Rep. Neal Foster, the powerful Democrat co-chair of the House Finance Committee, is only 38 votes ahead in a primary race in which newcomer Tyler Ivanoff of Shishmaref challenged him.

Just one precinct — Diomede — has not yet reported, and the absentee ballots are yet to be counted.

Ivanoff filed to run against the legacy Democrat in Nome District 39. Foster is the son of the late Rep. Richard Foster, who represented the district from 1989 until his death in 2009.

Upon his death, Neal applied for his seat and was appointed by Gov. Sean Parnell. Foster was elected the following year and has served for the past decade.

Foster is a graduate of Nome-Beltz High School, Stanford University, and University of Alaska.

Ivanoff ran on a pro-Permanent Fund dividend platform, something that distinguishes him from Foster, who voted to cut the dividend and use a portion of it for state services.

Ivanoff was the mayor of the City of Elim and president of the Native Village of Elim.

“I’m here to Stand up for Alaskans and District 39. I will do anything I can to let the people of Alaska decide how they want to spend the Permanent Fund. It should never be the Legislatures decision, no matter how tough that decision may be. I’m all for protecting the PFD and enshrining the Original Formula in the State Constitution,” Ivanoff wrote on his campaign website.

Shishmaref is a small, isolated community of 550 people located on Sarichef Island in the Chukchi Sea, five miles from mainland Alaska. From the island, Russia can be seen on a clear day.

With few votes left to be counted, it’s a safe bet that Foster will retain his position as the Democratic nominee to face Republican Dan Holmes, who was unopposed and won 536 votes in the Republican primary.

But the Democrat race could tighten and be forced into a recount. Absentees will be counted starting Aug. 25.

The Foster-Ivanoff race is one of six Democrat primary contests for Alaska House seats this year. The only other close race is in District 1, where Bennie Colbert trails Christopher Quist, 384-395, with all precincts counted but no absentees accounted for. The only other incumbent Democrat to get a same-party challenge was Adam Wool of District 5 Fairbanks. He won 675 votes to Taryn Hughes’ 446 votes and will face Republican Kevin McKinley in the General Election — for a second match up. McKinley ran two years ago against Wool.

By SCOTT LEVESQUE

The District 15 House primary race, which featured incumbent Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux pitted against primary challenger David Nelson, garnered a lot of interest around the state.

LeDoux is facing one felony charge and nine misdemeanors charges in conjunction with voter misconduct related to her 2014 and 2018 campaigns. The charges originated from an investigation into the 2018 Republican House primary.  

The joint investigation by Alaska State Troopers and the FBI revealed LeDoux lobbied for individuals living outside District 15 to vote in the 2014 and 2018 primary and general elections.

LeDoux’s former chief of staff, Lisa Simpson and Simpson’s son, Caden Vaught, have been accused of soliciting votes from individuals living outside the district. Both have been charged with several counts of voter misconduct. 

As LeDoux entered the 2020 elections, serious questions loomed about voter confidence and the possibility of reelection. Those questions were answered last night as challenger David Nelson took a commanding lead in the District 15 House primary garnering 407 votes to LeDoux’s 106. 

LeDoux won fewer votes than the leading Democrat on the other “ADL” ballot. Lyn Franks received 188 votes and will proceed to the November ballot to face off with Nelson.

The election results were consistent with a recent poll conducted between August 11 – 13 of 121 registered Republican voters in District 15. In that poll, LeDoux had 19 percent support, Nelson had 49 percent and undecided were 32 percent in the Republican primary.

But the pending court case did not do LeDoux any favors in the court of public opinion. 

In District 15, voter turnout has always been a challenge. In 2014 only 34% of the district voted compared to 2016 at 37%, and in 2018 the percentage dropped to 28%.

What is clear is that voters in JBER-Muldoon want a new face representing their interests in Juneau.

In South Anchorage, Reps. Chuck Kopp and Jennifer Johnston, each polished and experienced lawmakers and campaigners, were soundly trounced in Tuesday’s primaries by challengers from the right.

The voting patterns in their districts — 24 and 28 — were almost identical on Primary Election Day.

The two Republicans got in trouble with their bases after they organized a Democrat-Republican caucus that put Democrats in charge of key committees, and installed a Democrat speaker, all of which made Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s agenda fall flat, even though the House was clearly dominated by Republicans.

Kopp became Rules chair in that House organization, and Johnston became vice chair of Finance, eventually ascending to co-chair.

Kopp, the District 24’s Republican incumbent, only received 601 votes on Tuesday.

In 2018, Kopp won 1,535 of the primary ballots, compared with challenger Stephen Duplantis’ 642 votes.

This year it was flipped, with challenger Tom McKay bringing in twice the votes that Kopp received — 1,202.

Johnston, District 28’s Republican incumbent, received just 600 votes in the Republican primary. Newcomer James Kaufman won decisively with 1,625.

Two years ago, Johnston won the primary with 1,637 votes.

Both incumbents are solid campaigners and both are likable, have excellent communication skills, and have the benefit of professional staff who take personal leave to work on their campaigns with them.

But it wasn’t enough for South Anchorage, which turned a lot more “red” on Tuesday. Both seats are considered safe Republican for the General Election.

The numbers on these races and others in Alaska will change as absentee ballots are counted beginning Aug. 25. But they won’t be enough to pull either of these public officials to victory.