A joint hearing of the Alaska Republican Party’s House Districts 7 and 8 (Kenai Peninsula Senate Seat D) will convene on Thursday, July 3, at 5 p.m. at Paradiso’s Restaurant in Kenai to consider a formal request to censure State Sen. Jesse Bjorkman.
The hearing stems from a complaint formally filed in May by six registered Republican constituents — three from each district within Senate District D, which Bjorkman represents. The complaint alleges Bjorkman has violated party principles and rules outlined in Article VII of the Alaska Republican Party’s bylaws, and it calls for censure under those provisions.
The complaint was approved by the officers of both Districts 7 and 8 and hand-delivered to Senator Bjorkman on June 17 by District 7 Chairman Jim Reveal, along with an invitation to attend the July 3 hearing to defend his actions.
As of this writing, Bjorkman has not responded to the invitation.
At the hearing, district officers will consider three main charges against Bjorkman:
- Deviation from the Republican Platform: The complaint asserts that Bjorkman voted in favor of legislation inconsistent with the Alaska Republican Party’s principles, citing as an example his support of House Bill 57. The bill, nicknamed the “Big Brother Bill,” drew criticism from within the party for perceived government overreach and infringement on parental rights.
- Formation of a Non-Republican Majority Caucus: The complainants allege that Bjorkman joined a legislative majority led by non-Republicans, with 5 of its 14 members registered as Republicans, falling afoul of party rules that discourage Republican officials from joining coalitions dominated by non-Republicans.
- Conduct Allegedly Bringing Dishonor to the Party: The complaint further alleges that Bjorkman has made false and misleading public statements, including mischaracterizations of his legislative partnerships.
Under ARP rules, a censure for non-statewide elected officials like Sen. Bjorkman requires a two-thirds vote by each of the affected district committees. Alternatively, a majority of organized districts may also vote to censure under statewide procedures. Sanctions may include ineligibility for party endorsement, recruitment of challengers, and prohibition from participating in party events.
The hearing will be open to the public unless moved into executive session with Bjorkman’s consent. Voting is limited to district officers and precinct leaders of Districts 7 and 8.
A meeting schedule is expected to be released over the weekend.
Bjorkman, elected to the Alaska Senate in 2022, replaced retiring Sen. Peter Micciche. Bjorkman has frequently drawn criticism from members the party for his Democrat positions and for caucusing with the Democrats in violation of the Republican platform.
The outcome of the hearing may have long-term political implications for Bjorkman, but his current term doesn’t end until 2029.
Please let us know when Republicans begin to behave as they promise. As far as I am aware, Republicans can be relied upon to be as disappointing, unprincipled, and evil as Lincoln, thus being helpers of the commie Democrats.
Do you even know what a commie is? Please define it!
RINO Bjorkman, a phony and a Democrat.
We need to censure the RINO NeoCon Yundt and Jubilee of the Valley.
Traitors.
Censoring him is like censoring Murkowski from the Alaska GOP and districts. It won’t make any difference and life and politics keeps moving on. No big deal.. Just another comic act of the Alaska GOP with chuckles.
I don’t believe “censure” is going to achieve party discipline, and it appears that HB16 will erode party discipline yet more, which its likely exactly what it has been proposed to do. CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM. Money is the lifeblood of these parasites. Dry it up. There’s an old saying:
Democrats are after power, and they need money to get it. Republicans are after money, and they need power to get it.
CONTROL THE MONEY.
Another fake Republican, eager to sacrifice the conservative agenda and play with the Democrats. Censure may not get the immediate desired result, but it starts the process of culling these bastards.
(D)emocrats discipline their members who don’t toe the party line. They censure them. They primary them. The refuse to fund their campaigns. This should also be what happens to Bjorkman. If you don’t walk like a Republican and you don’t talk like a Republican and don’t act like a Republican then you probably aren’t a Republican. Actions have consequences, Bjorkman. The same thing should happen to Giessel, Merrick and the rest. Censure, zero funding, primary defeats. They serve neither conservative values nor their constituents by running on something and then sneaking off to the other side of the aisle when the legislature convenes to act like the opposition.
So, the illiterate fools who vote for these shite stains have no responsibility?
Have you considered Republicans may be the problem?
The only such problem is with the fact that candidates like Bjorkman campaign on “conservative values”, then sell out. It happens like clockwork. We even have Outsiders come here and do it deliberately. There are no shortage of Democrat communists winning offices, and the only complaint among Democrats is that not enough of their political leaders are communists.
Did I consider Republicans may be the problem? Did you read my post? Yes, Republicans are the problem. Especially RINOs like Cathy Giessel and Kelly Merrick for starters.
More strongly-worded letters will certainly turn things around.
We need to do the same thing to Yundt, and put Jubilee on notice to get her act together and stop all the RINO NeoCon nonsense.
Censure provides a new opposing candidate to the above named RINOS a chance to show the public the true intentions of the RINO. This will show the difference between them. In a debate they can state the RINO candidate was censured for lying to the Republican Party
The meeting is open to Registered Republicans only, not the public at large.
Please let Suzanne know to edit this article– Wednesday is July 2–not 3–so which day is the meeting?
The fact that she can’t even get the date correct pretty sums up the MRAK as a credible news source. When your only goal is to stir up the hate and anger of the base facts don’t really matter.
^^^^^ Translation:
“Bjorkman isn’t the problem. Suzanne is for writing the article, because she got the date wrong on the meeting that many can’t attend, anyway.”
Brilliant. You should be king.
Yeah – the Anchorage Daily News is the bible.
Time for another Covid booster!
Who are the Republicans that keep voting for these people? 👀
Republicans are only 25% of voters, D at 16%. If they do not work across party lines, nothing will happen. Whining about working with both sides is absurd.
“………nothing will happen………”
Our political system, a democratic republic, is designed with so many checks and balances that little can get done by design. If you can’t look around and figure out why that is, I suggest lots of reading on human history.
The meeting is July 3rd 1700 hours, Pardisos Kenai. It is a Thursday folks.