LABOR AND COMMERCE LEADERS ATTEND: Sen. Kevin Meyer, who started his political career on a local community council, stood before a group of 50 business leaders and announced his candidacy for lieutenant governor on Wednesday.
The group was a fascinating blend of constituencies who gathered in Enstar’s basement meeting room for sandwiches and the announcement.
Conservatives like former Sen. Bill Stoltze, Americans for Prosperity Alaska Director Jeremy Price, and GOP stalwart Randy Ruedrich attended the fundraiser hosted by Enstar CEO John Sims and Curtis Thayer, president of the Alaska Chamber of Commerce.
Also attending were AFL-CIO President Vince Beltrami and Laborers’ Business Manager Joey Merrick.
Neither labor leaders had attended the Sept. 5 fundraiser for Gov. Bill Walker and Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott, whom they supported in 2014. But both stayed to the very end of the fundraiser for Meyer, and had their picture taken with him.
Others who joined the mix of supporters were John Binkley of Fairbanks, a possible candidate for governor; Ryan Binkley, who has formed up a business partnership to save the Alaska Dispatch News from collapsing; Becky Hultberg, president of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association; Eddie Grasser of Safari Club International (Alaska), Aves Thompson, President of the Alaska Truckers Association; Tuckerman Babcock, chairman of the Alaska Republican Party; and Moira Smith, who is general counsel at Enstar and the better half of the infamous Democrat Jake Metcalfe, (former chair of Alaska Democratic Party.)
Meyer said he would be running an aggressive campaign and yesterday he launched his campaign website.
Other Republicans who have filed letters of intent to run for LG include Lynn Gattis, who served in the House of Representatives for Wasilla, and Sen. Gary Stevens of Kodiak.