By RYAN NELSON
Josh Revak could have been at one time considered the Alaska Republican Party’s greatest gift. Now reported to be running for Congress, Revak could have been the clear front runner.
No more. Revak’s recent record and statements will come back to haunt him.
Revak is a wounded veteran who served honorably in Iraq, who overcame alcohol adversities and managed to go on and serve in the offices of U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan and Congressman Don Young, who defeated a Republican incumbent in a primary for a State House seat, and later became a member of the state Senate.
However since becoming an elected to the Alaska legislature in 2018 Revak seems to be a different person. But why? Is Revak simply not the person he was portrayed to be in 2018? Or is there truly something about that Juneau water that makes people think differently?
Many have not yet forgotten his betrayal of another Alaskan hero: Rep. Laddie Shaw. When appointed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy to fill the state senate seat left vacant by the late Sen. Chris Birch, Shaw was essentially denied that seat by former Senate president Cathy Giessel.
Despite Shaw being undeniably qualified to take a seat in the Senate, Giessel and some of her fellow Republicans turned on Shaw due to his support for the statutory Permanent Fund dividend.
In wake of Shaw’s rejection, Gov. Mike Dunleavy was left with a clear message that the Giessel, Sen. Natasha Von Imhof, and Sen. Gary Stevens crowd were the true senators in control of the appointment process. Eventually, Dunleavy would replace Senator Birch with the young freshman representative Revak.
Initially, I thought Revak’s appointment was a good pick. He appeared conservative, campaigned on supporting the statutory Permanent Fund dividend formula, and was a likable fellow, but it should have said something to me when Giessel allowed Revak to take the position she had originally denied to Laddie Shaw.
Then, on May 19, 2021, Revak joined 10 members of the Senate, and casted a deciding vote against the state funding the full statutory dividend. This was despite Revak’s initial written campaign pledge which he signed in 2018 that he would commit to supporting Alaskans statutory check.
In fact, not only did Revak vote against the statutory amount, but he even voted against the 50/50 Percent of Market Value plan suggested as a compromise by Gov. Dunleavy. Revak’s failure to adhere to his pledge, essentially joining the category of the Senate Republicans’ most anti-PFD members including Sens. Von Imhof, Stevens, and Stedman.
While Revak later explained himself on the evening drive Mike Porcaro Radio Show by saying that he regretted signing that pledge, as he now knows things that he didn’t know before, the truth is clear: He broke his contract with Alaskans in a time where Alaskans have a low level of trust in their Legislature for failing to uphold the law. Revak’s votes demonstrated he is not a man who can adhere to the promises he got elected by.
To be fair, Revak is not the only member of the Senate to demonstrate this behavior, but now that he may run for the seat of the late Congressman Don Young, Alaskans deserve to be reminded about Revak’s record before they mail in their ballots. If there is any one thing that should disqualify a person from running for office, in my mind failing to adhere to a written pledge would be a golden example.
But for those who have forgotten of his betrayal of the PFD, Alaskans have recently had a good of his character when he explicitly attacked Must Read Alaska Publisher Suzanne Downing, calling her the “biggest piece of human waste on the planet.” To me, this incident not only exemplified my worst fears that Revak is not the conservative freedom fighter I once saw him to be, but it also appears to be an indicator he is not a man with the humility, or that he even has the temperament to be serving in this office.
Before you cast your ballot in the next election, take a good look at the record of your candidate before deciding whether they deserve an upgrade. You may just not like what you see.
Ryan Nelson is a resident of Eagle River, Alaska.
