for children; the incident created a huge uproar in Soldotna from parents and pastors who were shocked that the city would allow burlesque shows to target children in the community.
Pictured on the mailer is the cheerful face of the candidate, with a big lipstick smooch photoshopped on his cheek, and there’s a picture of the show itself, and a grotesque depiction of a drag queen smiling at the camera, creepily.
Incumbent Gillham and challenger Ruffridge are running for what used to be known as District 30, representing Kenai and Soldotna.
While Gillham is a conservative, Ruffridge is viewed as a liberal or moderate in the vein of former late Rep. Gary Knopp, but the district he is running in is one of the most conservative in the state. He raised the ire of some voters when he voted in favor of mask mandates in Soldotna in 2021 and irritated other voters by his vote on the Board of Pharmacy to make it difficult for Covid patients to get their Ivermectin prescriptions filled. He is a pharmacist who opposes the use of Ivermectin to treat Covid symptoms, even if it is prescribed by a physician or nurse practitioner.
Even Facebook agrees: Soldotna’s burlesque drag queen show was ‘adult content’
Soldotna permits drag queen shows for kids at outdoor stage next to park built for kids
