By RON JOHNSON
During this election cycle, all 40 seats in the Alaska House of Representatives are up for election. Most of those seats have more than one candidate from which voters can choose.
This is an opportunity for voters to measure incumbents and determine if they’ve kept promises made or whether it’s time for a change. The race for House District 27 is one where voters have a legitimate choice between an incumbent with no accomplishments in four terms and a challenger with a proven track record during the last three years on the Mat-Su School Board. That challenger is Jubilee Underwood.
When Jubilee saw that her voice as a parent wasn’t being heard, she ran for the school board and won. When boys tried to enter our daughters’ bathrooms and sports teams, she kept them out. When the federal government pushed policies harmful to children’s wellbeing during the Covid pandemic, she protected our kids.
In the three years she has served on the school board, Jubilee accomplished everything she promised she would, but the current representative can’t say the same. In nearly eight years in the state house, he introduced more than 140 measures and has never managed to advance any of them to the House floor for a vote. However, during the last session, he did manage to frequently vote with the Democratic minority, including voting for a significantly reduced PFD.
The current representative was one of three key nay votes in 2022 that shot down paying a full PFD. That critical vote took over a billion dollars out of your pockets and the private sector.
To add insult to injury, his adversarial approach towards his fellow colleagues has left him in a minority of one and gotten him removed from the only policy committee of which he was a member. Clearly the Mat-Su deserves a change.
As a contrast, Jubilee will be a true representative of the Valley by working with others to move Alaska forward. She embraces fiscal responsibility, a statutory PFD, lowering or preventing taxes and limiting government spending. She is committed to defending parental choice in schools. She has committed to defending our constitutional rights and cracking down on crime.
Jubilee will stand steadfast to common sense principles and accomplish what she is elected to do, just as she has during her time on the school board.
Ron Johnson has been a resident of the Mat-Su Borough since 1991, has been married to Janet Johnson for over 55 years, the father of two, a United States Air Force Vietnam veteran, and has been active in local and state politics for over a decade.
Praise God we have a conservative like Eastman who stands on conservative principles.
By the sound of things, Juneau has gotten to be a downright conservative place since legislators adjourned in May.
But wait, weren’t those the same legislators (most of them at least nominally Republican) who voted to increase state spending this year by over two billions dollars?
The senate minority (Shower, Hughes, Myers) voted no. I voted no. The only other Republicans voting no were Carpenter and Stutes.
How did the legislature pay for this budget increase? They paid for it by taking roughly $1.5 billion from the PFD.
The Swamp in Juneau would like Alaskans in every part of the state to vote for the candidate who will most facilitate increases to state spending.
If you oppose those increases you will be removed from the caucus (or told you need not apply), your staff will be fired (or never hired to begin with), and you will be sent to the corner.
They did it to Lora Reinbold before I ever ran for the state house.
They did it to my senator, Mike Dunleavy, when I was a freshman legislator.
They did it to my senator, Mike Shower.
They did it to me.
They will keep on doing it to legislators who endeavor to honestly represent conservative districts as long as voters let them get away with it.
There is a reason Mike Dunleavy was sent to the corner and was not allowed to have any of his bills pass during his five years in the senate.
There is a reason Mike Shower was sent to the corner and has not been allowed to have any of his bills pass in the seven years that he has been in the senate.
In Juneau you will not be awarded with a bill passing with your name on it unless you are in the good graces of the swamp.
Here is to those legislators who have had the courage to be more loyal to their constituents then to the swamp. May they live long and prosper.
Sure sounds like you’re running scared Representative Eastman, from the content of this article and your response to it, it sure seems to be for a good reason or two or three.
Looks to me that it went up by nearly $4 billion, from FY23 at $8.5 billion to FY24 at $12.2 billion. For just 733,000 people. $16,644 for each man, woman, and child resident for a single year.
If the communists -er democrats are waging lawfare against you, you must be the right man for the position. You have my vote.
Jubilee and Todd Palin should hook up, then join as running mates for Wasilla area House & Senate seats. Their combined hot factor will easily sway the electorate in that part of the state.
Sorry, I’m now taken. Sarah would be jealous. Jubilee by a country mile, or two.
Nice article Ron. Jubilee will be good. Not sure how eastmouth wound up flapping on this thread. He is like a truck with a flat tire doing 55 down the road.
Hi Dan,
I just listened to last Friday’s podcast of of the Dan Fagan show, which was mostly centered on Eastman, as well Monday’s show where Eastman called in.David’s MO is to create an issue, then become the victim and then plays the awe-poor-me game. Most people can’t see behind the curtain unless they are political junkies and leave Gavel to Gavel on all day. Most form opinions based on David’s lies, half truths, and misdirection. It is all smoke and mirrors.
For instance, Eastman doesn’t do any of the work necessary to get any of his bill moving nor does he try to build consensus around them; he fails to include a sponsor’s statement and doesn’t ask the chairs of committees for hearings in the committees of referral. It’s much easier to have legislative legal write legislation than it is to do the work to shepherd it toward the finish line. He spends hundreds of thousands of dollars of state money to manufacture amendments, and bills which allow him to talk, but which he knows will go nowhere. He is among the best reasons to have the legislative sessions on the road system. People could then watch his antics
He also makes incessant speeches under special orders. Many legislators leave when he stand up to talk. He does this so he can grandstand and clip out his talking points and use them to further his current agenda whatever that may be. And because of the way his FACLactivists have treated other conservative legislators, and his unwillingness to disavow what they say and do, not many legislators are interested in supporting anything he does regardless of how meritorious.
He introduces bills for the optics and to allow him to make speeches and play to his base. He doesn’t explain anything he is doing ahead of time to fellow legislators or try to build consensus. Instead he drops the legislation or amendments on them at the last minute. Then if conservatives don’t vote WITH him, his activists make ugly memes and boosted posts on social media, or flyers they hand out at gun shows or the fair, against those conservative legislators, labeling them as RINO’s or traitors etc, (BTW these flyers and petitions are merely a way for Eastman to gain data on people so he can email or text them his lies). The job of Eastman-FACL-activists is to make these legislators feel “pain.” The FACL mantra is “Unless you are politically feared, you will not be politically effective.”
In FACL-speak, Eastman is what is known as the “champion”. He maintains this pure appearance by having his loyal activists do the actual dirty work—mere supporters and voters don’t often see the connection. They also don’t seem to care that he collaborates with Democrats in full view on the House floor, helping them introduce amendments, or use the rules to their advantage, against fellow conservatives. He then often votes with those Democrats, and/or votes against something fellow conservatives want just to punish them. If you really watch Gavel, watch how many times he is talking with uber liberal Schrage or Josephson. He must be able to explain away this activity to the satisfaction of his activists because they are unwavering in their support of him. Sam Clemens was right – it is easier to lie to people than to convince them they have been lied to.
Eastman often introduces as many as half the amendments in the budget bill, and floor amends many other bills. In addition to the huge costs of leg legal time, he wastes floor time talking, and talking, and talking. Then grandstands on the 90th day in making a motion for adjournment when he was the one who wasted the most time. Most of his amendments get voted down because, well, they are his amendments.
I talked with a former House members about Eastman. They think it is his intent to get all Republicans unelected, get democrats elected until the conservative gets so pissed off they elect many just like him. That is not going to work and he has had his 8 years, his 5 minutes of fame. No other legislator has had so many ethics complaints against him. He has been removed from his caucus, by his caucus mates, every single legislative session. They just cannot work with him. David voted against bills to support Isreal, voted against NRA sponsored bills and many other conservative republican bills.
Isn’t it time for a change?
Who is the Coward that Wrote this trash? This is stupid. Punish the ONE person that Actually listens to his voters! Susan I expect better than This Cowardly article. So powerful they would not put a name on it! Did they have to report this to Alaska Election Commission! Maybe people that do not LIVE here should vote and work on elections where they Live.
RINOs attacking the only real Conservative!
EXACTLY! I live in Eagle River but wish I had David Eastman as my representative. We need MORE people like Eastman, not less!
Any “lack of accomplishment” from David Eastman has more to do with a traitorous Republican “majority” not representing those who elected them.
Tom,
Instead of getting irate and popping of halfcocked and calling names like a fanatic, why not take the time to read the article and make note of the byline under the picture where it says who wrote it…By RON JOHNSON
It’s a guest contributor but authors name is in the article title. Ron is a head of the MatSu republican party, or used to be for the house district over in Butte.
It literally says “Ron Johnson” right there , Thomas.
well, he does love dumb arse ratchets from Wasilla that sell our state out!
Once again, the Republicans who do not want the constitution fully upheld are endorsing one of their own that will not fight for the Alaskan or the US constitution. Rep. David Eastman has been and will be fighting hard to ensure that the constitution is followed and upheld. Shame on the Alaskan GOP and the Republican Parties in the Mat-Su Valley that cannot look past the end of their noses. Praying for Rep. Eastman’s victory.
Just another hit piece about David Eastman. Jubilee is a empty skirt. I’ve heard several interviews with her and she says nothing. But she does say she will join the caucus. One of the many things wrong in Juneau. They always bring up that Mr. Eastman voted against a full PFD when the budget is full of wasteful spending and government expansion. Which is why he voted against it. I applaud anyone that vote’s against these bloated budgets.
Do you also appluad Representative Eastman when he votes for these bloated budgets or only when he votes against the PFD?
This is what they want you to believe:
“The current representative was one of three key ‘nay’ votes in 2022 that shot down paying a full PFD. That critical vote took over a billion dollars out of your pockets and the private sector.”
Narratives like these are the beginning of voter manipulation. The so-called representatives in Juneau lie right to your face in unison. They were never going to pay the dividend; they had enough votes to kill it no matter how David voted. You think they somehow grew a conscience and out of nowhere decided that year to pay a PFD when they did not pay the year before or the year after? Representatives cannot lie to you while simultaneously representing you. That’s erroneous. I have to be honest: this article is total trash. I expect way more from WRA.
The fact remains, Representative Eastman is the most effective Democrat in the legislature.
This article is spot on. David Eastman should be nominated for Alaska Democrat of the decade. Let’s review just a few highlights:
1) He has single-handedly delivered leadership of the House to the Democrats or “bipartisan coalitions” through multiple election cycles;
2) As referenced earlier, personally torpedoed the vote to consent to the Senate’s budget which funded a full statutory PFD because of *checks notes* “abortion”;
3) Voted against and sank the most conservative education package that we could have seen this last legislative session; voted with, assisted, and empowered the Democrat-lead House minority, forcing the state to waste even more money on a failed system/approach.
What good is a representative who may try to say all the right things to burnish his “conservative” credentials when the end result is that Democrats wield more power in Juneau?
Eastman is a career politician with a failed track record, has no real job or private sector experience, and keeps what should be a safe Valley Republican seat in the hands of the Democrats.
But I’m sure he’ll do great this time around sitting alone in his storage closet in Juneau…
Eastman is a loser, Jubilee Underwood is a winner with a stellar record as a compassionate conservative with a record of accomplishment during her three years on the school board. A vote for Eastman is to define insanity as in continuing with the same behavior and expecting different results. We deserve better than Eastman and 100% support Jubilee Underwood.
David Eastman won the primary against Underwood by a landslide because he actually represents his constituents values. Underwood saying she would join the caucus says volumes about her, she is not a fighter. There are already too many rinos in the legislature. No thank you, Eastman has my vote, and always will. The Juneau swamp hit piece here, or those of Linn McCabe’s, will not stop him from being re elected. We need more like him with the courage and fortitude to fight the swamp. Ron Johnson must be a Kelly Merrick apologiser, too, lol.
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