By MICHAEL TAVOLIERO

At times, the question “Do we have the best state legislature money can buy?” echoes loudly across Alaska’s political landscape, with a tintinnabulation of urgency, concern, and disillusion.

While we are fortunate to have some dedicated conservative lawmakers who, if allowed to participate in the legislative process freely, would undoubtedly steer Alaska back to its roots as a natural resource powerhouse, there’s a truth that can’t be ignored: These same representatives receive the majority of their campaign funding from the very constituents they represent — Alaskans who share their values and vision for the state and its future.

A growing number of candidates have strayed from this model of local support. Instead, a troubling trend has emerged, where campaign coffers are increasingly filled with donations from Big Labor and its powerful affiliates. 

This is no small issue. The ramifications of this are felt in Alaska’s socio-economic matrix and impacts Alaska’s future generations with present selfishness and future foolishness.

Each election cycle brings a growing number of candidates dependent on union-backed funding, with their campaigns fueled by organizations that prioritize their agendas over the well-being of Alaskans. This is evidenced by the expansion of government bureaucracy, escalating budgets, and a disconnect from the priorities of the people. Instead of restraining government power, candidates seem more focused on controlling the populace and abandoning the principles of limited governance that are essential for preserving Alaska’s freedom and prosperity.

Is your district being seduced by a candidate who floods you with grand promises of progress, assuring you that everything is improving because of his/her leadership?

Does the candidate captivate you with pledges that your community will prosper—not through thoughtful, long-term planning, but by handing out short-term pork-barrel projects timed perfectly to win votes each election cycle?

Behind this carefully crafted facade, have you noticed that this candidate is largely funded by Big Labor and its affiliates? The question then becomes: Is the candidate truly working for you, or for the special interests that bankroll his ambitions?

The influence of these organizations has surged to unprecedented levels in Alaska, and voters must confront this reality with urgency. If left unchecked, this dominance could reshape the state’s future in ways that no longer prioritize the needs of everyday Alaskans. It’s critical that voters examine the truth behind these campaigns now, before it’s too late to reclaim control from special interests.

In the 2024 election cycle, we see this trend. Many campaigns in Alaska are receiving minimal financial support from local constituents. Instead, they are largely funded by Big Labor, government employee unions, and their affiliates.

Who are these candidates really serving? What policies will they champion? The answers to these questions are crucial, as Alaska’s future hangs in the balance.

Labor unions, including public-sector unions, are pouring massive sums of money into the campaigns of candidates who promise to increase government spending—on Medicaid, on education without accountability, on reviving defined benefit pension plans, even as Alaska faces billions in unfunded liabilities, on the PFD, and on the continuing need for infrastructure development.

Medicaid Expansion: Who’s Really Benefiting?

The expansion of Medicaid in Alaska has been a contentious issue. Health is the largest component of Alaska’s operating budget. While federal funding significantly supports Medicaid in Alaska, the state will increasingly have to shoulder a larger portion of the costs, which could become a major fiscal issue in the coming years. Evergreen Economics in its Long-Term Forecast of Medicaid Enrollment and Spending in Alaska: FY2024-FY2044 sees this as an annual state and federal funding increase of 4.4%. 

While government funded health care may seem like a compassionate move, it’s important to question who is really benefiting from this money tree. With millions of federal dollars flowing into the state under Medicaid expansion, healthcare unions and their affiliates have reaped major financial rewards. 

Many candidates who support further expansion are not doing so out of concern for Alaska’s fiscal or its physical and mental health, but because they are backed by labor unions who stand to profit from the increased funding. And while some candidates make it seem like expanding Medicaid will solve Alaska’s healthcare issues, it also increases the state’s dependency on federal funding and deepens the state’s fiscal crisis.

Education Funding Without Accountability

Another area where Big Labor’s influence is glaring is education. Alaska’s education system has seen consistently increases in funding, but with little to show in terms of results. Education represents the second largest component of Alaska’s operating budget. 

The powerful teachers’ unions, which back many of these candidates, push for ever-higher budgets without addressing the accountability needed to ensure better outcomes for Alaska’s children. While more money flows into the system, Alaska continues to rank at the bottom in educational performance compared to other states. This is a truly dark cloud when we consider the needed levels of educated citizens necessary to propel Alaska into a strong future.

The unions, with their financial clout, continue to push for more education money without being held accountable for results—a dangerous cycle that leaves our children underserved and in dire straits as adults.

These candidates are very easy to single out since they preach about not enough state funding participation in education but are reticent on performance and outcome.

The Defined Benefits Debate: A Financial Time Bomb

The resurrection of defined benefit pension plans is perhaps one of the most dangerous policies being pushed by candidates supported by government employee unions. Alaska moved away from defined benefits years ago because they were financially unsustainable, leaving the state with billions in unfunded liabilities. Despite this, Big Labor-backed candidates are advocating for their return, which would only deepen Alaska’s fiscal woes. Who benefits from this? Government employees and their unions, while the average Alaskan is left holding the bill as liabilities balloon.

The Permanent Fund Dividend: A Political Football

Let’s talk about the Permanent Fund dividend. For years, conservative lawmakers have fought to preserve the PFD as a direct benefit to Alaskan families. But many in the legislature, backed by Big Labor and special interests, have been pushing to reduce or cap the dividend to fund government spending—spending that benefits the same labor unions that bankroll their campaigns. For almost a decade, these candidates argue that cutting the PFD is necessary to fund essential services and the state budget continues to grow, but it’s clear that their true agenda is to maintain the ever-growing government bureaucracy, which keeps their union backers happy.

Big Labor’s Insatiable Hunger

Alaska’s long and troubled pursuit of building infrastructure, particularly in the Bush, has become a significant financial and political burden. Over the decades, billions of dollars have been poured into expanding infrastructure—roads, airports, energy systems, and government facilities—yet many of these projects have failed to deliver the expected benefits. Instead, they have contributed to long-term debt, bloated bureaucracy, and economic strain.

Since the early 1980’s, Alaska has heavily relied on oil revenues to fund not only basic services but also ambitious infrastructure projects. While these projects were often aimed at improving the quality of life for residents, they frequently resulted in spiraling costs. The expense of maintaining this vast infrastructure has been immense, and it’s often argued that these projects were built without sufficient consideration of their long-term sustainability, all of which were spearheaded by Big Labor and the candidates it has bought and paid for.

Who Is Representing You?

The influence of Big Labor and its affiliates has reached record highs in Alaska. The questions for voters are simple: Who is your candidate accountable to? Are they working for their constituency? Are they beholden to the unions and special interests that finance their campaigns? 

It’s time to reclaim Alaska’s political future and support candidates who prioritize the needs of Alaskans, who take their funding from the grassroots, and who will fight for a state where natural resource development, fiscal responsibility, and individual liberty are prioritized over the interests of Big Labor and their agenda of unchecked government expansion.

Have you ever gone to The Alaska Public Offices Commission campaign income reports at this link and reviewed the financial reports?

Type in a candidate’s last name and click on search. It will produce an income report. For better clarity, you can produce an excel spreadsheet by clicking on “Export” and then click on “CVS.” This will produce a spreadsheet with will enable you to determine where the sources of campaign donations for this candidate come from. 

Michael Tavoliero resides in Eagle River and writes for Must Read Alaska.