Before the Lincoln Day Dinner at Pike’s in Fairbanks, a crowd of about 200 protesters showed up with signs, as they have been doing across the state.
But the Republicans in Fairbanks were ready for them: They posted a 4×8 sign in front of the venue that said, “Welcome Peaceful Protesters We Respect Your First Amendment Rights.”
The sign instructed them to respect private property boundaries. Several “property boundary” signs were installed along the property line.
Inside, the annual Lincoln Day Dinner, a fundraiser for area Republican committees, proceeded. US Sen. Dan Sullivan was the keynote speaker, and many auction items being bid on by those attending, including a lynx pelt by none other than Sen. Mike Cronk, a legendary hunter and trapper.
Two local Republicans appeared in masks depicting Donald Trump and Elon Musk:
Bill Satterberg and Craig Compeau came to the dinner in costume.
Sen. Sullivan’s speech was fiery, and at one point he took a copy of the 70 executive orders that President Joe Biden has made against Alaska and tore it up, tossing the pieces to the crowd like confetti.
The sold-out event brought people from across the state: Bernadette Wilson from Anchorage, Pam Melin and CJ Koan came from the Mat-Su Valley, and Commissioner of Revenue Adam Crum flew in for the event. Party Chairwoman Carmela Warfield served as the emcee. Patty Weissel received the Ruth Burnett Republican Woman of the Year award for his distinguished service.
The Alaska Democratic Party and its associated network of activists are busy trying to find the right candidates for every available position for the coming 2026 election cycle, when the entire House, half the Senate, the Governor’s Office, and a US Senate seat will be on the ballot.
Polling and analysis are part of the process. Recent polls suggest they will run Mary Peltola for governor, and they will keep all other Democrats off the ballot, to the extent they can.
Data for Progress, one of the leading pollsters that inform Democrats, puts Peltola in the driver’s seat in the governor’s race. The poll, conducted Feb. 28-March 7, shows that 44% of respondents say they would rank Peltola, while 34% say they would rank Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom.
Data for Progress, like most pollsters, leans left and is used by Democrats primarily. It frequently advocates for climate change agendas and social justice causes like DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion), favored by Democrats.
Political activist Pat Race in Juneau did his own poll. He’s not a professional pollster, but more of an activist with a penchant for data. It’s unclear what his methodology was, but he came up with similar good news for Democrat Peltola.
Race’s “Alaska Governor’s Race 2026 — Let’s not mess this up again” report was heavily responded to by Democrats and nonpartisans (who vote Democrat mainly, according to historical data). Of the 224 respondents, only three were Republicans, and over 25% of respondents were from the Southeast Alaska region, a leftist stronghold.
Race’s mostly Democrat responders ranked these possible gubernatorial candidates. They were offered nearly all liberal choices:
Mary Peltola: 30.36%
Val Davidson: 12.50%
Forrest Dunbar: 11.16%
Click Bishop: 9.38%
Bill Wielechowski: 7.59%
Heidi Drygas: 7.59%
Cathy Giessel: 3.13%
Alyse Galvin: 3.13%
Bryce Edgmon: 3.13%
Jesse Kiehl: 3.13%
Pat Race: 2.68%
Loki Tobin: 2.23%
Tom Begich: 2.23%Meda DeWitt: 1.79%
Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins: 1.79%Mike Navarre: 1.79%
Les Gara: 1.79%
Lisa Murkowski: 1.79%
Then Race categorized what he calls the “Flat Tires,” which he said was “anyone who should just stay home.” The result was (verbatim descriptions):
Nancy Dahlstrom: 6.25%
Dunleavy Lackeys & Crum Bros: 5.80%
Any Begich: 4.46%
Mary Peltola: 4.02%
Sarah Palin: 4.02%
Bill Walker: 3.57%
Click Bishop: 3.57%
Tom Begich: 3.57%
Les Gara: 3.13%
MAGA Candidates: 3.13%
Jamie Allard: 2.23%
Al Gross: 1.79%
Kelly Tshibaka: 1.79%
Mark Begich: 1.79%
While admittedly not scientific, the effort by Pat Race along with the recent Data for Progress poll (done for an unknown client) demonstrate a rising level of interest and support for Peltola for governor among the Democrats in Alaska. Peltola, who now works as a political consultant at the law firm of Holland and Hart, would not have to leave her six-figure job in order to run for governor. She has been making appearances across the state at Democrat events in recent weeks, raising her profile.
There’s no indication that the Democrats want to put Peltola up against Congressman Nick Begich, who beat her in 2024.
On the Republican side, the potential field is still developing, with many politically engaged Alaskans evaluating their chances on the ranked-choice ballot that will still be in effect in 2026, along with a potential ballot question that removes that style of voting that has been used in Alaska since 2022.
In a new executive action released Friday night, President Donald Trump issued a memorandum targeting unethical conduct by attorneys and law firms who play dirty in the political arena. He specifically highlighted the actions of Marc Elias, founder and chair of Elias Law Group LLP.
Elias is one of the more prominent attorneys in Washington, DC who helps shape dark-money influence in the nation’s capital and in the states, including Alaska.
The memorandum references Elias’s involvement in the 2016 presidential election, alleging that he played a pivotal role in commissioning the Steele Dossier by a foreign national, intended to provide a basis for federal law enforcement to investigate a Trump, who was a candidate for president then, and potentially influence the election’s outcome. Trump asserts that Elias sought to conceal the involvement of his client, Hillary Clinton, in the dossier’s creation. Clinton was the Democratic Party’s candidate for president.
Elias, through his work with the Elias Law Group and previously with Perkins Coie (already sanctioned by Trump), has a long history of engaging in election-related litigation across the country. He is deeply involved with Arabella Advisers, a dark-money network that has created a funding pipeline to Alaska Democrat causes that are influencing the political landscape in the 49th state.
For example, in September, the Alaska Democratic Party filed a lawsuit against the Alaska Division of Elections to prevent the printing of the general election ballot. The party sought to remove Eric Hafner, a Democratic candidate and convicted felon, from the congressional race on the grounds of ineligibility and potential voter confusion. Marc Elias and his law firm represented the Alaska Democratic Party in this case, which failed.
The effort by Elias and the party was an attempt to clear the field of Democrats so that Rep. Mary Peltola would have no contenders on the general election ballot who had a “D” next to their name.
Elias’ initiatives have been funded in part by the Hopewell Fund, managed by Arabella, and he sponsored an organization called Democracy Docket, now known as the Free Election Fund, to litigate against Republicans. It is a project of the Hopewell Fund.
To address concerns about Elias’ and other attorneys engaging in unscrupulous litigation, President Trump has directed the Attorney General to:
Seek sanctions against attorneys and law firms engaging in frivolous, unreasonable, and vexatious litigation against the United States.
Prioritize enforcement of regulations governing attorney conduct and discipline.
Refer attorneys for disciplinary action when their conduct appears to violate professional conduct rules, particularly in cases impacting national security, homeland security, public safety, or election integrity.
Review attorney conduct over the past eight years in litigation against the federal government and recommend further actions if misconduct is identified.
President Donald Trump has issued a memorandum revoking the security clearances of several prominent political figures from the Biden and Obama Administrations, including former President Joe Biden and his family, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and former Secretary of States Antony Blinken and Hillary Clinton.
The order directs all executive departments and agency heads to take necessary actions to revoke any active security clearances held by these individuals and to rescind their access to classified information. This includes denying unescorted access to secure U.S. government facilities and revoking the ability to receive classified briefings, such as the President’s Daily Brief.
President Trump said it is no longer in the national interest for these individuals to access classified information. In 2121, Biden blocked Trump from receiving intelligence briefings, after Biden took over the White House.
Traditionally, former presidents and senior officials retain access to certain classified information to provide advisory support. However, Biden’s actions were a deviation from the norm and Trump’s memorandum indicates he believes the people on the list are actual adversaries.
“Antony Blinken, Jacob Sullivan, Lisa Monaco, Mark Zaid, Norman Eisen, Letitia James, Alvin Bragg, Andrew Weissmann, Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Cheney, Kamala Harris, Adam Kinzinger, Fiona Hill, Alexander Vindman, Joseph R. Biden Jr., and any other member of Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s family. Therefore, I hereby direct every executive department and agency head to take all additional action as necessary and consistent with existing law to revoke any active security clearances held by the aforementioned individuals and to immediately rescind their access to classified information. I also direct all executive department and agency heads to revoke unescorted access to secure United States Government facilities from these individuals,” the memorandum reads.
The US Coast Guard officially decommissioned the Coast Guard Cutter Naushon (WPB 1311) during a ceremony held in Homer on Friday, marking the end of nearly four decades of service. Rear Adm. Megan Dean, commander of Coast Guard District 17, presided over the event celebrating the vessel’s legacy and the dedication of its crews.
Commissioned on Oct. 3, 1986, Naushon was the 11th Island-Class cutter to join the Coast Guard fleet. The 110-foot patrol boat, a versatile multi-mission platform, has been used in supporting search and rescue operations, marine environmental protection, and national defense. Since being stationed in Homer in 2016, Naushon responded to more than 50 search-and-rescue cases and conducted nearly 900 law enforcement sorties.
Lt. Markham Ross, Naushon’s commanding officer, reflected on the cutter’s impact on both the mission and the local community.
“I’m incredibly proud of the partnerships we’ve built and the positive impact Naushon and its crew have had on the local community and economy,” Ross said.
The Coast Guard is phasing out its aging Island-Class patrol boats, including Naushon, as part of a modernization effort. These vessels are being replaced by the Sentinel-Class Fast Response Cutters (FRCs), which offer more capabilities to meet the service’s evolving needs. Currently, four FRCs are homeported in Alaska, with two additional cutters slated for delivery in the near future.
Naushon’s decommissioning is the end of an era for the Island-Class fleet.
If it’s a Democrat town hall set up for a Republican this year, it’s definitely a trap. And the mainstream media will be playing along as if everything’s normal.
While Congressman Nick Begich and Sen. Dan Sullivan have crisscrossed the state, meeting with thousands of Alaskans this past week of time in their home state, the Democrat-aligned 907 Initiative, an Anchorage Daily News alumnus, and Democratic Party operatives from out of state are crafting a narrative of absence.
The Democrats have been setting up fake town hall meetings on their own without consulting the lawmakers, and using those town halls as attack-and-video events. No lawmaker in their right mind would show up at such a staged action, designed to capture video for future attack ads.
In general, Alaska Democrats are Big Mad that Begich and Sullivan aren’t walking into their partisan quicksand. They’re pulling in reporters to tell their side of the story.
Across the country this is being repeated. The Democratic Party and its dark-money lookalikes have been setting these traps as part of the party’s national strategy to use the time members are spending in their districts to set up Republicans and Republicans only. (Note: They have not used the same tactic on Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican who is elected with the help of Democrat voters and who has gotten a pass from the Democrats.)
“Yesterday, more than 600 Alaskans flooded the Wilda Marston Theater at the Loussac Library in Anchorage to call out Sen. Dan Sullivan and Rep. Nick Begich for hiding from their constituents in the face of devistating [sic] cuts to federal services,” the 907 Initiative reported in its press release from Democrat operative Aubrey Wieber, formerly a reporter with the Anchorage Daily News.
Begich spent the past two congressional recesses on the ground across Alaska, from Fairbanks to Juneau, meeting with countless Alaskans, local leaders, and community organizations.
Incredible week on the ground in Alaska meeting with countless real Alaskans. This is the part of the job that always encourages my team and I to keep up the fight in Washington. It’s their voice who I carry to the halls of Congress. pic.twitter.com/XVLMmdoPsl
— Congressman Nick Begich (@RepNickBegich) March 22, 2025
His week this time began at the March Madness Alaska basketball tournament at University of Alaska, where he connected with families, student athletes, and fans celebrating high school basketball.
Throughout the week, Congressman Begich held meeting after meeting to hear about key issues with leaders across numerous sectors, including energy, healthcare, youth development, Alaska Native leadership, and economic growth.
Engagements with multiple Alaska Native organizations including AFN, ARA, ANVCA, and VOICE of the Arctic Inupiat Begich spoke at events hosted by Commonwealth North, Americans for Prosperity, and the Meet Alaska Conference, where he delivered keynote remarks.
Begich toured the UAA campus, the Don Young Palmer Job Corps Center, and Alaska Military Youth Academy, emphasizing his commitment to education, job readiness, and military youth support.
He attended several March Madness Alaska tournaments to meet Alaskans face-to-face and cheer on student athletes. It was a whirlwind week of meeting face to face with Alaskans.
What he didn’t do is walk into the jaws of partisan groups that have already identified him as their top target for the 2026 election cycle.
The House Democrats’ super PAC, House Majority Forward, bought a $10 million ad series in January hitting GOP incumbents like Begich. Although they have yet not found a good candidate to challenge him, the Democrats are already trying to lower his favorability rating so they can take him out in 2026.
The fake town halls, the 907 Initiative dark-money operatives, the ad buys, and using the media are all part of the plan. It will only intensify as the year progresses.
It’s nice to have allies, especially in today’s political climate, and it’s reassuring to know there are like-minded people who support positive things, such as life and family. Such a gathering took place this past Tuesday, as Alaska Family Council held a reception at the Governor’s Mansion in Juneau.
Mike Dunleavy couldn’t attend because of an important trip outside, but he was gracious to still allow his official residence to be the gathering spot for the event, outside of which flew two pro-life flags, right below the Alaska state flag – a bold display of support for the pre-born.
Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom and Attorney General Treg Taylor were in attendance representing the executive branch, and with the following members of the legislative branch:
Reps. Jeremy Bynum, Sarah Vance, Justin Ruffridge, Bill Elam, Julie Coulombe, Mia Costello, David Nelson, Jamie Allard, Delena Johnson, Cathy Tilton, Jubilee Underwood, Elexie Moore, George Rauscher, Kevin McCabe, Mike Prax, Frank Tomaszewski, and Rebecca Schwanke; Sens. James Kaufman, Shelley Hughes, Rob Yundt, and Rob Myers.
These elected officials (Republicans all) were joined by church leaders, pregnancy resource center volunteers other pro-life staff members, and some folks who simply support AFC’s work and wanted to hear what the group is focusing on.
Dahlstrom addressed the gathered, speaking of the need for maintaining faith-based principles, especially at a time of fierce political divisiveness and debate. Her calm but confident demeanor projected optimism for the future of the state.
AFC Vice President Tim Barto informed the crowd of some of the bills AFC is supporting, such as Sen. Shelley Hughes’ constitutional amendment (SJR1) stating there is nothing in our state’s constitution that may be construed to secure or protect a right to an abortion or require state funds to pay for an abortion. Hughes continues to be one of the most outspoken supporters of common sense and common decency. She knows this proposed amendment, as well as other conservative social causes she supports, will bring condemnation from the Left, but she maintains her integrity by continuing to stand up for traditional values.
As does Rep. Jamie Allard, who has once again introduced a bill (HB40) to save girls’ sports from intrusion and ruination by boys who think they’re girls. Rep. Allard has also introduced a bill (HB45)to disallow flags promoting political ideologies – to include race, gender, or sexual orientation – from being flown inside public schools.
Rep. Sarah Vance has two bills (HB46 & HB47) designed to prevent from minors from accessing online pornography, and stiffening penalties for people who make, distribute, or sell that most vile of sexual material.
Sen. Robert Myers has put forward a bill (SB9) to provide a safe way for parents who don’t want to, or feel they can’t, take care of their infant children to drop them off in a secure manner at hospitals, emergency rooms, and police and fire departments. Representative Tomaszewski introduced the same bill (HB64) in the House. While it’s unfathomable to many of us that a parent would give up their young child, these proposed infant safety devices provide an alternative to the horror stories we hear about infants being left in dumpsters, bathrooms, or snowbanks.
All the bills mentioned so far come from conservative stalwarts, the type of people with whom AFC most commonly aligns, but there are a few bills that the organization supports that come from less likely sources. AFC supports SB18 and HB57, bills introduced by Sen. Bill Wielechowski and Rep. Zack Fields, respectively, which call for prohibiting cell phones in the schools.
Wielechowski also introduced a financial literacy bill (SB22) that makes sense. Teaching students about money, investments, student aid applications, and how to balance a checkbook provides real-world knowledge they will all use.
Even Sen. Gary Stevens has a bill(SB23) AFC likes – a mandatory Civics class for high schoolers. A couple of decades ago Social Studies replaced Civic, kicking the door open for lessons based on wokeism, critical race theory, and revisionist history. Civics calls for teaching the foundational principles and documents of the United States, federalism, and elections and campaigns. As with the financial literacy requirements, this is stuff every American student should know.
AFC President Jim Minnery also spoke at the event, giving an update on the state of AFC and announcing an effort to reduce abortions within the Native communities. Alaska Natives make up 15 percent of the state’s population but are the recipients of nearly 30 percent of the state’s abortions. This runs counter to what is actually a historically pro-life population.
Minnery also let the assembled know that LifeWise Academy, the privately run and financed organization that takes public school children to Bible study during school hoursis slated to begin such a program to Clark Middle School students this Fall.
So, while it often feels as though Alaska’s conservatives are losing influence because the current “bipartisan” coalitions prevent conservative social bills from being heard, it is nice to know that there are people working to advance good legislation and forward pro-family and pro-life principles.
Tim Barto is vice president of Alaska Family Council and a regular contributor to Must Read Alaska.
A professor of sociology and public affairs at Princeton University wrote a column for the New York Times entitled “We Were Badly Misled About the Event that Changed our Lives.”
Note that the word “Covid” was not mentioned in the New York Times‘ headline.
Tufekci wrote of how Americans were led to believe Covid-19 started in the Wuhan Huanan Seafood wholesale wet market in China.
So strong was this belief that when the EcoHealth Alliance lost its grant to study bat viruses in Wuhan, 77 Nobel laureates and 31 scientific societies lined up to defend the nonprofit. The Nobel laureates asked for an investigation into why the grant was cancelled.
We need to learn from these events. Hiding the truth from the public doesn’t give most of us comfort that the government is here to help. The Wuhan Institute of Virology is still doing dangerous research into making bat viruses that are even more lethal to humans.
I haven’t seen anything to tell me the Wuhan lab has dramatically increased its safety measures to mitigate the risks.
Remember the research or lack thereof for the “vaccines” created to fight Covid-19? We were told the risks were minimal and without the jab, you would die.
As we move into an era where so many people no longer believe in the safety of vaccines, we need more transparency and earlier reporting of what major side effects can occur. No vaccine is without side effects—some are fatal. But we must be able to evaluate the risk versus the benefits without waiting years to find the truth.
A newly published peer-reviewed study in Science, Public Health Policy & the Law strengthens the link between the Covid-19 jab and a variety of fatal adverse events.
Nicholas Hulscher, MPH, reviewed 325 autopsy cases from 44 published studies and found that “73.9% of deaths were adjudicated by independent physicians as being directly caused by, or significantly linked to, COVID-19 vaccination.“
Most of these deaths occurred within the first two weeks after the jab—the highest concentration was in the first week.
This peer review study was originally withdrawn from Science Directby the editor-in-chief due to concerns raised over the research and its conclusions.
Not to be deterred, the authors republished the studyfollowing a successful peer-review in the journal Science, Public Health Policy, and the Law.
In her New York Times article, Tufekci stated that to give the appearance of agreement, some officials and scientists just hid or understated critical facts, “misled at least one reporter”, and created a coordinated campaign of “independent voices” to tell the same story. These scientists even wrote notes to each other on how to hide communications so the public would not hear the truth.
Data that contradict mainstream media perspectives should be made public, not suppressed.
Unless Health and Social Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. can break up the deep state and begin to provide true scientific data concerning vaccine side effects, I don’t believe most people will be lining up for any of the new “vaccines” that are being developed.
I believe it will take a long time, unfortunately, for people to believe they can trust what they hear from the government when it comes to vaccines.
The current measles outbreak is a symptom of our mistrust in the government and Big Pharma.
It’s hard to trust someone or some agency again once you know they deliberately lied to hide their involvement in the creation of a pandemic.
Linda Boyle, RN, MSN, DM, was formerly the chief nurse for the 3rd Medical Group, JBER, and was the interim director of the Alaska VA. Most recently, she served as Director for Central Alabama VA Healthcare System. She is the director of the Alaska Covid Alliance/Alaskans 4 Personal Freedom.
It’s showtime for getting two federal judgeships filled for Alaska. Currently, two positions on the three-member Alaska US District Court bench are vacant, and Judge Sharon Gleason has reached the age of retirement and may open up a vacancy if she moves to the “senior judge” status. That would mean three new federal judges for Alaska.
In the process used by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the list of applicants to the Alaska Bar Association for the two US District Court judgeships that are open included the following 12 names:
Jessica Moats Alloway
Joseph F. Busa
Robert W. Corbisier
Michael J. Heyman
Ronald W. Opsahl
Scott A. Oravec
Danée Lynn Pontious
Kyle Reardon
Ian Wheeles
Joan M. Wilson
Justin R. Works
Adolf V. Zeman
The Alaska Bar Association polled its members in February to see which of the judge applicants have the most support from Alaska attorneys to get a lifetime appointment to the federal bench.
Most of the names on the list received little support. Most of their qualifications were not known by the bar association attorney colleagues who took the poll.
Just one stood out: Activist Superior Court Judge Adolf Zeman was at the top of the attorneys’ internal poll.
Judge Zeman as the Bar Association’s favorite for promoting to the federal bench is an interesting pick and reveals much about the association process that Murkowski uses. The Alaska Bar Association is a liberal group and 24% of those who answered the poll said Zeman is extremely well qualified, while another 19% said he is well qualified and 12% said he is qualified. No other applicant even came close.
But Zeman may be Alaskans’ second-least favorite Adolf.
Last year, he decided that Alaska’s correspondence study students were second-class citizens and could not get state support for their education unless it came from a public institution — a government school. Typically people homeschool their students because they don’t want them in government schools.
Revealing about the judgment of the Alaska Bar Association members is that applicant Michael Heyman only received 1% support as “Extremely Well Qualified.” Heyman was appointed last month to run the Alaska office of the Department of Justice by US Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is a Trump appointment. Heyman is the current US District Attorney for Alaska. One 1% of the bar association members said Heyman is extremely well qualified.
The Alaska Bar Association poll is now in the hands of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who relies on the association for recommendations that she will make to the president. Because of her poor standing with and dogged opposition to President Donald Trump, it’s unlikely that the names she forwards will be considered. She has already forwarded one name.
Sen. Dan Sullivan has developed a different process for recommending these judgeships, something Murkowski wants no part of because it cuts out the liberal bar association.
Sullivan set up the Alaska Federal Judiciary Council in 2023 to assist the senators in recommending candidates for federal judicial vacancies in Alaska. He sees it as an alternative to the bar association process, but Murkowski said it would only slow the process down.
Sullivan aimed to use this council to identify candidates with “character, experience, and an unflinching commitment to the rule of law,” reflecting his priorities for federal judgeships.
The council is chaired by attorney Sean Parnell, a former Alaska governor and current chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage.
The council consists of nine members including a mix of attorneys and non-attorneys with diverse professional experiences. Notable members include Jonathan Katchen, a former federal judicial nominee; Loren Leman, former lieutenant governor; Stephen Cox, a general counsel and former US Attorney in Texas; and Kim Reitmeier, president of the ANCSA Regional Association.
The council’s process involves soliciting applications, reviewing candidates, and providing Sullivan with advice on potential nominees. Applicants submitted a questionnaire available on Sullivan’s Senate website, and the council evaluated them before making recommendations.
Sullivan will forward his preferred candidates to the White House through the “blue slip” process by which senators have influence over the judge nomination process. Sullivan’s approach follows the pattern used in 25 other states.
While 12 attorneys are on the Alaska Bar Association poll, about double the number of attorneys applied to the Alaska Federal Judicial Council, which has yet to announce its recommendations to Sullivan. Here is the link to Sen. Sullivan’s web page for the AFJC.
The process continues with the senators’ recommendations to the president, who will pick his choices; those nominees are forwarded to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which then forwards its recommendations to the full Senate for the advice and consent process. Both senators are usually consulted in the “blue slip” process that goes along with advice and consent, which means they both must agree on the nominees before the Judiciary Committee chairman (Sen. Chuck Grassley) will take up the matter.
That could be tricky, with Murkowski increasingly moving to the left.
