Unelected by a landslide in the 2020 primary, former Rep. Chuck Kopp is making another try at state office.
He was beat by former Alaska Republican Party Chairman Tom McKay in 2020, but this year the district lines have shifted and he is taking on Craig Johnson, who serves as Rules Committee chair in the Alaska House for South Anchorage District 10.
Both are Republicans, but Kopp is considered a “Sen. Cathy Giessel” Republican, one who cannot be relied on to hold the line on spending. Kopp is known to have threatened Rep. Johnson this year, saying if he didn’t vote for Sen. Giessel’s defined benefits bill for state employees, Kopp would run against him. He’s making good on the threat.
Kopp is a former police officer who now runs a political consultancy company with Cherie Curry. He worked on the campaign of former Gov. Bill Walker, who was, by then, in opposition to Republicanism and in line with big government policies. He also worked on the campaign of Bill Popp for Anchorage mayor; Popp received 17% of the vote. Another campaign he worked on was John Coghill’s congressional run; Coghill got 2.4% of the vote in the primary.
Political observers note that Kopp would likely caucus with the Democrats to advance the public employee union agendas of fixed pensions rather than 401k retirement accounts.
Kopp served as an officer in the Anchorage Police Department and Kenai Police Department for a combined 20 years. He was chief of police of Kenai, and acting city manager from 2005 to 2006.
He was briefly Public Safety commissioner under Gov. Sarah Palin but forced to resign when a scandal followed him from his time as police chief in Kenai.
When he was a staffer in the House, he was one of the architects on Senate Bill 91, the catch-and-release, soft-on-crime bill, pass.
In my opinion Chuck Kopp is a —! Can’t some of these wanna be’s just go away!!
As far as LE, Chuck never wanted to be a good cop…he wanted promotions.
You see it all the time in LE, a city looks for a new police chief and they see a resume’ filled with certifications and “special assignments” galore, but nobody in any city council ever asks “did you ever do any actual police work.”
DPS has had a couple of those too…Barry Wilson for one.
A true career politician and swamp creature
In short, he’s the poster child of the failed AK GOP.
It was Republicans who tossed him after he caucused with democrats. Cheers –
Being in the legislature must be a really sweet deal.
The moment someone is voted out, they start selling their soul to get back in.
And thanks to RCV, he’s got a good shot.
During the 2020 race I drove to Anchorage from Wasilla and stood on the Highway holding my homemade sign, ° Dirty Kopp. Stole Kids PFD.^ The Unions need to get out of Communist Driven Politics.
Some of the arguments made by ex-cop Kopp during the special session to repeal the soft-on-crime legislation were absolute nonsense. Just because someone was in law enforcement at one time does not give them a higher or better understanding of the law. Kopp is a completely political animal. That he is apparently running as a Republican is a complete joke.
Kopp was The Least respected of all police administrators I’ve ever known.
I don’t know one single badge-wearer who had a good thing to say about him. Not one.
Kopp is just a DUNCE. A dumb former cop who will get beat again. He and Gary Knopp were both a pair of losers. Knopp is pushing daisies. Kopp is pushing old growth weeds.
I knew Chuck Kopp while he claimed to be LE and I cannot think of one good thing to say about him.
He was a political beast back in the day, not caring one whit for the law; his only priority was his own advancement. Kenai PD was a complete joke while he was chief.
So. Have more respect for the profession and don’t call Kopp a cop. He had a badge and a title, but a cop? No.
As good a cop as Gary Knopp was as a pilot? Crash and burn. Kopp’s destiny.
I had a chance encounter with Kopp prior to his defeat several years ago, and he is probably one of the dumbest public officials I have ever spoke to. I talked to him about the Alaskan and Anchorage economy, and he was clueless about anything relating to economic activity. I also challenged him on his support for his crime spree legislation, and again, totally clueless. I would argue this is par for the course for a majority of the legislature members, but Kopp is a special kind of stupid.
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