“Let’s get this party started!” could have been the theme on Saturday in the MatSu Valley, as Sen. Dan Sullivan and the two Republican women’s clubs in the Mat-Su Valley hosted a celebration recognizing newly elected Alaska Republican Party Chairwoman Carmela Warfield.
About 100 people attended the “Unity Celebration” at MatSu Family Restaurant.
“This was opportunity for the party to do a little kick off with a pledge of unity and to really make statement, to come together, and what better place to do that than in the valley. Carmela is family as far as we’re concerned,” said Pam Melin, president of Valley Republican Women of Alaska.
Sullivan may have been the star guest for the event. But then came the unmistakable voice of Donald Trump: Sullivan had brought with him a recorded message from former President Trump, voicing support for Alaska and for Sen. Sullivan himself.
Sullivan in his remarks noted that President Joe Biden has now taken 63 executive actions against Alaska in three years — three more than he had when Sullivan developed the initial inventory of Biden’s adverse decisions back in January.
At this rate, the number of anti-Alaska actions by the Biden Administration is accelerating faster than Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s stock portfolio, someone in the room muttered.
The two clubs, MatSu Republican Women and Valley Republican Women of Alaska, raise money and volunteer for conservative candidates, and both have been supportive of Warfield in her campaign for party chair.
Kathy McCollum is the president of MatSu Republican Women and president of the MatSu School Board; she and Melin, who is elected to the Palmer City Council, have been working together build unity with conservatives in the Valley for many months.
“It was a fantastic continuation of the enthusiasm from the Republican convention. We are all so thrilled to be a part of helping our new chair, Carmela in her drive to bring unity to our party,” McCollum said.
“People are hungry for change and want to be part of it,” Melin said. “We have a job to do and that is to get our conservative candidates in. That’s what today was about, hoping others will follow along. We know the Anchorage Republican Women’s Club members feel the same way and I venture to say Fairbanks and Juneau do too.”
Sullivan repeated the comments of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, renown for the quip, “If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.” He noted the strong grassroots reputation that the Republican women’s clubs have in Alaska.
Sullivan also presented the Alaska Republican Party with a check for $5,000 as a show of support and unity.
Warfield spoke about how she has “hit the ground running this first week, going through leadership transition, putting together our committee chairs, putting plans in place for local pipelines of succession & preparing to train our grassroots activists, and how we are stronger, together.”
“I’m a proud and active member of both clubs, and they both came out for me very early and very strong,” Warfield said, of her landslide victory the week prior, when she was elected the new chairwoman in the final hours of the Alaska Republican Party state convention in Anchorage.
“I introduced Alaska’s good friend, Senator Sullivan, and mentioned the work he’s doing to push back on the Biden Administration and how Sen. Sullivan came out early to endorse President Trump,” Warfield said, who said she is proud to be a member of both valley Republican women’s clubs.
Spotted at the celebration were party officers:
• Carmela Warfield, State Chairwoman
• Ron Johnson, Region 2 Representative
• Casey Campbell, D29 Chair
• Carol Carman D29 Secretary
• Ryan Sheldon, D30 Chair
• Linn McCabe, D30 Bonus Vote
• Executive board members of both women’s clubs
Also attending were other political activists and leaders:
- • Nick Begich, candidate for U.S House
• Edna DeVries, Mayor MatSu Borough
• Ole Larson, MatSu School Board member
• Rob Yundt, MatSu Assemblyman & candidate for State Senate
• Kathy McCollum, President MatSu Women’s Club and MatSu School Board member
• Pam Melin, VRWAK President and Palmer City Council
• Jubilee Underwood, MatSu School Board President and State House candidate
• Stu Graham, Wasilla City Council
• Bill Kendig, board member and candidate, Matanuska Electric Association
• Tom Bergey, MatSu school board member, former board president
Numerous members of community councils were also in attendance. The youngest Republicans present were Nick Begich IV and John Warfield.
