Photo: The Division of Elections white board at the Gambell Street office on Friday, where all candidates who filed for office that day were listed for public consumption.
For the political junkies among us, we provide the ultimate high: A color-coded spreadsheet of the candidates, as we know them, for the Alaska Primary – legislative races.
Some listed here may not have completed all their paperwork with Alaska Public Offices Commission or the Division of Elections, and may be disqualified. Others may not appear here because they mailed in their information. You can bet some names are missing. We’ll update and reload as the fog clears.
Note: Red for Republican, blue for Democrat, and purple for other parties. Some candidates are listed as going to the General Election via petition.
The Alaska Democratic Party is jettisoning Gov. Bill Walker to rally around Mark Begich as the true-blue Democrat who can help them rebuild their party.
Begich re-enters the arena today as a Democratic candidate for governor; Walker has indicated he will retreat from the Democrats’ primary and run as a petition candidate in November. He will return to gathering the signatures he needs.
Debra Call, a left-leaning member of Knik Village and Cook Inlet Tribal Councils, showed up at the Division of Elections today and began her paperwork for lieutenant governor, telling news reporters that Begich had called her at 9 pm Thursday and asked her to be his running mate.
In a three-way race, Begich has a tough time beating both Walker and the Republican nominee, so his goal will be to destroy Walker between now and Sept. 2. That’s the last day that Walker can withdraw from the November ballot. Voters can expect a bruising campaign from Begich, who will pound on Walker’s failings and publish damaging information about him.
Begich will then emerge as the head of the Alaska Democratic Party, and even if he comes in second will be ready for a run for Senate in 2020 against U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan.
A former mayor of Anchorage, Begich defeated Sen. Ted Stevens in 2008, and served one term in the Senate before being defeated by Sen. Dan Sullivan.
DEBRA CALL TRUMPS BYRON MALLOTT BY AN X CHROMOSOME
For a running mate, Begich has gone to a Native matriarch to match against Tlingit Byron Mallott, the current lieutenant governor. At 63, she is 12 years younger than Mallott.
Debra Call, from her Facebook page.
Mallott had run as the Democrats’ pick for governor in 2014, but after the primary, the Alaska Democratic Party’s state central committee kicked him to the second slot on the ballot and installed Walker, who was still a Republican at the time of the negotiations, at the top of the ticket. Walker then registered as an undeclared, and the two went on to victory, pulling from the left and the middle of the electorate.
Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott, screen grab from YouTube.
But Begich has drawn on the new technique of Democratic “intersectionality” in his pick of Call. He’ll have a Native running mate and a woman running mate all in one.
Plus, she doesn’t come from a Southeast tribe. And with Mallott’s famously fiery temper, Call has a lot to work with to oppose him.
Call is deeply immersed in grievance politics and appears anti-Second Amendment, if her Facebook feed is any indication.
Bloomberg’s profile of Call says: “Ms. Debra L. Call, also known as Deb, served as Corporate Director of Health Information at Centere Healthcare Corporation. Ms. Call served as Vice President of Operations of Alaska Native Heritage Center, Incorporated. Ms. Call served as a Director of Operations and Human Resources of Alaska Native Heritage Center, Incorporated. She is a Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) with over 25 years of experience in health information services. She specialized in inpatient rehabilitation coding for prospective payment system reimbursement, and also has expertise in acute care and long-term care PPS coding. She provides oversight and training for coding and reimbursement systems as well as assuring all HIPPA requirements are met in all partnership locations. She serves as Director of Alaska Travel Industry Association.”
A PARTY IN SHAMBLES?
Alaska Democrats took the State House over when they convinced three Republicans to join them in 2016 in a coup.
But now, one third of House Democrats are either not running for reelection or have resigned, and the party has Bill Walker as its current standard-bearer; he is not even a Democrat. If he won a second term, they could not count on his support for their party platform.
This is a Democratic Party in need of rescue and Begich is the man to do it. Today at 5 pm is the filing deadline for candidates. This story will be updated. Check back for more.
An aide to U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan has filed to run for State House against Rep. Charisse Millett, who serves District 25, an area of Anchorage that Republicans have held for a long time.
Until this week, Revak was the Veterans and Military Affairs advisor to Sullivan. He also worked as an aide to U.S. Congressman Don Young for many years. He was an armored crewman in the U.S. Army on a tank, and left after being wounded by enemy mortar fire in Ramadi, Iraq. He’s been awarded the Purple Heart medal and is active in the Military Order of the Purple Heart.
He joined after 9-11, joining the Army by January, and was already in Iraq by May and on the front liens of combat.
“I did that because I love our country. I’ve been thinking about serving in office for a long time,” he said.
Millett
Millett is the current House minority leader, having been elected in 2008 and serving as a legislative aide prior to being elected. She was raised in the district and graduated from Dimond High School. She attended University of Alaska Anchorage and has worked as a commercial fisher. She is of Inupiaq heritage. Millett already has the endorsement of her district Republicans and the Alaska Republican Party, which poses a challenge for Revak in raising funds.
Revak’s filing puts pressure on her in the primary; the winner of the race will face Pat Higgins, who has run as a Democrat for the seat numerous times. Pat’s wife, Patti Higgins, has also run against Millett. Millett squeaked by Pat Higgins in 2016, 3,685 to 3,592.
“I know Josh to be a great American, and Patriot. His sacrifice for our country’s has been great, and for that I am eternally grateful. I will look forward to hearing his ideas and positions on issues facing the State of Alaska,” Millett said.
“This is crucial time for Alaska and the issues are complex,I have a solid conservative record and have worked tirelessly for our great state and District 25. I will continue to work hard in the primary and am honored to be endorsed by the Republican Party, and by District 25 Republicans. I thank Josh and all Republicans that have filed to run for office, it truly is an honor serve,” she said.
As the Alaska Legislature adjourned quietly into the night several weeks ago, you could almost hear the collective sigh of relief. The usual end-of-session drama was absent as legislators took the historic step of officially designating earnings from the Permanent Fund to subsidize state government. By doing so, Alaska’s budget deficit was reduced from $2.4 billion to under $700 million.
Hopefully, current oil prices will stabilize. If so, the deficit disappears and the budget will be balanced without additional taxes or draws from state savings accounts. But that’s a big “if” as Saudi Arabia and Russia are increasing oil production in hopes of moderating rising energy prices.
While plenty of other what-if’s need to be answered within the budget, for many Alaskans this seemed like a bright spot in a long and contentious debate.
But, in Juneau, clouds loom on the economic horizon.
In a recently released study commissioned by the City and Borough of Juneau, several municipal budget-related trends were identified. The report, authored by economic consultant Gregg Erickson, pointed out Juneau’s “unusually persistent recession” has resulted in fewer jobs every year since 2012 and indications are that job losses will continue.
The Erickson report also contends that jobs are a leading indicator of imminent changes likely to negatively affect future city/borough budget decisions. Specifically, school enrollments (which already have declined precipitously) will continue to be impacted. It also suggests continued and larger population declines are likely in 2018, and possibly beyond.
Inflation-adjusted sales tax revenues and gross sales have also declined recently, even with the uptick in cruise passenger traffic. Indeed, as Erickson explains, the growth in visitor-related expenditures may be masking the effects of a greater economic downturn Juneau is experiencing.
All these factors are worrisome but particularly concerning are further drops in our school population. The school district is struggling with financial issues – recently laying off 10 teachers, announcing program cuts, and requesting additional funding from the Assembly.
On the heels of the Erickson report, during a Chamber of Commerce presentation last week, Caroline Schultz of the Alaska Office of Management and Budget noted, while the Legislature reduced the budget deficit to a manageable number, it’s likely that supplemental funds will still be needed.
Continuing pressure on state finances due to rapidly escalating Medicaid costs and other factors suggest that even when the state budget is eventually balanced, we can expect lower state employment and reduced capital expenditures to be the “new normal.”
With this information as a backdrop, it’s clear Alaska communities must carefully rank their budget priorities. Public safety, K-12 education, essential infrastructure and basic services deserve funding priority. Non-essential items require careful scrutiny.
In Juneau, we must continue to address serious public safety issues – partly fueled by an epidemic of opioid abuse, property crime, and homelessness.
Funding for necessary infrastructure and deferred maintenance, in some cases, hasn’t yet been identified.
For example, the aging North Wing of the Juneau Airport is in dire need of renovation to improve traffic and correct deficiencies. But plans to demolish and rebuild it were put on hold since only half of the $38 million project funding is available.
Given that, it’s difficult to grasp why this is the time to build a new $26 million arts and cultural center prior to fixing our airport.
Or why we are considering adding $2.8 million per year to the CBJ budget to introduce a Pre-K childcare program to Juneau.
Lower priority programs and projects like these will only cannibalize necessary funding for ailing infrastructure, our struggling K-12 programs, and existing cultural arts amenities and youth activities.
Because private fundraising efforts for the new Juneau arts and cultural center have stalled, proponents are lobbying the CBJ Assembly to consider a bond issue repaid with sales taxes to pay for much of it – robbing essential facilities, like the airport, of a possible funding source.
Juneau’s population and tax base are shrinking. Until and unless we get serious about economic development that will reverse this trend, our options are limited. This isn’t the time to increase debt.
As families and individuals, we strive to live within our means.
We expect our city government to do the same.
Win Gruening retired as the senior vice president in charge of business banking for Key Bank in 2012. He was born and raised in Juneau and graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1970 and served as a Air Force pilot for six years during the Vietnam War. He is active in community affairs as a 30-plus year member of Juneau Downtown Rotary Club and has been involved in various local and statewide organizations.
DUNLEAVY AND HAWKINS FIRM, BUT WALKER WON’T RULE OUT HIGHER OIL TAXES
It was posed as a simple yes-no question at the Alaska Oil and Gas Association conference’s “Great Debate” on Thursday: Will you or will you not increase taxes on the oil industry?
Both Mike Dunleavy and Scott Hawkins said they would leave the current oil tax structure alone if elected governor.
But when it came to panelist Gov. Bill Walker, he did not answer the question with a yes or no.
Instead, Walker waffled: “My focus is on production. My interest is not on changing the tax structure. I don’t make absolutes. I have no intention to and I don’t think we need to but … The world changes … I’m all about production.” There were a lot of sentence fragments in his answer.
Walker was more firm on his views during his 2014 campaign, when he wrote about his “intentions” in the Anchorage Daily News (then called the Alaska Dispatch News): “I have no intention to implement a statewide tax or paying for state government by reducing Permanent Fund dividend checks. If we properly develop our natural resources and put in place a sustainable budget that should not be necessary.”
In 2014, Walker wrote an op-ed explaining why he wanted to repeal SB 21, the oil tax reform that passed in 2013 that was challenged by Democrats with a ballot-box referendum (which failed).
“Should ‘Vote No’ prevail in the primary, as governor, I will follow the wishes of the voters on Proposition 1 … I do not intend to offer changes to SB21.”
But during his three years in office, Walker attempted to dismantle SB 21 — oil tax reform — by introducing tax-raising legislation. Here are a few of the many taxes proposed by Walker in his New Sustainable Alaska Plan in 2016:
During the Thursday debate, when Mike Dunleavy listed the litany of failures of the Walker Administration, Gov. Walker responded by saying he didn’t like the hand he’d been dealt, but he’d done his best.
Rep. Paul Seaton of Homer is headed home to the Democratic Party. He filed today as nonpartisan to run in Democratic Primary for House District 31, Homer.
Seaton lost support of District Republicans and then the entire Alaska Republican Party turned against him when he turned on the Republican House majority and formed a coalition with House Democrats. That won him a powerful seat as co-chair of the Finance Committee, where he tried to enact several income taxes during his two-year reign.
Seaton sponsored HB 115 last year, with the silent backing of Gov. Bill Walker. It would have created a wide-reaching progressively structured income tax on individuals, partners, shareholders in S corporations, trusts, and estates. The Senate majority Republicans were able to stop it from going into law but several hearings were held in the House and the governor pushed hard to get it through.
Last year, Seaton crammed the operating budget into the capital budget toward the end of session, and hoped to ram it through the Senate, with no success. This year, he led the charge to send an education funding bill over to the Senate, but it had no funding attached to it. He did succeed in adding a $500,000 Vitamin D study to the budget.
Others running for District 31 include Republicans John Cox, Sarah Vance and Hank Kroll. While Homer is a Democratic stronghold, the district reaches into conservative areas near Anchor Point on the Kenai Peninsula.
In February, Alaska Republicans “invited” Seaton to switch to the Democratic Party. That story is linked below.
Beat-up jerseys. Battered football helmets and cleats. Black-and-white images, and the sound of a tough game and then static for seconds on end. The ads for Gov. Bill Walker and Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott continue to baffle viewers.
Only it’s not football. The fast-paced footage is of a rugby game in Anchorage. But back in the locker room, the ad producer, John-Henry Heckendorn, set it up as though it had been a football game.
He was hoping you wouldn’t notice.
One has to slow the video down — way down — to see the striped socks and uniforms, the shirts and logos that are clearly part of the Anchorage Rugby League’s summer season filmed at the Anchorage Park Strip.
After the Walker campaign posted it on Facebook three days ago, the public has not been kind:
“Not feeling it. My gas is more expensive, crime is at an all time high, services are lacking, and my property taxes are expanding faster than the bloated budget. Where is accountability and having a state government which lives within their means? You have lost my vote!” said one viewer.
The campaign for Walker-Mallott has had to remove as many as a third of the comments under the video, deeming them too negative or too crude. Or may they are simply too true: Did others notice it was recreational rugby, not the NFL?
View the video here:
A REVIEW OF WALKER SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEO EFFORTS
The first video that the Walker-Mallott team placed on social media in April featured his critics as clowns, criticizing Walker of shoveling snow.
Highest unemployment in the nation? Not Walker’s fault. Biggest busted budget? Not his fault. Took the Permanent Fund dividend? Not his fault. Crime astronomical in your neighborhood due to his pushing SB 91? Not his fault. Critics were cheap suits, while Walker continued to shovel show.
Walker’s second campaign video went to the dark side — stark black-and-white images with shadowy figures, still photos, and mournful music. It has a mafioso feel to it.
But in his third video, the message seems to be: “Vote for me because I’m trying.”
Filmed at a rugby game, and then faked out in a locker room? This campaign video is rich in metaphor.
Whether Alaskans think their quarterback should remain on the field or, like Colin Kaepernick, be benched for taking a knee instead of standing with the team, will be a question for the Big Game on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Senate Seat M –Assemblyman Felix Rivera is filing as a Democrat for the seat being vacated by Sen. Kevin Meyer.
His filing paperwork is not posted yet, but Sen. Berta Gardner sent out a note to that effect.
Rep. Chris Birch and Bekah Halat are Republican candidates for Seat M, South Anchorage. Hunter Dunn is the other Democrat.
Senate Seat Q – There are more ins-and-outs here. Larry Cotter, who filed several weeks ago for the General Election as a petition candidate for the Juneau Senate seat, is out. That leaves Don Etheridge as a petition candidate for the general and Democrat Jesse Kiehl for the primary, for the seat being vacated by Sen. Dennis Egan. Kiehl is Egan’s legislative aide and is on the Assembly. Etheridge is a former Assembly member. A poll shows Kiehl with a slight advantage over Etheridge, but with Cotter out, it’s a new ballgame.
Kevin McKinley, left and Adam Wool.
District 5 – Kevin McKinley, a Republican, has filed against Rep. Adam Wool, the Democrat incumbent. Both business owners, McKinley owns a tattoo and piercing business, while Wool owns a nightclub.
District 9 – Rep. George Rauscher, who filed for Senate Seat E, has filed for his House seat (9), to leave Sen. Mike Shower a free lane to re-election for his seat, to which he was appointed when Mike Dunleavy resigned to run for governor. (Randall Kowalke is a Republican who has filed for Senate Seat E earlier this year).
Rauscher’s statement:
“Quite a few months ago, Senator Dunleavy vacated his Senate Seat to run for governor and I declared to run for his vacated Senate Seat E. Governor Walker appointed Mike Shower to fill the remaining portion of Senator Dunleavy’s term. Just recently Mike Shower has decided to run for that seat. It is in the best interest of my District, and the future of the both the House and the Senate, that each of us continue to serve in the seats we now hold. I look forward to representing District 9 all this summer with the same intensity, presence and effectiveness as I always have.”
Pam Goode, a Republican, has months ago filed for the District 9 seat, so this means a primary race. Goode ran for the seat in 2016 as a Constitution Party candidate.
Vicki Wallner, a leading community organizer in the Mat-Su, also filed for the seat yesterday. It’s unclear if she’ll remain in now that Rauscher has filed. She had been considered to fill the Senate seat vacated by Dunleavy, but Gov. Walker passed her over.
Immediately after Rauscher filed, his House Valley colleague, Rep. David Eastman, District 10, threw the full weight of his political action committee’s support for Pam Goode.
“The challenges Alaska faces today require changing not only the way we do business as a state, but also sending courageous men and women to Juneau We are pleased to announce our first endorsement of the 2018 election season. Pam Goode is a candidate who will put Alaskans first and has the courage to say ‘NO’ to the special interests in Juneau. She is running to represent the people of the Copper River Valley, Delta, and the Mat-Su in the Alaska House of Representatives,” Eastman wrote on Facebook on behalf of his Alaska Conservative Leadership PAC.
District 10 – Susan Kay, a Democrat, attempted to file for the House seat but was denied by Elections because she is not on file at the Alaska Public Offices Commission. Rookie mistake.
Rep. David Eastman, a Republican, holds that Mat-Su Valley conservative seat. Another Democrat, Patricia Faye-Brazel also filed, and Democrat Neal Lacy had already filed.
District 23 – Still no sign of Rep. Chris Tuck, the Democrat incumbent. Forrest McDonald and Connie Dougherty are the Republicans in the race.
District 31 – Rep. Paul Seaton has not filed nor said what party he is filling with.
District 32 – Dennis Harris, a Democrat, has filed candidate registration with Alaska Public Offices Commission, but the 27-year-old hasn’t said for which office. He lives in Kodiak and the seat available there is the one held by Louise Stutes, a nominal Republican. There is an undeclared petition candidate in the race, Sandra Katelnikoff-Lester, going to the general election. Interestingly, Dennis Harris as the same middle name “Paul” as the well-known Bernie Sanders-style Democrat of Juneau fame. But there’s a big age difference.
District 34 –Andi Story, a Democrat and school board member, is filing to run for the seat being vacated by Rep. Justin Parish, a North Juneau Democrat. She’ll file today at the Mendenhall Valley Library. Already in the race is undeclared Rob Edwardson, who is Parish’s legislative aide and is a nonpartisan hoping for the Democrats’ primary ballot, and retired police officer and Assembly member Jerry Nankervis, a Republican. It looks like Juneau Democrats think they have a better shot with Story than with Edwardson.
Check back with Must Read Alaska later today for more updates, and share this story on your Facebook feed.
WHITE-KNUCKLE GAME OF CHICKEN BETWEEN BEGICH AND THE GOVERNOR
The most powerful politician in Alaska today is not Gov. Bill Walker, but Mark Begich.
So powerful, that Walker has, with 30-odd hours until the deadline, not yet filed with the Division of Elections to run on the Democrats’ primary ballot, as he announced publicly and confidently he would in April. He’s watching Begich’s every move.
Why? He is worried that Begich, a registered Democrat, will jump in and file, and if Begich does, Walker will have to retreat to the “petition ballot” as an undeclared candidate. He’ll be a man without a party again, but this time, the Democrats will drop him, unlike their full-throated support in 2014.
Between now and Friday, Mark Begich and Bill Walker are locked in a battle of wits, as the Dread Pirate Roberts and Vizzini were over the “Iocane” poison battle of wits over goblets of wine in the film, The Princess Bride:
HERE’S HOW IT COULD PLAY OUT
Today, Walker will join a panel of gubernatorial hopefuls at the Alaska Oil and Gas Association conference in Anchorage. It appears that Mark Begich will not be on the stage, but Mike Dunleavy, Scott Hawkins will.
Meanwhile, on the Republican side, Mead Treadwell is readying his paperwork for the Alaska Public Offices Commission, and Mike Chenault is said to be dropping out of the governor’s race today. (Must Read Alaska was not able to reach Chenault and Treadwell for confirmation. Treadwell was flying back from California, where he was attending the wedding of his former speechwriter, Michaela Goertzen.)
Must Read Alaska will cover the AOGA debate-forum, which is expected to be seen by hundreds at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR — DEEP SPECULATION
After the debate, Walker will either stay in Anchorage or fly to Juneau and pace while he waits to see what Begich will do. If Begich files for the Democrat primary, Walker will yield that field to him and go directly to the general election as a petition candidate — a man with no party.
Both Begich and Walker are likely to have watchers stationed at each of the six offices of the Division of Elections, cell phones in hand, watching to see if the candidates arrive, and reporting back to their camps.
Begich is not returning calls to the media, which is unusual for him; he always returns calls.
If Begich files as a Democrat, he’ll need a lieutenant governor candidate to file as well. Currently, no Democrats have filed for lieutenant governor. (Mallott is a Democrat, but wedded to the decision of Walker). Begich will need one. Who will it be: Sen. Bill Wielechowski? Rep. Ivy Spohnholz? Or someone from Fairbanks? Election office watchers will need to keep their eyes peeled for likely applicants.
If there is no Democrat lieutenant governor candidate, but Begich files, the current lieutenant governor would need to issue an emergency order to relax the rules and allow the Alaska Democratic Party and Begich to appoint a replacement.
By filing, even if he loses, Begich helps the Democratic Party take back its power from the uncontrollable “no party” group that has taken it over. Begich would then be in a position to run for Senate in 2020.
Walker will not likely drop out right away, but Begich appears to have a poll that he likes the looks of for a three-way race.
Begich could simply file by mail, and skip the drama. So long as his application is postmarked before 5 pm, he could outsmart Walker and not appear anywhere near an Election office on Friday.
THE WILD, WILD LEFT
Walker has embraced the Democrats as his own over the past three years, hiring Begich alumni into leading positions, establishing a climate change panel, and embracing taxes for Alaskans and businesses. He’s socialized the gasline project and expanded Medicaid so that one third of Alaskans are now part of the system. He’s done everything the Democrats have told him to do.
All that, and even announced he will run in the Democrats’ primary. It could all slip away in the next 30 hours.
