“Dunleavy For Alaska,” a group of Alaskans that plan to work toward the election of Mike Dunleavy as governor, filed its paperwork with Alaska Public Offices Commission.
The chairman of the independent expenditure group is political activist Terre Gales, a former candidate for Anchorage Assembly who now lives in Wasilla. Bob Griffin of Anchorage is treasurer. Cheryl Frasca, who has worked as a budget expert for much of her career, filed the paperwork this afternoon.
The group has not yet launched its web site, but will begin fundraising this week, organizers said.
“We believe we will have significant support. A lot of people are excited for this. We’re recruiting volunters and hiring professionals and I’m excited about the many Alaskans who will be working with us,” Gales said.
An independent expenditure group can’t coordinate with the candidate’s campaign but can do things the candidate cannot do: Accept corporate donations and also unlimited donations. Under the current APOC rules, the independent groups tend to have a lot more to work with financially than the candidates themselves, because in Alaska, candidates are limited to $500 donations in a calendar year.
The group is not to be confused with Alaskans for Dunleavy, which is the candidate’s campaign name.
Dunleavy is a Republican who left the state Senate earlier this month to focus on his campaign for governor. The other Republicans who have filed are Rep. Mike Chenault and business entrepreneur Scott Hawkins, as well as Michael Sheldon of Petersburg.
Gov. Bill Walker, the incumbent, is not registered with a party but has the full support of the Alaska Democratic Party. The Democrats are not running a candidate for governor, but are working on the non-aligned Walker campaign.