A launch for the opposition to the repeal of 2020’s Ballot Measure 2, which brought open primaries and ranked-choice voting to Alaska, is set for Fairbanks and the supporters of the “no repeal” group has many names that people in Fairbanks know well.
There’s Bryan Schroder, cousin-in-law to Sen. Lisa Murkowski. There’s the Socialist Santa from North Pole, who ran for Congress before endorsing Rep. Mary Peltola, the Democrat who won with ranked-choice voting in 2022. There’s Grace Jang, the former communication director for former Gov. Bill Walker. There’s marketing guy Elias Rojas, who serves as the LGBTQ+ caucus chair for the Alaska Democrats’ delegation to the Democratic National Convention. Also on the list is liberal Republican Linda Hutchings of Soldotna and Democrat Native leader Ana Hoffman. Native leaders Liz Medicine Crow of Anchorage Barbara ‘Wáahlaal Gidaag Blake from Juneau is one of the members of the coalition.
Back to help ranked choice voting stay in place is former Sen. Lesil McGuire, who is an Anchorage Republican who now supports Democrats. There’s Scott Crass, extreme leftist and Fairbanks North Star Borough Assemblyman who works at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
The Alaska Democratic Party has also been sending fundraising pitches to Alaskans, saying that the party is going to work hard to preserve ranked-choice voting.
One of the supporters, however, is clearly not like the others: Wasilla Republican Rep. Jesse Sumner, who has signed on to protect ranked-choice voting. Sumner represents one of the reddest districts in the state, an area that is almost certain to vote in favor of repealing the open-primary, ranked-choice general scheme.
It’s a bit of ballot confusion: This year’s Ballot Measure 2 is to partially undo 2020’s Ballot Measure 2. So while in 2020 people like North Pole Socialist Santa and Lesil McGuire were in favor of Ballot Measure 2, this time around they are against it, since it would repeal the novel voting combination method not used anywhere else in the country.
Politics makes strange bedfellows. The “No on 2” group’s launch is on Thursday, June 27 from 12-1 p.m. on Zoom, and the Anchorage campaign launch will be July 2 from 5:30-7 p.m. at 49th State Brewing Co.
On Tuesday, June 25, an Anchorage event to repeal ranked choice voting is taking place in Anchorage:
