The witching season is here, and so are the campaign tricks.
A union tactic is popping up in mailboxes this week in several areas from Ketchikan to Eagle, Alaska, is one of those tricks, and it has conservatives scratching their heads.
The look-alike flyers show two Republicans — Sen. Dan Sullivan and Congressman Don Young, and in the middle there’s the Democrats’ candidate, looking like one of the conservatives.
In District 27, the union political action committee appears to be endorsing Sullivan, Young, and hardline liberal Liz Snyder. Snyder, running against Rep. Lance Pruitt, was the only candidate that Democrat Mayor Ethan Berkowitz maxed out to this year with a $500 donation — and she has donated to Berkowitz’s campaign in the past.
The irony is especially rich because Snyder has also donated to Young’s opponent, Alyse Galvin, through the Democrats’ Act Blue giving program. Galvin is the pretend nonpartisan running for the second time against Young.
In District 28, the union’s pairing makes it look like leftist Suzanne LaFrance is endorsed by Sullivan and Young.
In District 36, the flyers pair Democrat caucus member Rep. Dan Ortiz with Sullivan and Young, even though there is a Republican running who would be the more likely pairing — Leslie Becker.
The flyers are being sent to homes of high-frequency Republican voters, also known as super-voters, who sent them along to Must Read Alaska.
“Do they think we’re that dumb?” commented a voter from Ketchikan.
In District 6, an Anchorage-based union political committee has a flyer that makes it appear that former Gov. Sean Parnell, Sen. Dan Sullivan, State Sen. Lora Reinbold and Rep. Dave Talerico are endorsing Elijah Verhagen, who is a no-party candidate.
In that race, the union intent appears to be to split the conservative vote so that the Democrats’ choice, Julie Hnilicka, can win the district, which is strongly conservative.
Mike Cronk is the Republican nominee in that district and is actually the candidate endorsed by Sen. Dan Sullivan.
And while Verhagen is running as a no-party candidate, he left the Republican Party over his distaste for Donald Trump and could split the conservative vote.
