Rep. Andy Josephson, facing his toughest competitor yet in House District 13 candidate Kathy Henslee, has turned to an old trick: Lying about endorsements. In this instance, Josephson is repeating that he has an important endorsement from the Anchorage Police Department and Anchorage Fire Department.
What Josephson is saying in his ads is that two city departments endorse him, which would be illegal. City governments cannot endorse candidates. What he is implying is that the public safety employees are in his camp.
Many who are sworn officers do not, in fact, support lawmakers like Josephson, who are hard leftists. Josephson has an F grade from the National Rifle Association, and is endorsed by hardcore groups such as the Alaska Center [for the Environment], the National Education Association [NEA], and Planned Parenthood Alliance.
What is true is that the political action committee run by the public safety employees’ union is throwing its support to Josephson, but the distinction is important to those serving in public safety roles. Not all police or firefighters agree with the union PAC endorsement.
Some of them have contacted Must Read Alaska to straighten out the record: Josephson’s ads are beyond misleading — they are false.
The race for District 13 is considered winnable for conservatives, since the boundaries have been changed due to redistricting. The district is midtown-Taku-Campbell area and trends conservatives, while Josephson is a hard-left Democrat.
Henslee’s father and her father-in-law are retired Alaska state troopers. She grew up in a law enforcement family.
“The safety of all of our families is a top issue. We need to support our law enforcement to do the job they’ve been hired and trained to do. Their hands should not be tied. I completely support the police and firefighters and am grateful for their service,” Henslee said.
