OUTSIDE MONEY UNITES FOR GRENN, DIMOND, ORTIZ, SEATON
The Unite Alaska for Walker-Mallott group has given $25,000 to a Florida group that was on contract with the Unite Alaska group.
The new group is called “Alaskans for Grenn, Dimond, Ortiz, and Seaton,” and it’s based out of Gainesville, Fla. But the money is traced back to Unite America, which supports political chameleons — those who change allegiances depending on convenience and whose votes can be purchased for a price by a group trying to create a majority caucus.
Reps. Jason Grenn of South Anchorage District 22, Chris Dimond of Juneau District 33, Rep. Daniel Ortiz of Ketchikan District , and Rep. Paul Seaton, who ran in the Democrats’ primary for Homer District 31, are all considered, like Walker, to be political chameleons who won’t say what they stand for.
Grenn, Dimond, Ortiz, Seaton, all candidates without a political home.
Sycamore Lane is the same company that was associated with Unite Alaska’s horrific ad campaign that used the death of Bree Moore to blame gubernatorial candidate Mike Dunleavy for not being supportive enough of “Bree’s Law.”
The attack ad backfired on Unite Alaska, which disbanded shortly thereafter after receiving intense public condemnation. But the group had leftover money, so they’ve created the new group to support the remaining no-party candidates.
“1716 Strategy” of Canton, Ohio has received a large transfer of the Walker-Mallott money to push digital ads. The group is not exactly transparent, but appears to be a small and secretive group that was behind the Unite Alaska for Walker-Mallott digital advertising strategy.
UNITE AMERICA IS THE HOME FOR THE POLITICALLY HOMELESS
The Ohio company 1716 Strategy contracts with Unite America, which is pushing no-party candidates across the country and which had invested heavily in the re-election of Alaska Gov. Bill Walker until his spectacular fall from grace.
Here’s how Unite America describes its support for four Alaska no-party candidates:
A Cross-Partisan Coalition (AK): In 2016, two independents elected helped flip control of the State House from thirty years of Republican rule to a new “bipartisan governing majority” of Democrats, Republicans, and independents. They succeeded in passing bipartisan fiscal reform. Those two independents, along with a Republican member who became an independent, are running for re-election. Unite America is supporting them alongside a first time candidate to defend and grow this cross-partisan coalition in Alaska.
After the horrific shooting deaths in Pittsburgh on Saturday morning, President Donald Trump issued an immediate order to lower the U.S. flag out of respect for the 11 who died and the many others wounded during worship services at The Tree of Life Synagogue.
It was the deadliest attack on Jews in the nation’s history.
The flags are to be flown half-staff on all public buildings and grounds, military posts, and other sites until sunset on Oct. 31.
Twenty-four hours after the order was given, it appears no one in the State of Alaska has gotten the memo.
According to the state’s website, flags are still at full staff. A tour of flags around Anchorage in the middle of the day on Sunday revealed all flags are indeed full-staff — at Federal buildings, State buildings and the Municipality of Anchorage.
While the Alaska Department of Administration is supposed to immediately have the U.S. flags lowered, Commissioner Leslie Ridle has hit the campaign trail for Mark Begich for governor, leaving the details of her department to others. And since the governor has issued no order, those others are either oblivious or are in a quandary — do they follow Trump’s orders or wait until Gov. Bill Walker issues an order of his own?
Update:Must Read Alaska did another survey of public buildings at 5 pm and found that the flags on the Atwood Building, which is a state office building, had been lowered, shown in the photo below. The Municipality flags remained at full staff, however.
The Alaska Public Media-KTUU “Debate for the State” on Friday demonstrated the policy and position differences between Congressman Don Young and his challenger Alyse Galvin.
Galvin didn’t know the difference between a Coast Guard cutter and an ice breaker, and stuck to her attack points. During much of the debate she seemed on the verge of tears, her emotions close to the surface. Don Young stayed above the fray and didn’t insult her for her lack of preparation, and also didn’t respond to her attacks and insults, although he did call out reporter Rich Mauer for having been politically motivated in his coverage.
But what the debate also demonstrated is the subtle media bias that few but the trained eye can detect. It was a demonstration of tricks of the trade in television.
On Friday night, it happened in the control room of KAKM public broadcasting studios.
KAKM ran the “chroma” very hot on Young to make him look red, and on HD TV, he was nearly a posterized red during three quarters of the debate. The color adjustments on Galvin and the panel of reporters was normal. The image comparison below is from a computer screen and doesn’t show the dramatic difference that was evident on an HD Sony television.
Must Read Alaska asked the Young campaign if the congressman was unusually red, and was told he was not, although the studio was warm.
In campaign ads, video image is everything as campaigns use cinematic techniques to favor their candidates and discredit others. Lighting, image quality, color, and angle are all considered tools in the toolbox of persuasion. Such techniques when used to show a candidate badly are not considered fair play for public broadcasting, which receives government funds and is supposed to demonstrate impartiality.
Further bias was present in the studio itself on Friday night. Galvin was allowed to have her large campaign staff “in studio,” while the two people who accompanied Don Young — his wife, Ann and his state director Chad Padgett — were asked to leave the studio. They watched the debate from a conference room upstairs.
[Correction 10-28-2018: Alaska Public Media representative said Galvin’s staff was not allowed in the studio during the debate and if Young wanted to look better on camera he should have worn makeup. It appears Young mistook the panel of reporters for Galvin supporters. Don Young has never worn makeup, however.]
Over at KTVA, reporters are employing the same types of technology tricks to create an impression among readers:
In the story about the two campaigns, the station used an image of Congressman Young with his eyes closed and mouth open, while the image of Galvin showed her bright-eyed and smiling.
The station could have chosen any number of images in its story about the congressional race and has the technology to change the images. But most online viewers will not click on the video and watch it. They’ll just see the image, read the story, and move on. And the impression they might take from this photo is that Young is not very alert, while Galvin is.
Subtle media bias is shown in the KTVA image of Congressman Don Young, which is unflattering to the congressman, while the station uses a photo that is flattering of Alyse Galvin.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski visited rural Alaska this week, including Quinagak and Bethel. She has also visited Seward in her swing through the state.
Sen. Murkowski used a trip to Bethel today to say she endorses Mike Dunleavy for governor, and that Dunleavy’s stance on Ballot Measure 1 was a big factor in her decision. It’s a statement that has a lot of meaning for Western Alaska, where many rely on salmon for subsistence
Neither Murkowski or Dunleavy support the controversial salmon initiative that threatens to lock up other resources in the state and would make even a small project like a home driveway subject to extensive regulation and mitigation measures. Mark Begich, the Democrat running for governor, supports the measure, as do most Democrats.
“I have looked at the language of this initiative and as a former state legislator, and one who was responsible we get legislation and laws right, I’m very concerned that the ways this initiative is drafted.” Murkowski said to KYUK radio. “It would bring about unintended consequences that will limit our opportunity and ability as individuals and communities to really move forward with even the most simple development project.”
KYUK radio has been an organizational hub for the support for Ballot Measure 1, although it is publicly funded radio.
Earlier this week, Calista Corp. endorsed Dunleavy. The Native corporation owns land and a western Alaska mining project that could be impacted by Ballot Measure 1.
Sen. Dan Sullivan and Congressman Don Young have also endorsed Dunleavy in a joint statement. Murkowski has, to date, not issued a formal written endorsement, but her remarks in Bethel are the strongest yet that she has on record.
Mike Dunleavy today received the endorsement of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, a major Native corporation doing business in and outside of Alaska.
At a special meeting of the board of directors in Utqiagvik (Barrow), today, the corporation sealed the endorsement after incumbent Bill Walker dropped out of the race.
When it came down to considering the policies and priorities of each of the two remaining top candidates, the choice became clear, said Rex Rock Sr. ASRC president and CEO.
“As a state, we must continue our progress toward advancing opportunities for safe and responsible resource development, as well as a push toward more sustainable state spending. We believe Mike Dunleavy is closely aligned with our values, which will create additional stability in our communities as well as opportunities for our shareholders,” he said.
The group met with Dunleavy in Barrow earlier this week said Crawford Patkotak, ASRC board chairman. “We need his strong leadership now more than ever in Juneau.”
Earlier in the week, Dunleavy had also won the endorsement of Calista Corp., another major Native corporation.
With ASRC on board, that means two of the 12 Alaska-based Regional Native Corporations have thrown their support to the Republican nominee.
ASRC has returned over $1 billion in dividends to shareholders since its inception, and has distributed over $90 million to support socioeconomic opportunities in the North Slope region, including scholarships and training programs to Iñupiat.
The company is one of the largest private landowners in Alaska, with ownership of 5 million acres of land, much of which has a high potential for development of petroleum, timber, fish, game, and tourist development. Among its land holdings is the Alpine Oil Field.
AS ELECTION GETS CLOSER, HIS DIVIDEND PROMISE GETS BIGGER
The televised “Debate for the State” had no fireworks on Thursday, but there were a few gems worth noting:
The first is that few in the news media knows how to pronounce Mike Dunleavy’s last name.
The proper pronunciation is Dun-lavy, which rhymes with “navy.”
Newscaster Mike Ross got it right — most of the time.
“I don’t care how people pronounce it, so long as they vote for him,” said Brett Huber, Dunleavy’s campaign manager.
Secondly, candidate Mark Begich exposed his soft and pliable position on the Alaska Permanent Fund dividend.
“The earnings reserve has about $18 billion in it right now which the Legislature can access with a simple majority vote. I would put a chunk of that in the corpus, keep it away from these politicians,” Begich said.
“The next thing I would do is a percent of market value. Making sure we have a formula, so 50 percent as that formula lays out, would go right into the Permanent fund dividend. And constitutionally protect it. [I’m the] only one in this race that has talked about constitutionally protecting it, keeping it in your hands. The value of that would be about $2,100 this year.”
Earlier this year, Begich described his plan for the dividend calculation completely differently, saying Alaskans “would be a guaranteed a PFD between $1,500 and $1,800 each year.”
As the election gets closer, his math has changed substantially. And any change would have to be passed by the Legislature.
“That’s one of the differences — the steadfast positions of Mike Dunleavy and the flavor of the moment with Begich,” said Tuckerman Babcock, chairman of the Alaska Republican Party.
In March, Begich wrote that 40 percent of annual earnings would go to education, which would allow the money being used there now to go to other programs. Last night, however, he increased that education spending to 50 percent of the earnings of Alaska’s Permanent Fund.
Rich Mauer asked a question of Dunleavy meant to challenge him on climate change: Shouldn’t we do our part for climate change, like Brazil does, Mauer asked.
Dunleavy said “I beg to differ.” He pointed out that Alaska has less than one tenth of one percent of the population of the world, whereas Brazil has a population of hundreds of millions.
On the question of switching to a mail-in election, Begich would implement vote-by-mail for the state elections, and said he doesn’t consider voter fraud a problem. He heralded the Anchorage mail-in election as a success.
Dunleavy said he received a ballot at his home in Wasilla to vote in the Anchorage vote-by-mail election, and said that gave him concerns about voter fraud. He also pointed out the voter fraud identified in District 15 during the 2018 Primary election as an example of why he’d take a cautious approach to switching to mail-in elections.
Both candidates headed to Southeast Alaska today — Dunleavy is in Ketchikan and Begich is in Juneau.
Mike Dunleavy is hard-working, honest, intelligent, trustworthy and the man we need as Governor of Alaska.
I met Mike at a friend’s house in Kotzebue in the early-90s while serving on the regional school board of the Northwest Arctic School District. Mike had recently been hired as superintendent, and I was excited to meet the towering 6’7” man who I had high hopes would bring positive change to our school district (he didn’t disappoint).
I already knew his wife, Rose, and heard the story of how Mike drove from Koyuk to meet her in Noorvik, which greatly impressed me, as that’s no simple task.
My initial impression of Mike was that he’s not a guy who beats around the bush. He’s a straight shooter who tells it like it is – a trait that might not serve him well as a politician. Nonetheless, it’s why I know that when he says he’ll do something, such as protect the PFD, I believe him because that’s who he is – a man of his word.
Right off the bat as the new superintendent, it was clear Mike was a hard worker. He was always in the office working late into the night when everyone else had gone home and the first one there in the morning before anyone else had shown up. He always made sure he got the job done and done right, leading by example.
You won’t find a stronger or more informed advocate for public education, or someone who understands the different challenges faced by both urban and rural students, parents and educators. He’s done it all as a teacher, principal and superintendent, with experience in both environments.
That’s why I know when his opponent tries to hurt his reputation with wild accusations that he will be bad for rural schools – I know there’s no truth to it. He understands the problems kids face in Noorvik under a completely different set of circumstances than Anchorage, and he knows that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t make sense for every student.
He and I have worked together for years trying to give kids in rural Alaska more options. And so, I know first-hand his advocacy for making sure kids in rural Alaska have access to the same educational opportunities as kids in urban Alaska.
Mike is someone who understands – truly understands – what it’s like for folks living in rural Alaska because he lived there for almost 20 years. His family is from rural Alaska and he’s lived in a village of 600 people. In rural Alaska, they tend to judge strangers right away. If you don’t personify trust and prove that you’re a genuine person, they won’t like you, and people loved Mike. He treated everyone with kindness and respect and adapted to the new lifestyle; people accepted him. During his time in Kotzebue, he also earned a reputation of being a strong family man; he and Rose have done an outstanding job raising their three daughters, Maggie, Catherine, and Ceil.
We need Mike Dunleavy in there as governor to fight for what’s right. He’s the only guy running for governor who understands and lived through the problems we face every day. To me, it comes down to a choice between a career politician and Mike – a genuine person who tells the truth. I choose Mike.
Kenny Gallahorn, born and raised in Kotzebue, is a registered undeclared voter and served on the Northwest Arctic Borough School Board during Mike Dunleavy’s tenure as Superintendent of the Northwest Arctic Borough School District. Gallahorn also later served on the State Board of Education.
President Donald Trump took to Twitter and endorsed Mike Dunleavy for governor of Alaska today. Within the first 20 minutes, the Twitter message went like wildfire across the Alaska political landscape.
Dunleavy, the Republican nominee, wasted no time in acknowledging the endorsement.
“Trump’s administration has been good for Alaska, and I welcome the President’s support, along with that of Alaska’s congressional delegation,” Dunleavy said in a statement. “Our team in D.C., working with the President, has opened ANWR for responsible resource development, cut taxes, and repealed job-killing regulations. With the stars finally aligned on the federal level, it’s time to bring change to Juneau and unleash Alaska’s true potential.”
Trump won Alaska by a margin of 15 points over Hillary Clinton in 2016, with 51.28 percent of the vote. He is still largely popular among the conservative stronghold state that has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1968, Alaska last voted in the majority for a Democrat when President Lyndon B. Johnson’s ran for election in 1964, after he took office subsequent to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Darren Deacon, District 38, has been catching and smoking fish all summer along the Kuskokwim River, and a growing fan club on Facebook follows his subsistence and photographic exploits, where he reveals insights about rural life in Kalskag, where he lives with his family, including his adorable son, Rodney, who is learning subsistence skills from his dad.
Marilyn Stewart walks District 21 in the driving rain, warmed by the reception from people who have had enough of crime and are looking for new representation in Anchorage. She has a long list of credible endorsements, including from former Anchorage Mayor Rick Mystrom.
Stanley Wright is on his third pair of shoes in District 16, Anchorage, where he is taking the conservative and crime-fighting message door to door.
Even Ceezar Martinson, the Republican in District 20, is having the experience of a lifetime. He may have a slim chance to win in the left-leaning district that has been represented by Les Gara, but Martinson says that his message of fiscal responsibility is being heard by people who haven’t talked to a Republican in years. And he’s becoming known as a solid policy wonk.
By contrast, the Democrats pictured immediately below have all been endorsed by the “resist” group called March on Alaska, and the Alaska Center for the Environment, which endorsed all Democrats in the 2018 cycle. They are a decidedly white-bread collection of candidates — mostly middle aged white men and women :
Here are some of the diverse Republicans in Alaska who are bringing a crime-fighting, fiscal stewardship message to voters across the state. They are providing people with diverse options in districts that now have non-diverse Democrats as representatives.
THE CONSERVATIVE CONSCIENCE:
Anthony Lekanof, District 18
Anthony Lekanof is running against Democrat Harriet Drummond in Anchorage’s District 18. A student at UAA, he is also a graphic designer.
Lekanof is 21 years old and raised on St. George Island, in the Pribilof Islands.
As an Aleut, he relays how he learned early in life the importance of service, and people taking care of each other “through good times and bad.”
St. George, Alaska
Lekanof attended Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. Lekanof was also an intern for Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and served on the Board of the Alaska Association of Student Governments as a Region V Representative. He is a director of the St. George Tanaq Corporation.
“Alaska’s challenges are not linear — they are complex and nuanced. And I’d like to have a shot at solving them for the future of our state,” he writes.
Marcus Sanders
Marcus Sanders decided he was a Republican when he realized his values more closely aligned with those of personal responsibility and the sanctity of life. A deeply spiritual man, he was raised in East Anchorage and is running against hardline Democrat Andy Josephson.
“I’m a husband, a father, an educator, a pastor, and a mentor. I’m proud to say that I have lived in Anchorage my entire life.”
For the past few years, he has worked as the safety, security, and discipline specialist at Wendler Middle School, teaching and mentoring kids — many of whom had a similar upbringing to his. Recently, he completed his bachelor’s degree. His campaign has caught fire in District 17, and on social media, where he has powerful videos that showcase his life story.
“My parents worked hard to provide for me and my brothers and sister, but they still encouraged me to better myself through quality education and community engagement. I was told in school that I’d never amount to anything — that all I’d ever become was a worker at a fast food restaurant. I refused to let that message discourage me,” he said.
As he goes door to door, it’s not uncommon for someone to ask him to just stop a moment and pray for them or one of their family members. That’s the kind of effect he has on people.
“I’m not running for office because I want to become a politician — truthfully, I don’t. I enjoy teaching and mentoring. But I am desperate to help solve the problems in our community — the rising crime, lack of opportunity, and, in many cases, a total lack of quality mentors available to kids. I don’t ever want a child in Midtown to be told what I was told growing up. They deserve better than that.
Marilyn Stewart
Marilyn Stewart walked all of District 21 twice in 2016, and came within 368 votes of unseating Rep. Matt Claman.
Her friends and admirers begged her to step up again. She thought long and hard about it. Campaigning is tough and there are no guarantees.
This time, however, everyone seems to know Stewart and everyone also knows that incumbent Claman is a supporter of Senate Bill 91, the flawed and dangerous judicial bill that has let criminals run wild in Anchorage. He’s been a lackluster legislator who often peels off of work to go river rafting out of state.
Stewart plans to focus on her district — she wants streets safe for law-abiding citizens, not just safety for criminals.
She’s got a great personal story and a smile that lights up a room, so people are interested in hearing from her. Stewart is just about the only Republican in her family.
“Who would have thought an African American with roots in Alabama would one day run for political office in the great State of Alaska? After graduating from Conecuh County High School in 1979, I left Alabama to join the U.S. Army. In 1981 I was stationed at Fort Richardson. My 36 years in Alaska have both humbled me and filled me with gratitude, and for decades I’ve called Alaska home.
“I believe that when you are sincerely grateful, keep your promises, and help others, your life and your community will thrive. The cornerstones of my life are God, Family, and Country. I will work tirelessly to help Alaska build a strong economy, cut our budget to sustainable levels, and ensure that West Anchorage has a strong advocate in Juneau.”
Stanley Wright
Stanley Wright has gone through three pairs of shoes walking District 16 in Anchorage, where ideologue Ivy Spohnholz is the incumbent. He’s a moderate Republican and veteran, and a photographer by trade. This is his first run for office.
“As a young man I have always believed in fighting for what’s right. I joined the US Navy to help defend the rights of my fellow Americans. As a veteran who is no longer able to serve, I decided to further my education at UAA. Over a period of time I realized that being a public servant will forever be a part of who I am and so I have chosen to run for political office.
Darren Deacon
Darren Deacon lives in Upper Kalskag in District 38, where he is Tribal Council President, City Council Member. He’s been a Village Native Corporation board member since 2016 and president of Kalskag nonprofit Search and Rescue. Those who follow him on Facebook know him to have a keen eye for photography and a willingness to share rural Alaska living with the world.
He has the endorsement of Calista Corporation, which chose not to endorse the incumbent Tiffany Zulkosky, who is a bloc-voting Democrat and ally of Mark Begich.
“As a lifelong YK Delta resident I feel that we need representatives in the House who will fight to restore a full PFD — it provides a much needed boost to our local economy — and to defend our subsistence rights and traditions.
“I want to support search and rescue efforts in the region, and the volunteers who go out to bring us and our loved ones home.
“As a Tribal chief, I have learned a lot about tribal sovereignty and support measures on both the state and federal level that will give tribes the power that they deserve. As a Native corporation board member, I have learned the importance of Alaska Native Corporations and the positive work they do for our region, people, and culture,” Deacon said.
Ceezar Martinson
Ceezar Martinson started out a Democrat in college but became a Republican after getting involved in politics. He is a senior at UAA studying political science.
“The PFD belongs to you, not the government. We must have a spending cap in the Constitution to stop deficit spending. Any statewide income tax needs to be voted on by the people.”
Martinson knows the political odds favor Zack Fields, the well-funded, union-backed Democrat who is running to fill Rep. Les Gara’s position, as Gara retires.
But Martinson is gaining value from the experience — he’s meeting people who have never had a policy discussion with a Republican, and he’s telling them what the conservative viewpoint looks like.
And what does a conservative look like in 2018 in Alaska?
It looks like a tall African-American young man knocking on the door to talk with extraordinary expertise about the state budget, and how spending and crime is out of control.
It looks like a Pribilof-born Alaska Native now living in the city, realizing that traditional values are compatible with fiscal responsibility.
And it looks like a man with a moose he’s harvested to feed his family in the coming winter, somewhere along the Kuskokwim River, stepping up to serve his people.
