Tom McKay drops from race for Senate, leaving Liz Vazquez to take on Sen. Matt Claman in Anchorage

By
Suzanne Downing
-
22

Rep. Tom McKay, who filed earlier this year to run for Senate, has withdrawn his candidacy. He and fellow Republican Liz Vazquez split the primary vote between them as they both wanted to unseat Sen. Matt Claman in Senate Seat H, Anchorage.

There were over 6,100 votes cast in the race, and between them, McKay and Vasquez did not come close to Claman, who got 60% of the vote to their 40%. The district is very liberal, and both McKay and Vazquez are conservatives.

McKay is retiring from House District 15 and Vazquez is a former representative for the area that was, back during her time in office, known as District 22.

McKay said he felt having two Republicans in the race against a Democrat in November would split the energy of the party. Many Republicans have criticized ranked-choice voting because it dilutes the efforts of Republicans to get behind just one candidate after the primary. Proponents of ranked-choice voting say this doesn’t happen, but Democrats have been the beneficiaries of the system, since Republicans have more candidates and thus split the party energy.

McKay is a former chairman of the Alaska Republican Party and a longtime executive in the oil industry. Vazquez is an attorney and longtime Republican activist who served in the House from 2015 until 2017.

In the Senate district, Claman signs outnumber Vazquez signs noticeably. Election analysts say this will be a hard district or a Republican to win.

However, Claman has had serious health issues this year and was taken out of the Capitol by medics and had to be sent to Seattle for a health crisis that has left him looking noticeably weakened. That said, he has much loyalty in the district from his longtime service on the Anchorage Assembly and, for a brief period, as acting mayor.

22 COMMENTS

  4. Liz was a fabulous Chugach Electric director and board chair with a 98% pro-consumer voting record (www.chugachconsumers.org/VoteAnal05-08.htm). Chugach Electric is the acid test for who is really true and doing pro-citizen reform and Liz passed it with flying colors. Her record in the legislature remained true to the public interest.

  5. It’s too bad that voters do not know about Claman’s role as a criminal defense attorney. He was known to
    represent defendants who committed terrible crimes and lied in his attempts to convince judges and jurors that they were nice people. He tried to pass them off as nice people knowing they were not. Fortunately he was not very bright and in most cases his facade was easily recognized and Judges as well as jurors saw him For what he was: incompetent and unreliable. Hopefully the voters will too!

  6. Yeah, I drove to Lyn Ary park the other day and there were Claman signs in just about every yard.

    There was also a bumper sticker which read, “Uppity Women, Unite!”

    …My kids and I are still trying to figure that one out…

  7. I am thankful these people are realizing we have been sabotaging our own party by leaving more people in the race. Thank you Patriots whom have stepped out of the race! Alaskans Appreciate your support!

  8. This senate district is not all liberal. D15 is conservative but D16 very liberal! For a Republican to win it would take much work!

  9. For Liz to win she needs support. I hope her district’s Republicans and the state GOP rallywith lots of support. Go Liz!!!

    • Liz wants it & is willing to work.
      The uphill battle is too much for McKay; Claman has a BIG lead as of last Tuesday.

      • Liz has lost two races in 22, Alaska House, and Anchorage Assembly, lost in 2019 for Anchorage Assembly, lost in 2018 for Alaska house during the primary, and lost in 2016 for Alaska house.

        There are two, yes, 2, count them TWO people who have donated to her campaign per APOC. I am not counting her donating her own funds. She raised 120$

        McKay, on just his 7 day report raised 5875.

        It feels like Republicans are hampering their own elections chances by running weaker candidates.

  13. Please, please help Liz V. win this race! She is logical, reasonable, hard-working, plain-speaking and a great Alaskan. But for Liz to win she will need to build her campaign into a movement; door knocking, sign waving, letters to newspapers, call-ins to radio talk shows, etc. The Alaska senate needs more real Republicans.

    Senator Claman worked closely with the Juneau Moms Against lobbying group and lobbyist, killing pro-gun safety (real gun safety, not gun registration/confiscation) legislation. He champions every liberal cause, Yes, he’s a darn nice fellow, but he is not the right legislator for Alaska.

    Liz will be great! Thank you.

  15. Matt Claman (as House Judiciary Chair at the time) and Chuck Kopp fought the repeal of SB91 every step of the way when I was Senate Judiciary Chair and passing the repeal bill was my primary focus. In the end, Matt knew it’d be political suicide to vote against the repeal bill when it came to the floor so he voted for it. He then took credit for increasing safety in our communities – very disingenuous in my view. He did the same thing when several of us worked on our sexual crime laws (specifically the consent law). He resisted, refused to hear the bill, then heard it under pressure but stalled and stalled letting it out of his committee way too late to get it through the process. When I offered the language of the bill as an amendment on the last day of session in 2022, he again voted for it to avoid political suicide and then in his campaign materials took credit for it. Again, super disingenuous. He did the same thing the last two years re: child and human trafficking – didn’t let the bill out of his committee and then supported a watered down tiny portion of the bill on the floor. He is soft on crime but tries to fool the public. He does not fool me. If his district knew the truth, it would make a difference for Liz.

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