Wednesday, July 30, 2025
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Former Lt. Gov. Craig Campbell joins Bernadette Wilson campaign, calls her the leader Alaska needs

Former Lt. Gov. Craig Campbell has been named chairman of Bernadette Wilson’s campaign for Alaska governor, lending his decades of political and military leadership to support Wilson’s bid to lead the state after the 2026 general election.

In a statement released by the campaign, Campbell praised Wilson’s qualifications and framed her as a bold choice for turning around Alaska’s current challenges.

“Alaska’s future requires a dynamic leader; a person with demonstrated credentials to reverse our stagnating economy, declining statewide educational performance, growing social challenges, and drift away from the founding principles of our state,” Campbell said. “Bernadette Wilson is that person. As a successful business owner, political activist, and proven leader, she has the distinct qualities necessary to lead our state towards prosperity, while protecting our values and the precious aspects that make Alaska exceptional. I am proud to serve as Campaign Chairman to elect Bernadette Wilson as Alaska’s next governor.”

Campbell is deeply respected across the state for his heartfelt Alaska servant leadership. Wilson welcomed Campbell to the campaign and highlighted his unmatched experience and civic dedication:

“I am deeply honored to have former Lieutenant Governor Craig Campbell join our team as campaign chairman,” said Wilson. “His decades of service, both in uniform, and in leadership roles across Alaska, reflect a lifetime commitment to the values we are fighting to protect. He understands, like I do, the urgency of securing Alaska’s economic future and the heartbreaking decisions many families face when trying to determine whether they can afford to stay here. His leadership and insight are invaluable as we work to restore opportunity, protect our way of life, and put Alaska first.”

Campbell served as Alaska’s 10th lieutenant governor and brings over 40 years of political experience in Alaska.

He has held leadership roles in Alaska aviation and aerospace, including President and CEO of the Alaska Aerospace Corporation and Manager of Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. He was also appointed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy to the Alaska Railroad Corporation Board of Directors, serving as board chair.

His state government experience includes serving as commissioner of the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs under two governors and leading the Alaska National Guard as the state’s Adjutant General. He retired in 2009 with the federal rank of Major General and the state rank of Lieutenant General.

A prominent figure in the Alaska Republican Party, Campbell served as finance chair, vice chair, and as Alaska’s national committeeman to the Republican National Committee.

Campbell’s early involvement signals a serious and organized effort ahead of the 2026 gubernatorial election. Since announcing her bid for office, Wilson has brought on proven veterans from the Donald Trump and Nick Begich campaigns, has received an endorsement from Congressman Byron Donalds, and has been traveling across the state to meet with Alaskans and listen to their concerns.

Wilson, a conservative business owner and longtime political activist, launched her campaign in May. Her campaign has centered on economic revitalization, emphasizing protecting the Permanent Fund dividend, addressing trawling practices, and improving education, with a firm belief that America’s strength starts with Alaska. 

Alex Gimarc: Sustainable aquaculture in Alaska?

By ALEX GIMARC

I received a heads up last week from Craig Medred, announcing a World Bank publication that spoke in glowing terms about the role aquaculture is going to play in feeding a growing worldwide population. It predicts as many as 22 million new jobs by 2050, 25 years from today, and investment opportunities of $1.5 trillion over the same period. Growth is projected somewhere between 60 – 97 million tonnes annual production over those 25 years. Today, aquaculture provides almost 60% of global seafood production. 

As with any opportunity, there are competitors. The press release linked above lists shrimp from Ecuador, salmon from Chile, Pangasius (shark catfish) from Vietnam. China and Bangladesh are supplying their own domestic markets with carp and black tiger shrimp.

The immediate question arises: How will Alaska play in this new, apparently highly lucrative global marketplace? What do we bring to the competitive table? What, if anything do we do well? What do we sell?  

The first and most important thing to note is that Alaska does not and for the foreseeable future will not participate in any effort to commercially farm finfish for commercial sale, having made it illegal in 1990. This was done as a protectionist effort to protect Alaska commfish from competition.  What it actually did was ensure Alaska commfish completely incapable of participating in the growing global marketplace in any meaningful way. Even a Dunleavy attempt to introduce onshore, fish farming for trout (mostly based on the current freshwater stocking program) this legislative session was summarily ignored until it died.

The closest we here in Alaska get to fish farming is hatchery release of a billion or two pink fry into Prince William Soung yearly (ocean ranching), fish which are out competing all other salmon species for food, quickly driving them into oblivion.  Environmental concerns about the ongoing destruction wrought by excess pink population in the North Pacific is swatted aside by ADF&G commfish friendly biologists with the same tender loving care that the tobacco companies swatted away lung cancer concerns up until 30 years ago when the Clinton administration turned tobacco into a cash cow for trial lawyers who elected him.  

All is not doom and gloom, though there is a little aquaculture going on in Alaska, intentionally limited to seaweed and shellfish.  The industry is quite new, starting in 1988 with the goal of $100 million in sales by 2040.  The most recent NOAA sales figure from 2019 was $1.4 million.  Let’s see, an increase in sales from zero to $1.4 million in a mere 31 years, somehow I think we’re going to miss the $100 million goal by a lot ($98 million). This is hardly serious growth.  

Contrast that with the World Bank Report of 20 million new jobs, $1.5 trillion new investment opportunity and 67 – 90 million tonnes of product over the next 25 years worldwide and ask yourself how are we going to play in that new world?

Note that the total value of Alaska commercial salmon harvest in 2024 was $304 million, down 24% from 2023, with around 450 million pounds of fish harvested, around 67 cents / pound.  Is this the best value we can get for the resource?  Or is there another way?

One other way would be to embrace the growing worldwide marketplace for farmed fish. Railing against fish farming and frankenfish, while fun, won’t do anything to make us more competitive. 

Sadly, any approach will require action by both the governor and the legislature. Starting with a repeal of the 1990 ban on fish farming in Alaska. The Alaska Legislature can and should be leading this, but their approach to Dunleavy’s proposal for onshore fish farming for trout did not inspire much confidence. It is all too easy to sit back and figure out new ways to raid the Permanent Fund and spend the PFD rather than try to grow the economy.  

Still, some things may be changing. The perennial commfish friendly speed bump to progress in Kodiak, Gary Stevens is retiring. An open seat in that part of the state should listen to calls to take advantage of the new opportunities, at least until Election Day 2026.  

It is imperative that this state quickly and vigorously embrace fish farming both onshore (recirculating aquaculture systems – RAS) and offshore. There is opportunity out there. Embrace it and we all win.  

Continue down our current path, squabbling over ever decreasing returns of valuable salmon species (kings, anyone?), and we will be left with little more than failing businesses and endangered salmon in the streams or in the oceans.  

If what we are doing isn’t working, isn’t it time to do something else? Choose wisely.

Alex Gimarc lives in Anchorage since retiring from the military in 1997. His interests include science and technology, environment, energy, economics, military affairs, fishing and disabilities policies. His weekly column “Interesting Items” is a summary of news stories with substantive Alaska-themed topics. He was a small business owner and Information Technology professional.

TSA phasing out shoe removal at security

The Transportation Security Administration has begun phasing out the long-standing requirement for passengers to remove their shoes at airport checkpoints.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced Tuesday the major policy change from TSA that may streamline airport security processes, reduce wait times, and improve the passenger experience nationwide.

The new policy applies initially to a set of pilot airports equipped with updated scanning technology and lower-risk profiles, with a broader national rollout expected to follow quickly.

The first airports to implement the change include:

  • Baltimore/Washington International (BWI)
  • Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (CVG)
  • Portland International (PDX)
  • Philadelphia International (PHL)
  • Piedmont Triad International (GSO) in North Carolina

In addition, major hubs such as Los Angeles International (LAX) and New York’s LaGuardia (LGA) have already adopted the policy as part of TSA’s rapid deployment.

TSA officials confirmed that the change will apply to most travelers unless they trigger an alarm during screening. The agency emphasized that the new policy does not compromise safety; advanced scanning systems continue to detect concealed items without requiring shoe removal in most cases.

For Alaskans, the update is welcome news. Travelers in the state often wear heavy-duty boots due to rugged terrain, heavy work, and exposure to cold weather, making shoe removal at security checkpoints time-consuming and cumbersome. With TSA aiming to expand the policy nationwide, Alaska’s major airports may follow in the footsteps of the pilot airports.

The change is part of a broader modernization effort by the Department of Homeland Security to make air travel more efficient while maintaining security. The shoe removal rule, in place since 2001, has long been one of the most unpopular parts of the airport screening process.

Alaska Socialists get go-ahead to circulate petition for Anchorage Inspector General ballot measure

A far-left political organization known for its street-level activism says it has received the green light to move forward with a proposed change to the Anchorage Municipal Charter.

The Party for Socialism and Liberation announced that it has been authorized by the Anchorage Municipal Clerk to begin collecting signatures for a petition titled “New Charter Section 4.08. Inspector General.” The initiative seeks to create an Office of Inspector General within the legislative branch of the municipality.

This is the same group that recently insisted that a municipal golf course be converted into a tent city for vagrants and that short-term rentals be banned in the city. It is the same group that has called for the death of Zionists and Jews, in support of Palestinians.

The petition was officially certified by the clerk’s office on July 7, the group announced. In order for the measure to appear on the ballot next March, the group must now collect at least 7,225 verified signatures from registered Anchorage voters by the Oct. 6 deadline.

If successful, the ballot measure would ask voters to amend the Municipal Charter and establish a new watchdog position — an Inspector General — to presumably provide oversight of municipal government operations.

There already is an Ombudsman’s office in Anchorage that serves a similar purpose.

Big cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC have inspectors general but small cities like Anchorage typically do not. New York City’s Inspector General had a budget of approximately $25.6 million for fiscal year 2024, while Los Angeles had a budget of $5 million.

The PSL, which is spearheading the effort, describes itself as a Marxist-Leninist political party and has been active in Anchorage through organized protests and demonstrations centered on housing, police defunding, and anti-capitalist causes.

Begich delivers where Peltola did not: Two Alaska Native bills signed by Trump in six months

Tired of winning, Alaska?

It has been a landmark week for Alaska Congressman Nick Begich III, who has seen the first two bills he introduced since taking office passed by both bodies of Congress and signed by President Donald Trump on Monday. Begich is the first member of either the House or Senate to have multiple bills signed by the president. And it’s only been six months.

The two bills that are now law are intended to strengthen the general welfare of Alaska Native communities. They are House Resolution 42: Alaska Native Settlement Trust Eligibility Act, and HR 43: Alaska Native Village Municipal Lands Restoration Act of 2025.

HR 42, which amends the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, ensures that payments or benefits from settlement trusts to aged, blind, or disabled Alaska Natives (or their descendants) will not be counted as income or resources for the purposes of qualifying for need-based federal assistance programs such as Supplemental Security Income, SNAP, or housing aid. This exemption applies for a five-year period following enactment. The bill was passed by the House on Feb. 4 and cleared the Senate on June 24.

HR 43 lifts a longstanding requirement that village corporations must convey certain lands to the State of Alaska to be held in trust for future municipal governments. With the change, those lands may now remain under the control of village corporations, freeing up locally driven development and stewardship. This bill also passed the House on Feb. 4 and cleared the Senate on June 18.

Begich’s early success signals a deliberate focus on Alaska Native priorities that former Rep. Mary Peltola was not able to accomplish. These were bills left over from the Congressman Don Young era; Young died while in office in 2022.

The wins stand out and mark Begich as a hardworking and effective advocate, not only for advocating for America-first policies in the One Big Beautiful Bill, Alaska natural resource development, and the 70-30 royalty split with the federal government, but as a successful advocate for Alaska Native interests in his first six months on Capitol Hill.

Cultural appropriation? ‘Indigenous’ drag show and Pride parade coming to Bethel on July 12

A free, all-ages drag show is set to take place at the Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center in Bethel on July 12, part of a slate of Pride-themed events organized by a group of activists and supported by local organizations, including the publicly funded University of Alaska Fairbanks Kuskokwim Campus. Pride Month, the celebration of LGBTQ+ self absorption, was in June.

The event, called Bethel Pride, was announced in a social media post promoting “a celebration of unapologetic queer joy” and an “all-Indigenous cast” of drag performers. The flyer for the event features Osha Violation, Ice Watah, Lamia DOOM Monroe, and Herda Nuff, with performers traveling in from Fairbanks, their travel and performance fees are paid for by undisclosed donors. Doors for the drag show open at 7 pm, with the show starting at 7:30 pm. The event is advertised as free and “all-ages.”

It’s all-indigenous, the flyer says, but a case can be made that it’s cultural appropriation of western drag art form.

In addition to the evening performance, the day will include a Pride sign-making workshop at 10 am, followed by a Pride march to Lion’s Club Park at noon.

The flyer thanks several organizations for enabling the event, including Troy Michael of the Mr. Gay World organization, the Kuskokwim Consortium Library, University of Alaska Fairbanks Kuskokwim Campus, the Bethel Actors Guild, Teens Acting Against Violence, and the Tundra Women’s Coalition, which is publicly funded by the Alaska Legislature.

The University of Alaska system, including its Kuskokwim campus, receives significant public funding from state and federal sources. While the flyer stops short of identifying a primary funder, its inclusion of the university among key supporters raises questions among some residents in Western Alaska about whether public dollars are being used to support a drag show marketed to all ages.

The event is being promoted primarily through social media.

Scott Kendall-backed group settles, pays $50K in legal fees to 2024 ranked-choice repeal sponsors

A lawsuit that played a central role in derailing the citizen-led effort to repeal ranked-choice voting in Alaska has ended in a $50,000 settlement to the trio who were trying to repeal the unique and confusing voting system in 2024.

Arthur Mathias, Phillip Izon, and Jamie Donley, sponsors of the repeal effort, sought attorney fees and costs from the people who were pawns of the anti-repeal side: Elizabeth Medicine Crow, Amber Lee, and Kevin McGee, the three who challenged the validity of petition signatures.

The Supreme Court had last month ruled in favor of both the way the Division of Elections handled the repeal petitions and the actions of petitioners themselves.

The lawsuit was part of a series of harassing legal filings and appeals targeting the repeal campaign’s petition process. The challenges, and subsequent court proceedings, consumed months of time and energy and imposed heavy legal costs on the repeal sponsors — just as was intended by the money-rich opponents of the repeal effort.

To settle the matter, the challengers agreed to pay the repeal petition sponsors a total of $50,000, funds that went to the repeal group’s lawyer Kevin Clarkson. The two groups settled out of court.

As part of the resolution, both sides agreed to dismiss appeals with prejudice. The sponsors of the petition also agreed not to renew their request for attorney’s fees in appeal S-19182 after the Alaska Supreme Court issues its final ruling. Each party will bear its own remaining legal expenses, and no side admitted wrongdoing or liability as part of the settlement.

The harassing lawsuit, brought by Democrat attorney Scott Kendall, the architect of Ballot Measure 2, which established ranked-choice voting in Alaska, was widely seen as a form of lawfare, strategically aimed at derailing the repeal campaign.

Kendall, an ally of Sen. Lisa Murkowski who was working with the dark-money group Alaskans for Better Elections, sought to preserve the voting system he had helped create to get Murkowski re-elected.

Opponents of ranked-choice voting say the lawsuit was intended not just to question petition signatures, but to distract, exhaust, and financially damage the sponsors in the midst of a critical repeal effort.

Ultimately, Ballot Measure 2 was kept in practice by a narrow margin, a result repeal advocates say was influenced in large part by the aggressive legal assault and public confusion stemming from the Kendall group’s law fare campaign.

Planned Parenthood sues in an effort to abort federal funding cut to abortion mill

Planned Parenthood filed a federal lawsuit on Monday challenging a provision in the newly enacted One Big Beautiful Bill that bars the organization from receiving Medicaid reimbursements. Planned Parenthood alleges the funding cut is an unconstitutional effort to punish it for providing and advocating for abortion access. The funding cut applies to the organization for just one year.

The lawsuit, filed in the liberal US District Court in Washington, DC, claims the law’s defund provision unlawfully strips Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood health centers nationwide, despite the fact that the organization does not use federal funds for abortion services, in compliance with long-standing federal law. The funds from American taxpayers allow Planned Parenthood to operate its centers and use other monies to provide abortion services.

“The prohibition specifically targets Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its member health care providers in order to punish them for lawful activity, namely advocating for and providing legal abortion access wholly outside the Medicaid program and without using any federal funds,” the organization wrote in the complaint.

Meanwhile, a federal judge has stopped Congress from defunding the abortion provider. Judge Indira Talwani of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts granted a temporary restraining order that was requested by Planned Parenthood on Monday.

The DC District lawsuit contends that by excluding Planned Parenthood from the Medicaid program, the federal government is effectively denying low-income patients their choice of health care provider, a right they say is protected under federal Medicaid law. However, between 25-33% of physicians in the United States do not accept new Medicaid patients, thus are refusing Medicaid funds.

For over four decades, federal law known as the Hyde Amendment has prohibited the use of taxpayer funds for abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.

Planned Parenthood argues that the new provision goes beyond this restriction, weaponizing the federal budget process to silence a specific provider and its political stance on abortion rights.

“The Defund Provision is a naked attempt to leverage the government’s spending power to attack and penalize Planned Parenthood and impermissibly single it out for unfavorable treatment,” the organization said.

The One Big Beautiful Bill, legislation championed by President Donald Trump and passed by Congress earlier this year, contains a range of conservative policy priorities, including immigration enforcement, tax reform, and defunding organizations linked to abortion services. Its Medicaid provision was among the most controversial, drawing sharp criticism from health care advocates and reproductive rights groups. Sen. Lisa Murkowski fought to keep the funding in place for Planned Parenthood, but ultimately voted for the bill even after the funding was stripped.

Alaska House Democrats pick two candidates to support with thousands of dollars

The Alaska House Democratic Campaign Committee, made up of Democrat House members and politicos from around the state, has picked two candidates to back so far in the 2026 election cycle:

  • Cliff Groh, who served one term as a House member for North Anchorage District 18 before being bounced by Republican Rep. David Nelson during the 2024 election cycle. But it was a very close race: Nelson won by 23 votes.
  • Katherine Simpler, who is running to replace Rep. Louise Stutes, who has filed for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Gary Stevens. Simpler is not a Democrat but is a nonpartisan — a category often adopted by those who are fearful of the Democrat brand’s negative connotations.

Simpler is a union activist for the National Education Association, where she is listed as as a “representative on the NEA Board of Directors, the top decision making body of our national affiliate which includes at least one director from each state affiliate.”

She began her career teaching in Kodiak in 1996 and now serves as her school district’s migrant education facilitator. She has served as NEA-Alaska Region 2 director. Since 2022, she has represented NEA-Alaska as its director, advocating for the union’s priorities at the national level. The NEA’s political arm will be bringing a lot of cash for her in this race.

At its most recent national meeting, the NEA voted to fight President Donald Trump and his facism (sic) by using the word “facism”:

“NEA pledges to defend democracy against Trump’s embrace of fascism by using the term facism in NEA materials to correctly characterize Donald Trump’s program and actions,” the resolution states.

Kodiak-Seward-Cordova District 5 voted for Trump in 2024 — 54.3% to Kamala Harris’ 41.5%, which nearly mirrors the state’s overall results of 54.5% to 41.4%, but the district also voted for Stutes, who is well known for aligning with Democrats.

Also filed for the Kodiak seat is Republican Sheldon Prout, who has been on staff for Vice President JD Vance, and Republican Aimee Williams, the borough manager.

Both Groh and Simpler have received $5,000 donations to their campaign accounts from the House Democrats.

The Democrats’ donations are not small amounts. Although Groh raised $213,000 for his 2024 election campaign, which he lost by 23 votes, Nelson, who beat him, raised less than $38,000.

Stutes raised less than $20,000 for her last House race in 2024. Sen. Gary Stevens raised $117,000 for his reelection in 2022.