By PAULETTE SIMPSON
Alaska’s Democratic Party is meeting in Juneau this weekend and the Alaska Republican Party will be in town February 22 for their quarterly State Central Committee meeting.
The work that state political parties do is largely invisible. Consequently, there has always been a fair amount of misconception about state parties – why they matter and what they can and cannot do.
On and off for 29 years I have served on the Alaska Republican Party’s State Central Committee. While I have no clue how Alaska’s Democratic Party conducts its business, I understand how the ARP operates – and why it matters.
When you register to vote, you can register as “Non-Partisan” or “Undeclared” or pick a political party. It’s the voter’s choice to register with a party or not. Parties are opt-in organizations. No Republican party leader, nor the State Executive Committee or the State Central Committee has the authority to decide whether or not you are worthy, and no one can kick you out.
Parties exist to elect our candidates to office, promote the principles found in our platform, and recruit new members to our Party. Republicans did just that over the past year. Since the February 2024 report from the Division of Elections, Republicans have gained over 7,000 more new voters than Democrats have.
American political scientist E.E. Schattschneider once observed that democracy is “unthinkable” without parties to do the work of campaigning, organizing stable coalitions, and helping citizens make sense of political choices. Most voters simply don’t have time to dig into each candidate’s philosophical underpinnings, so party affiliation can at least provide some clue.
It is the biennial State Convention and the State Central Committee that determine Alaska Republican Party policies. Remember, every single Republican Party officer and State Central Committee member is a volunteer – no one is paid.
The primary function of our 40 District Committees is to promote the election of Republican candidates in their individual districts. This includes candidate recruitment, fund raising for Republican candidates, promotion of the candidates, and any other campaign assistance that may be requested by the candidates.
Districts are not empowered to meddle in the affairs of other districts.
Parties do have a say in deciding which candidates get Party money – to the extent that its members and leadership raise any money to disburse.
Party contributions to candidates are subject by law to laughably low limits – $10,000 per State House candidate and $15,000 to a State Senate candidate, making the Party largely irrelevant in funding campaigns.
Typically, our candidates rely on their own networks and grassroots efforts to finance their races. In Fairbanks, Leslie Hajdukovich raised over $220,000, and Jesse Bjorkman (Kenai) raised over $144,000 for their 2024 State Senate races.
When a legislative vacancy occurs during a term of office (usually unexpectedly), the Party, through the affected District Committee, recommends three names of qualified Republicans from whom the Governor may select a replacement legislator until the next election. That’s why it’s important to have functioning districts that are well-acquainted with Republicans in their district who once appointed can go on to win the next election.
Our State Chairman oversees the Alaska Republican Party organization and affairs. The most daunting task of the Party chair is to keep our wings flying in the same direction. The November 2024 general election demonstrates why that is so challenging. In Wasilla’s District 27, Trump captured 77% of the vote and Begich won 69%. In Juneau’s District 4, Trump received 29% of the vote and Begich garnered 25%.
Republicans must turn out their base, but candidates in every district need swing voters to win. In November, Nick Begich won 159,950 votes statewide but only 66% (99,288) of registered Republicans voted in 2024.
Republicans can’t win without attracting swing voters, most of whom are unaffiliated with a party.
Alaska Republicans are a diverse and often uneasy coalition of very dissimilar districts, but at least we don’t disguise who we are.
The Democrat way of winning elections in Alaska is a model of deception. As of Feb. 3, 2025, there were 150,415 registered Republican voters in Alaska and 75,989 Democrats. Recognizing that most voters (358,451) register as “Non-Partisan” or “Undeclared,” five members of the Alaska House campaigned and won election as “Independent” or “Not Affiliated” candidates, yet all five are now serving in the Democratic-controlled majority.
Moving forward into 2026, Democrats and Republicans will fiercely compete for critical swing voters to determine control of the Alaska Legislature, the Governor’s Office, our sole Congressional seat and the Senate seat held by Sen. Dan Sullivan.
It’s all about the math. To win, Republicans must continue to add voters to our Republican ranks and attract swing voters to our candidates.
Paulette Simpson lives in Juneau and has been politically active for decades.
