By CASSIE LAWVER / CORRESPONDENT

Rep. Sarah Vance and candidate Kelly Cooper took part in two very different forums on Wednesday, as candidates for House District 31, where Vance is the incumbent.

The first forum was broadcast by KBBI, Homer’s public radio station, during the “Coffee Table” show hosted by Kathleen Gustafson. Over the years, KBBI has not been kind to Rep. Sarah Vance. But then, KBBI is generally not kind to any conservative who enters the KBBI broadcasting universe. 

Cooper appeared comfortable and confident as she spoke to the liberal radio audience, her answers aligning with the perspective of left-of-center public radio listeners.

Rep. Sarah Vance spoke with confidence as well. She was prepared for the questions, as well as the follow-up grilling that is Gustafson’s trademark for those who don’t share her opinions.

Gustafson, Homer’s liberal sword for the left, once famously berated Gov. Sarah Palin, when Gustafson unfurled a large sign that read “Worst Governor Ever” during a Palin visit to Homer. Palin approached Gustafson to be friendly, and the two had a lively exchange captured on video and shared around the world:

Gustafson: You swore on your precious Bible that you would uphold the interests of this state, and then when cash was waved in front of your face, you quit.

Palin: OH, you wanted me to be your governor! I’m honored! Thank you!

This was the nature of the trap Vance was walking into on Wednesday, and the questions offered by Gustafson were to be expected.

Most questions to Rep. Vance were prefaced with Gustafson commentary, such as “Representative Vance, you have been posing for pictures all over the state, indoors without a mask at Republican functions….”

The mask question to Kelly was softer: “Do you mask when…you’re wearing a mask right now…”

At one-point, Gustafson interrupted Vance to repeat a question, as Vance was trying to answer it. That badgering did not happen when Gustafson spoke to Cooper.

Through it all, Vance stuck to the facts, with courtesy and confidence, answering every question in what was clearly a hostile environment.

Listen to the KBBI program with Vance and Cooper at this link.

Seven hours later the two were at the Homer Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum, held at the Land’s End Resort.

The chamber had been advertising the forum as “in-person” or “live stream.” But less than 24 hours before the event, candidate Cooper asked the chamber to not allow people to attend.

Thanks to a couple of conservative media groups, Peninsula Radio Group and Must Read Alaska, this reporter was able to attend this forum as their correspondent.

This forum was different from the KBBI approach.

Cooper appeared uncomfortable and while she maintained confidence, her voice lack the excitement and warmth she had while sitting in the KBBI studio talking to the liberal listeners. The chamber forum consists of questions submitted by businesses in the city of Homer.

Vance and Cooper agreed on 4 issues: the Homer deep water port; marine services; voting no on Ballot Measure 2; and moving legislative sessions to somewhere on the road system.

On other issues they disagreed.

Right to life was one of those issues. Cooper is pro-choice. She believes government should not be involved in a woman right to choose or reproductive health.

Vance is pro-life. She believes a child is a gift and we should honor and value life. Women should be supported all along the way and given all
options. Vance supports family unity and adoptions.

One question Cooper never answered was whether she would join a “binding caucus.”

Vance said she was a firm “no” on the binding caucus. When it came to Cooper’s time to answer the question, she instead asked Vance a question about her joining the Republican caucus.

Vance explained that a caucus is a group of like-minded people and that is what she joined with fellow Republicans. What she did not join is a “binding caucus,” which she said would require her to sell her vote on the budget to the majority leader.

After the business owner questions, candidates had five minutes to talk about whatever they wanted. Vance spoke about how she seeks good governance. Cooper used the time to talk about the pandemic. She relies on the science and wears a mask to protect others. She ended by asking others to show a little more grace.

Cassie Lawver of Homer writes for her blog, Changing the Narrative.

A tsunami of voting is occurring in Alaska. But does it mean a high turnout or simply a change in voting patterns as a result of the coronavirus pandemic?

Analysis of one Anchorage district shows that only five percent of the Democrat early voters are new voters, and over 50 percent of the Democrat early voters vote in nearly every election. Over 95 percent of them share an address with someone who votes in nearly single election (a super voter).

Alaskans have requested 138,209 absentee ballots from the Division of Elections, with just two days to go before the deadline passes to request an absentee ballot.

So far, Alaska voters have voted over 64,385 ballots. That includes 11,267 in-person ballots cast since early voting began on Monday, and 49,713 ballots voted and sent in by mail.

The turnout so far compares to 102,284 total absentee, early, and online ballots issued in the 2018 election, and a total of 97,571 of them voted.

As of Thursday morning’s count, that means 66 percent of all the early ballots cast in 2018 have already been cast this year, with 12 days until the election is over.

As usual, House District 28 is voting the most, with 2,411 absentee ballots cast so far — the highest in the state. House District 40, however, only saw 165 voting absentee or early, so far.

TRAVEL FOLKS IN ALASKA STEP UP TO SUPPORT

Sullivan has also received the endorsement of the United Fishermen of Alaska, which represents over 60 fishing organizations.

Sen. Dan Sullivan voiced his full support for Amy Coney Barrett for the U.S. Supreme Court.

“She clearly understands the separation of powers and federalism, holds a healthy skepticism regarding the expansive power of federal agencies, and is a strong protector and proponent of the Second Amendment—all issues that my constituents care deeply about,” Sullivan said on the Senate floor.

While Sen. Lisa Murkowski has demurred from saying what her position is on the president’s nominee to the high court, Sullivan specifically mentioned Alaska’s rights granted at statehood for access to our land.

“Why are these issues so important to Alaska and central to us realizing our potential? Mr. President, let me give you a brief but recent example of an issue that recently made its way through the Ninth Circuit—which often is the bane of our existence in Alaska—to the Supreme Court, not once, but twice, and was unanimously agreed to by the Supreme Court. In a case that some in the media will be familiar with, Sturgeon vs. Frost—a moose hunter, a hover craft, and the wild Interior of Alaska made for some great headlines. But the issue being litigated in that case was one of control, one of freedom—control of our lands, our waters, our fish and game,” he said.

“The federal government, in essence, told John Sturgeon he couldn’t use his hovercraft on federal waters to go hunting. “Yes, I can,” said Sturgeon. He knew the law. Then there was litigation. It is one that comes up time and again in Alaska. The issue of federal overreach, agency creep. In Alaska, we have a front row [seat] to this problem. We’ve seen it happen to us consistently by the courts, particularly, as I mentioned, the judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. When they interpret statutes involving my state—and there are many federal statutes that only relate to Alaska—in a way that fits with their ideas and policy notions about the way the federal lands in Alaska should be managed. In essence, they typically think that less control by the people and more control by the government is what is needed. But, Mr. President, that often is not what Congress wrote and what Congress intended. It’s the absolute opposite of judicial humility, failing to read the statutes as we, in this body, wrote them. It’s failing to exhibit the kind of textualism that Judge Barrett ascribes to and [that] was so on display during her hearings.”

The vote is scheduled for Monday in the Senate.