Rep. Geran Tarr, who represents East Anchorage in the Alaska House of Representatives, has decided to run for Senate Seat J, a solid Democrat seat that cuts through the heart of Anchorage. She filed with the Division of Elections today.
Already in the race is Anchorage Assemblyman Forrest Dunbar.
The clash of these Democrat titans represents a major fracture in the Democrat playbook of getting the party’s approval to run for a seat, and not challenging the party’s chosen candidate.
It also represents a lawmaker — Tarr — who has put in the time and effort in the Legislature, vs. someone who runs for every office that comes up: Dunbar has run for Congress, Assembly, Mayor, Assembly, and now state Senate.
With that many different attempts, Dunbar is well-known as a political climber, compared with Tarr, a Democrat loyalist who has been a leading advocate for food security and agriculture, and who represents the heaviest minority community in Anchorage.
Dunbar, on the other hand, is well-known for race-baiting statements and actions while serving on the Assembly.
Unlike Dunbar, Tarr is not perceived as a hater and denigrator of the U.S. Constitution. She has served in the House since Jan. 18, 2013 representing what was known under the old numbering system as House District 19.
With ranked choice voting, the top four vote getters in the Aug. 16 open primary will go on to the November ballot, where voters will rank them from 1-4 — most favorite to least favorite. For now, there are only two people in the race for the new Senate seat for this liberal section of Anchorage; the filing deadline is June 1.
