Alaskan Jeff Lowenfels, who writes a gardening column for the Anchorage Daily News, filed today to fill the remaining term of Congressman Don Young and for the term of U.S. Congress to begin in January of 2023. He is a registered Democrat and is 70 years old.
Lowenfels was assistant attorney general during the early pipeline years and is familiar with the many issues that still face the state. He has represented all of the State’s resource agencies: The Department of Natural Resources, The Oil and Gas Commission, and Fish and Game. He represented the Department of Environmental Conservation, the Public Utilities Commission and the Alaska Pipeline Commission.
Lowenfels managed the state’s largest law firm with offices in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and Washington, D.C. He was instrumental in the permitting of the Trans Alaska Gasline project, traveling to Alaska’s Asian markets and wandering the halls of Congress.
Lowenfels wrote four best selling science books, was head of the Garden Writers of America, raised two children with his wife of 48 years, likes to fish, loves dogs, introduced pizza by the slice to Alaska.
“I am running because we don’t have Don Young anymore to serve us. He, and his staff, taught me the only real job for an Alaskan Congressman is to ensure Alaskans’ interests and Alaska’s issues are not overlooked at the federal level. I agree and believe I can continue the service he provided all Alaskans,” Lowenfels said.
“ Again, I am not a professional politician BUT Don wasn’t either. I don’t intend to become one. Like Don, I’ll speak my mind. I don’t seek higher office. I don’t need a job, but I do believe my experience and skill set enable me to represent you and Alaska at least in the way to which you have become accustomed. Stay tuned!”
Lowenfels is signed with a speaker’s bureau as an expert on growing cannabis. His bio with AAE Speakers says:
“Jeff Lowenfels is the most humorous and entertaining lecturer on the cannabis and horticultural circuit. He is a reformed lawyer and author of Timber Press‘ award winning and best selling books, Teaming With Microbes: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to The Soil Food Web, Teaming With Nutrients: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to Optimizing Plant Nutrition and completing the trilogy, Teaming With Fungi, The Organic Grower’s Guide to Mycorrhizae. These seminal works have been adopted by cannabis growers and become “must-read” bibles
His latest book is DIY Autoflowering Cannabis was published in 2019 by New Society Publishers. It describes a new kind of cannabis perfect in this era of legalization. The Lowenfels predicts it is the next tomato.
“Lowenfels also pens the longest running garden column in North America, having never missed a week in over 40 years. The combination of garden writing and law earned him the moniker of ‘America’s Dirtiest Lawyer.’ The Teaming Trilogy elevates him to ‘Lord of The Roots.’
Jeff is also a highly respected and popular, national, garden writer. He is the former President of the Garden Writers of America, a GWA Fellow and in 2005 was inducted into the GWA Hall of Fame, the highest honor a garden writer can achieve.
Jeff Lowenfels has become a leader in the organic movement as a result of his best selling books. He is often credited as starting Regenerative as well as no-till Agriculture. His talks have converted tens of thousands of gardeners and growers at venues throughout North and South America. It is no wonder why: Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to The Soil Food Web was reviewed as “the most important new gardening book in 25 years and maybe even ever.” It is now out in a Revised Edition, and has been translated into 11 languages.
“Jeff grew up as an indentured servant on his father’s hobby farm in Scarsdale, New York. There he was forced to plant, weed, mow and pick fruits, flowers and vegetables on an 8 acre ‘gent|emen’s farm’ replete with acres-wide vegetable gardens, a Versailles-style formal flower garden, a 100 tree fruit orchard and countless landscape shrubs, lawns and decorative beds. He escaped to Harvard College where he majored in Geology and the Harvard.
“One day back in the early 70’s while attending law school, he was held up and shot. As a result, he ran as far away as he could without a passport and ended up in Anchorage, Alaska. There, he has been able to translate his work-filled childhood into a meaningful and enjoyable hobby and avocation.
“Jeff hosted Alaska public te|evision’s most popular show, “Alaska Gardens with Jeff Lowenfels.” The show was so popular, it ran four times a week and aired even in Barrow, way above the Arctic Circle. He also hosted a popular, weekly, garden radio show until his travel schedule lecturing around the world caught up with him.
“Most important, Jeff is the founder of a now national program that started as ‘Plant a Row for Bean’s,’ the soup kitchen in Anchorage, and is now ‘Plant A Row for The Hungry.’ The program is active all 50 states and Canada and has resulted in millions pounds of garden produce being donated to feed the hungry every year.
“Jeff is as passionate about ‘Plant a Row’ as he is about organics. He encourages gardeners every where he goes to participate in the program and constantly reminds his fellow garden communicators of the pressing need to solve the hunger problem.”
In addition to Lowenfels filing today, Republican Nick Begich also filed with the Division of Elections, and several other candidates are expected to file in the coming hours, as the special primary election filing deadline approaches on April 1.
Wow – I’ve said for years we should be governed by Philosophers and Organic Gardeners – I have all three of Jeff’s books – If he stands with the second amendment, I’ll be loving voting for Jeff! – With the daily bad news, this news has brightened my day today – Where do I get my Lowenfels bumper stickers?
You would seriously vote for someone based on so little information? There’s so many important factors that should be involved in picking a qualified representative. Your comment shows why we have so many folks in office that are there because of popularity and not qualifications & do a terrible job. This isn’t high school, this is real life & job.
For the record, I believe Jeff is incredible in his field, I’ve followed him for over 30 years but I want to know where he & all of the candidates stand before making a decision. I really hope you do as well.
I wish you the best.
This guy’s gardening columns are the worst bit of recycled and debunked nonsense. His first solution is to “ban” anything he doesn’t like (typical Jeff, one example of many: “leaf blowers are loud and burn gas. They should be banned.”)
He once wrote an entire column on how it’s shameful the Forget Me Not is Alaska’s state flower, claiming it was an invasive species that should be burbed on sight and “banned”. Turns out there multiple varieties of Forget Me Not, and the State flower is based on a native species widespread in the state. Nothing from Jeff, no corrections, in fact he doubled and tripled down. Ban them all he says.
He once spent his “gardening” column railing against Trump, specifically Melania, claiming she was certain to soon have Michelle Obama’s White House garden uprooted and burned. That was 2017, and years later Melania was still using it to garden and host school groups there. Silence from Jeff.
The list goes on. This guy is a hard core leftist who is wrong more than he’s right.
So: regarding the advancement of admiralty beyond it’s natural boundaries, a hallmark of tyranny, which is true because we can’t have both; do we have precedents of the concept of greater good (40 day prior precedents) or Roe V Wade (my body my choice)? Because we can’t have both. One wiped out the other without a smidge left. Where does Queen Stutes get her monarchial masking authority? Fairbanks?
So: regarding the advancement of admiralty beyond its natural boundaries, a hallmark of tyranny, which is true because we can’t have both; do we have precedents of the concept of greater good (40 day prior precedents) or Roe V Wade (my body my choice)? Because we can’t have both. One wiped out the other without a smidge left. Where does Queen Stutes get her monarchial masking authority? Fairbanks?
Really? When I sent an email to him with some gardening questions (as I thought he lived locally), I was told he lives in Portland. So what is it? Does he live here or there??
I would say probably half of the executives (CEO’s, COO’s and CFO’s) I know and work with have second homes outside of the state – attorneys as well, especially the older ones. Jeff has been around a long time, I’m sure he’s got a second place.
Of course I live in Alaska….send the questions!
Besides being ‘America’s Dirtiest Lawyer’ what are your political views and where can we go to see them expressed?
Hello Jeff ,
Thank you for considering to work for this great state .
Please outline why you will do a better job than Nick . Please outline what you plan to change or develop that will improve our state and the nation . Do you stand with biden and his parties policies? Would you have allowed our troops to have stayed in Afghanistan as other representatives did?
What is your position regarding oil development? Would you have voted to impeach trump? Do you believe J-6 was an insurrection? Will you allow the patriot act to stand ? Would you have voted for barret and cavanaugh as justices? Do your judicial theories align with Justice Thomas?
Thank you for considering stepping up for Alaska. ( i would prefer to discuss gardening)
He most definitely lives in Anchorage, out on W Dimond area. He’s super active in and dedicated to our community.
Better check and see democrats. This may not be your phase of the moon.
No thanks!
Also is he from the state of Alaska doesn’t do ANILCA blue tarp camp?
Sorry, this fellow does not impress. He has been around for a long time and accomplished very little. I heard him on the radio this afternoon and he declined to align with either party. He said nothing about what he believes or his principles. As a huge negative, I believe he went to Harvard.
JMARK, I’ve enjoyed reading Lowenfels gardening articles over the years. That said , his being a Lawyer with experience in management of a Law office in the DC swamp is most disconcerting. Alaska already has two swampy Senators, we hardly need another swamp creature in the House.
Jeff seems to be a well genuine, well
Intended candidate. I don’t see the ulterior motive, and that’s nice. Just on its face, it’s refreshing.
That said, I’m for the “Luke Skywalker” of the BEGICH clan; I’ll be voting for Nick.
This just in: my dog will file to run next week.
Pass me that box of ‘maters over there. We need to be good and prepared for this election.
I’m planning to vote to whoever is his opponent
Nope! No 70 year olds to represent Alaska! Age discrimination? Perhaps, I am in my 70’s, we need young blood who have a real connection with Alaska! That would be Nick Begich. We not only need to get rid of the “fossils” currently in our Congress by implementing “Term Limits” with new legislation but we need to set an age that you are too old to run, and 70 should suffice. Stay with your lovely gardening Jeff.
That’s too bad I will not vote for him. I emailed him once for advice on best plants for a grave site in Alaska, he was condescending and treated me as if I was stupid in his response.
So it took him 70 years to figure out what he really wanted to do? Wow!
I am not running as a D. I am not affiliated with any party…and am running as such.
I have simply not changed an old affiliation. I also used to be an R…both were for primary voting….
Jeff, I am in the middle somewhere, as you are. It’s a shame people feel one must be in a party in order to be effective. And a bigger shame that you cannot be trustworthy if you don’t pick a side. I wish more citizens and candidates would ditch the party system and just act as genuine and polite community members who can respectfully and thoughtfully debate issues in the effort to arrive at the most optimum solutions for us all.
Not sure which one, but he will get one of my votes for sure. No one who is running for Don’s seat will have any seniority, so we have to make do with that. Jeff is smart, knows the system and will work hard.
Great, an organic pot farming bureaucrat lawyer. Any relation to Walter?
The article lost me with the Cannabis angle. Funny as 60 years of Loco weed has led to the hunger problem and so-called addict homeless baloney. if there really is a hunger problem in the world’s breadbasket – America. I know from long experience that “organic” mostly grows growers bank accounts at fools expense.
Exit…stage right!
You seem to miss the numerous reasons “organic” is superior to
conventional farming. Your “long experience” probably is limited to simply looking at the price tag without understanding the immense benefits to Mother Earth, the farmers, and to the consumers. Too bad.
These days an “R” by a name makes me skeptical, but to me a “D” is a sure kiss of death. The Democrat Party is the part ty of death, so it would seem mr. Lowenfels loves his plants more than unborn babies.
A hard “No”.
An independent who worked to set up the Chinese gas project, gardens for the homeless and grows dope. I’m sure he has our best interest at heart.
I have known Jeff from a distance off and on for over 40 years. He may be registered as a Dem but he has never sounded like one nor engaged in the partisan politics scene. His CV and other background interests suggests he is well versed on many relevant topics.
Compared to the other Dems who are interested, he is like a breath of fresh air. I look forward to reading about his agenda and listening to him answer questions. Who knows.
I could not agree more….I have 46 years of Alaskan experience from being an assistant Attorney General to running Yukon Pacific. I hope to show voters I am dead serious, blunt speaking and have the right experiences to do the job we have all come to expect from our Congressman
I am running as a Non Partisan…which is what I am./ I have been registered as an R and a D for primary purposes like so many alaskan.
I am going to concentrate on Alaska issues. I have opinions on everything from abortion to gun control as does everyone….Lots discussed here are real hot buttons, but not things that help an Alaskan Congressman…..just saying…so someone asked about Biden. You are damn right I will try and get along with him…etc etc…There are more toyota owners than ALaskans. If they want legislation over our interest, they get it. We need to find the commonality…not the divineness
All these pronouncements of “non partisan/independent” conjure up a Bryce Edgmon vibe here and that gives me reasons to doubt. Jeff, I am also not clear about your last statement. Finding commonality makes sense but divineness, as in “divinity or extreme excellence”?? Huh?
Perhaps it’s a typo — maybe he meant “divisiveness”
No kidding, duh!
I was hoping for Jeff to elaborate and give a better insight, why he made that statement. In good liberal speak “commonality” means “agree with us at all times” or you are “divisive” because you interrupt the group think and make us uncomfortable by having to face facts, we would rather ignore.
Not a “D” just like miss”we don’t do partisan politics here” Constant.. Yes.. It really said that to me in an email reply just before informing me my email was blocked!
Since he is running as a Democrat he can blame todays Democrats for when he doesn’t win, as someone that grew up around them I don’t even recognize that party anymore.
If you read Jeff’s comments above, He is not running as a D or R, but as Non Partisan.
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