Until recently, Sen. Mark Begich has run what many would say was a flawless campaign. He’s everywhere in this state, reaching out to as many different interest groups as possible. His attacks on his challenger, GOP Senate candidate Dan Sullivan, for not supporting women’s rights, for not supporting Alaska Native rights, for not supporting the elderly, hunters, fisherman, to name a few, are no doubt working. Sullivan’s bruised. But he’s far from down.

An attack that began airing on Friday of Labor Day weekend was no doubt intended to try to take him out, and it might have worked had it been done differently and played at a different time. We’ll know more when polls start to roll in, but if wide condemnation from the national media—from Politico to MSNBC to the Washington Post, to Jon Stewart, some of which is summarized below–means anything, it appears to have backfired.

The ad in question said that Sullivan was to blame for the 2013 horrific murders of two elderly grandparents and the sexual assault of a two-year-old girl. The accused is Jerry Active, who had a record and who committed the crimes within hours of getting out of jail. Active’s trial is set for September 22.

He was out of jail due to a light sentence that he received, and shouldn’t have, as part of a plea deal that was cut while Sullivan was the state’s attorney general, and which bore his name. However, the plea deal was cut as a result of a mistake on a database that was maintained by the Department of Public Safety. The mistake was made prior to Sullivan’s tenure at the Department of Law, as were all of Active’s crimes.

The family’s lawyer, Bryon Collins, asked that the Begich campaign take it down. Eventually, they did, but it took a while.

The reasons for the media’s admonishments vary. Some focus on the “Willie Horton” type ad. Some focus on the timing and the bungling of it. Others focus on the veracity.  All seem to strike a resounding chorus that this was a major misstep by Begich in an otherwise well-orchestrated campaign.

Here’s some summaries of some of the media coverage: Continue reading →

Bill Walker, with the blessings of the Democratic Party, will be running as governor as that party’s “unaffiliated” candidate. One of the things that has made Democrats nervous is that he’s pro-life and is against gay marriage. However, he has repeatedly said, this time around at least, that the would not push that agenda. At Tuesday’s press conference, he said that social issues were not his focus, and that the laws that are currently on the books are going to continue to be the law.  (It might be worthy of note that Senate candidate Dan Sullivan has also said that social issues weren’t his focus. although with less clarity. Nonetheless, his beliefs about social issues have been unacceptable to Democrats.)

There’s no reason to believe that Walker isn’t telling the truth, but it’s important to know where Walker stands on these issue.  Four years ago, when Walker ran for governor in 2010, he expressed his views clearly. He completed at least two surveys on social issues: A survey from Alaska Family Action  and from Alaska Right to Life.

From Alaska Family Action survey

Alaska Right to Life is looking for the complete survey that he filled out then. But the director, Christopher Kurka, remembers the interview that the group had with Walker. From that interview and from what he does have of the survey, Kurka said that they would have endorsed him then if the organization’s policy was to endorse two candidates. As it was, Gov. Sean Parnell got the endorsement.

“Bill Walker told us everything we wanted to hear,” Kurka said, including telling them that he was committed to passing pro-life legislation.

Walker filled out another survey for Alaska Family Action in 2010.  (Read the full survey here: AK-VoterGuide-Gov-LtGov-081210).

Here’s a summary of what Walker said then on that survey: Continue reading →

For many across the state, including this writer, the excitement and bipartisan spirit that has accompanied the merger of an unaffiliated ticket comprised of Bill Walker, a Republican and Byron Mallott, a Democrat, is infectious. It’s a new day in Alaska, they said at the press conference on Tuesday officially announcing the merger. We’re doing it for the best of the state, they said.

It all felt familiar. Déjà vu for the politico in you. Scott Heyworth, a former Palin disciple, said to me, “This feels like when Sarah Palin won, but better!”

Indeed it did feel like 2005, when Palin won her party’s nomination for governor. Her message then was largely centered around creating a bi-partisan team that was going to do what was right for Alaska, party politics be damned.

Walker vowed that he was going to “field the best and brightest Alaskans across the state.” He said, “Partisan politics will not have a place in our administration.” Continue reading →

The release below just came from Mark Begich’s campaign, which claims that Senate candidate Dan Sullivan’s campaign was involved in an “orchestrated attempt to deliver Alaska’s U.S. Senate seat for Dan Sullivan,” by getting Vic Kohring to drop his bid as Alaska Independent Party’s Senate candidate.

It might even be true, but given recent events, it’s a startling charge. It comes on the heels of Begich’s people being highly active in getting Democratic Party leaders to nullify a gubernatorial state primary election, in order to put a Republican on the top of the ticket for the first time in history. Why did Begich want this? For one, it plays nicely into his theme about party affiliation mattering less than doing what’s right for Alaska, and is music to the ears of independent voters. It has the potential to breathe life into what was a listless campaign. Continue reading →

Below is the press release the University of Alaska sent out today about President Pat Gamble calling on the Board of Regents to review his retention bonus, which he called “the elephant in the room.” He’d like to “put this issue to rest,” he said. In other words, it sounds like he’s asking the regents to rescind the bonus, which has gotten lots of negative attention and would likely be used in an upcoming political race, or two, or ten. Continue reading →

I’m writing a longer story about the Bill Walker-Byron Mallott merger announced today. In the meantime, here’s some tweets from the press conference announcing the official “unaffiliated” team.

Byron Mallott says @walkerforakgov ‘outsigned him’ as he points to giant sign behind him #akgov pic.twitter.com/QMK9ko98Sm

— Emily Carlson (@emilyreporting) September 2, 2014

There is a viable Alaska Gov candidate who supports Medicaid expansion & public education. Am I dreaming? I am, right? #akgov

— amory lelake (@lelakis) September 2, 2014

Walker: We’ll veto some things. We’re in a deficit. … I truly am a fiscal conservative. #akelect #akgov — Matt Buxton (@FDNMPolitics) September 2, 2014

Wonder just what he’ll cut to balance the budget. #akelect #akgov — Matt Buxton (@FDNMPolitics) September 2, 2014

Continue reading →

The Alaska Democrats took a historic vote on Monday night to support a “unified” ticket which would combine the candidacies of Independent Republican gubernatorial candidates Bill Walker and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Byron Mallott. Walker will run as the governor. Mallott will run as the lieutenant governor. The ballot will list them as “unaffiliated.” Walker, who is a registered Republican, will have to change his party status to undeclared. Mallott can continue to be a registered Democrat if he chooses.

If both Walker and Mallott agree—which is all but certain—it will be the first time since Alaska began to vote that there won’t be a Democrat running for governor, which is troubling for some.

But many who had been pushing the merger have been saying that there was no way that Gov. Sean Parnell could be beat in a three-way race, and that beating Parnell was more important than party allegiance.

Too, on the big issue of the current oil tax repeal debate, Walker and Mallott are in sync.

Party rules dictate that the change of the ticket be voted on by the Democratic State Central Committee, which has about 140 members. Continue reading →

The deal wasn’t yet cut between Bill Walker and Byron Mallott to join forces and tickets when Walker showed up at the Democrats’ Bartlett Dinner on Friday, with Malcom and Cindy Roberts in tow. Word is that Walker was beaming, which got the Dems beaming, which got people buzzing, and probably buzzed. Let’s hope anyway.

Alaska’s most eligible bachelor might be off the market again. Democratic House Minority Leader Chris Tuck was seen holding hands while strolling the Alaska Fair grounds with the talkative Republican talk-radio hostess, and on-and-off-again girlfriend Bernadette Wilson.

One person used the words “dignified and inspiring” to describe West-side Senate candidate Clare Ross’ fundraiser on Thursday night, which attracted about 50 people. Word is that she quietly worked the room and made every person feel important. Her speech focused on education and improving the budget process. Someone described Ross as having “it” which is about the best way to describe political magnetism. Continue reading →

The governing committee of the Alaska Democratic Party is having an emergency meeting on Monday evening to discuss the possibility of a governor’s ticket that combines the candidacy of independent gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker and Democratic candidate Byron Mallott.

The Executive Committee of the Democratic Central Committee will meet telephonically beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Labor Day. This will be followed by a Central Committee meeting. Rumors about such an alignment between Walker and Mallott have been swirling for days. However, there have been questions about how it would work. Walker is a registered Republican. Democratic Party rules dictate that it can’t support a Republican. However, Walker can change his registration, and the party can nominate to support an undeclared candidate. Further, people have questioned whether Mallott, a hugely credentialed candidate, would take a number two spot on the ticket.

Alaska Democratic Party Chair Mike Wenstrup confirmed the meetings. However, he said that nothing is set in stone yet Continue reading →

On Friday, U.S. Sen. Mark Begich released an inflammatory television commercial featuring a former sergeant from the Anchorage Police Department, talking about a horrific crime that happened last year in Anchorage, where a two year old was raped, and two of her elderly relatives were murdered. The victims were from Cambodia. The murdered couple had survived the Khmer Rouge. The ad lays the blame for the crimes on GOP Senate challenger Dan Sullivan, who was the state’s former Attorney General.

The ad is the closest thing to a Willie Horton ad that we have ever seen in Alaska. One of the differences is that Willie Horton– the Massachusetts man who raped a woman while on furlough during Gov. George Dukakis’ term– was already convicted and doing time for his crime when Republican political operatives took hold of the issue.

Jerry Active, the man accused of the crimes in Anchorage, pleaded not guilty and is still in jail, awaiting trial, which is scheduled to start Sept. 22.

The current attorney general Michael Geraghty sent out a statement on Saturday, saying the charge against Sullivan, “has no basis in fact.” Geraghty also said that “drawing attention to the case,” is “inappropriate and offensive,” given that it’s an open case.

Sullivan shot back with his own commercial. He went so far as to name the accused, something that Begich’s ad didn’t do.

If the crime continues to be used in the campaign, it will likely delay what will already be an expensive, and emotionally charged trial.

Active had been recently released from jail in 2013 when he allegedly committed the crimes. Continue reading →

Sen. Mark Begich’s campaign released the most inflammatory ad of this campaign on Friday going into the holiday weekend. The ad features former Anchorage Police Department officer Bob Glen, who, among other things, blames GOP Senate candidate Dan Sullivan for the heinous 2013 rape of a 2-year-old and the murder of her elderly relatives.

According to the city’s human resources department, Glen was an officer with APD from 1989 to 2010.

Sullivan’s campaign shot back with an ad of its own, calling the Begich commercial “despicable.” In a press release, Sullivan says that Begich is “lying to Alaskans and using the murder of an elderly couple and the sexual assault of a two-year old for his own political gain,… Most Alaskans know that Mark Begich will do or say anything to win election, but this latest television ad proves it.” (Both of the ads are below, and because the case in question is still open, both the ads should make defense lawyers howl.)

Begich’s spokesperson, Max Croes, is sticking by the ad. “He is personally responsible for the actions of the Department of Law when he was Attorney General,” Croes said about Sullivan.

Sullivan was AG from. June 2009 to April December 2010. He then became the commissioner of the state’s Department of Natural Resources until he stepped down to run for office last fall.

Click here for a timeline of events according to the AG’s office. Here are the general facts: Continue reading →

Here’s the latest ad attacking GOP Senate candidate Dan Sullivan for his supposed support of Pebble Mine, this one courtesy of by VoteVets Action Fund. VoteVets is a “progressive political organization” which supports vets. The ad features John Christensen, a commercial fisherman from Port Heiden, who is also a Navy Vet. The buy, including online ads, is $675,000.

It’s not the first, and won’t be the last ad tying Sullivan to Pebble. The first ad of the general election by the pro-Begich super-PAC, Put Alaska First, featured Sullivan and Pebble. Alaska Conservation Voters have formed a super-PAC, named SalmonPAC, which is putting up to $1 million into the issue.

Pebble is one of Alaska’s most well-known and controversial projects. If built, it would be one of the largest gold and copper mines in the world, in the waterways of one of the world’s largest wild salmon runs. Alaska is generally a pro-resource-extraction, pro-mining state. This project, however, has huge opposition. Last I heard, about 65 percent of the public is against the mine. Sen. Ted Stevens came out against the mine in 2007. Begich waited until January of this year to do so.

Here’s some backstory:

Continue reading →

Abel Bult-Ito, a biochemist and the president of the University of Alaska’s 900-member faculty union, the largest within the university system, wrote a very long, very detailed letter to the chair of the University of Alaska’s Board of regents, Pat Jacobson, objecting to UA president Pat Gamble’s recently-approved $320,000 retention bonus. Among other things, Bult-Ito writes that because details of the bonus were not disclosed prior to the meeting in June where the bonus was approved, the board must take the issue up again when it next meets in September. Read the full letter here.

The bonus was offered by the Board of Regents on the condition that Gamble stay until 2016. It was offered during a time when the university system is facing budget deficits and is in the process of laying off faculty. Continue reading →