Begich continues to use Murkowski in new ad despite her objections

When U.S. Sen. Mark Begich told Politico that “maybe” he would stop using Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s name against her will in his campaign ads, it appears that his “maybe” means, ‘Heck no.’ The campaign on Tuesday released a television ad that corresponds with a recent radio ad featuring Republican pilot Skip Nelson, touting what a great team Begich and Murkowski make and how they vote together as often as “80 percent” of the time. The claim, it should be noted, is only true for 2014. Since 2009, when Begich was elected, the two have voted together about 60 percent of the time. The issues where they deviated, Murkowski has pointed out, were significant.

In any case, the ad is not likely to help soothe tensions between Begich and Murkowski, tensions that have been simmering beneath the surface for years since Begich stumped for Democratic Senate candidate Scott McAdams in 2010, Continue reading →

Treadwell cites controversial internet survey as proof of surge

The New York Times and CBS News, in partnership with YouGov, released the results of a controversial survey that shows if the election were held today, GOP Senate candidate Dan Sullivan would lose to Mark Begich by 12 points, and Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell would lose by only two points. The survey provided fodder for Treadwell’s campaign to claim momentum.

“This new nationally-recognized poll and the recent attacks we’ve seen from Mark Begich and his liberal allies show we’re surging and that we’re best positioned to make Begich a one-term Senator,” Treadwell said in a release.

The poll, however, lends little credibility to his claim.

The survey interviewed 452 Alaskans as part of a national project that asked 100,000 voters nation-wide questions about every Senate race in the country. The survey says that Republicans have a 60 percent chance of winning the Senate back. Continue reading →

Loose Lips: Parnell’s snappy new ad. Political mules and scrotums. Ring-a-ling: It’s ObamaCare calling.

Word from Ketchikan’s House District 36 is that the independent House candidate Dan Ortiz has more signs up than all three Republicans in the race – – Chere Klein, Patti Mackey and Agnes Moran – – combined. According to APOC reports, he also raised more campaign cash in the most recent reporting period than any of them.

The Sealaska Corp. board of directors announced their endorsement this week of Mark Begich for U.S. Senate; Byron Mallott for Governor of the State of Alaska; and Sam Kito III as Representative for House District 32. None of this is surprising, but Democrats appear to be hungry for any kind of good news.

Want to hear something unnerving? I had a phone call this week from ObamaCare threatening to drop my insurance unless I submit certain documentation for the credits I receive. I was like, are you kidding me? I was like, ObamaCare is going to start dropping people during election season, Continue reading →

Question of the day: Why does King Cove deserve a road to Cold Bay?

Here’s a comment from my story on the dust-up between Rep. Lance Pruitt and Interior Department Secretary Sally Jewell. It’s a variation of a question that often appears on stories about the road connecting King Cove to Cold Bay. Anyone care to take a crack at it? It’s legitimate question for people who don’t understand the issue:

I don’t want to start a war, but can anyone explain to me why King Cove deserves this treatment? Since I was a kid, I’ve always understood that when people live in far flung corners of this state, they do so largely at their own peril. No matter how small the road through Izembek might be, does this not set a precedent? Couldn’t every center of population make this argument, regardless of size?

Interior Department says Pruitt is ‘wrong’ about Jewell’s ‘get over it’ comment. Pruitt stands firm.

When Alaska state House Majority Leader Lance Pruitt traveled to Washington D.C. with a group of lawmakers from across the country, he had no idea that he would get into a high-profile spat with Sally Jewell, the secretary of the Interior Department, the federal agency that is basically the landlord to more than 60 percent of Alaska’s land.

“I never intended to get in any kind of war with a cabinet secretary,” Pruitt, who’s known for being cautious and even tempered, said in an interview on Saturday.

Ostensibly, the “war” is over whether or not Jewell said that she wished Alaska would “get over” pushing to get a gravel, potentially life-saving road through a slice of the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge on Alaska’s Aleutian chain. Pruitt said that was Jewell’s response after he asked her about the road during a White House meeting. According to Pruitt, Jewell said that there were more important things to focus on in the state, like drilling in the Arctic Ocean and in NPR-A.

Pruitt said that Jewell said, “I wish Alaskans would get over this one issue.”

A spokesperson for the agency categorically denied the statement. Continue reading →

GOP Senate candidate Dan Sullivan’s new ad

Here’s the most recent ad for U.S. Senate candidate Dan Sullivan, which began running statewide on cable on Friday. So far, Sulivan’s ads have been fairly one dimensional. But this one has multiple messages. It attempts to undercut Begich’s attacks against him, and it makes the argument that the only reason he’s being attacked in the first place is because he’s the strongest GOP contender in the field.

Interior Secretary Jewell wishes Alaskans would ‘get over’ King Cove road

Among a crowd of lawmakers from across the country at the White House on Friday, Alaska state House Majority Leader Lance Pruitt asked Interior Secretary Sally Jewell about her decision to continue to bar a potentially life-saving road through a federal wildlife refuge in Southeast Alaska.

He was shocked by her response.

“I wish that Alaskans would get over it,” Jewell said, according to Pruitt, who wrote down the quote, referring to the long-fought-for road from King Cove to Cold Bay. Pruitt said she talked about other issues that she felt were “more important” than the road, like opening up lands for oil development in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve, and offshore drilling in the Arctic.

“Do you know how you feel when you get punched in the gut? That’s how I felt,” Pruitt said in a phone interview on Friday. “What she basically said is that drilling is more important than saving lives.”

Other lawmakers in the room approached Pruitt after the meeting, describing Jewell’s reaction as “arrogant.” Continue reading →

GOP Senate candidate Joe Miller goes up on air

Below is GOP Senate candidate Joe Miller’s first television ad, which will run on cable, and maybe broadcast. (I’m waiting to hear back from the campaign on that.) Miller’s spokesperson said that he’s also going up with at least one radio ad that will run through the August 19 primary. The ad reinforces the narrative that Miller’s been weaving throughout the election season: Namely, that he’s the only “true” conservative in the race. As expected, the ad touches on traditional tea party talking points: Abolishing the IRS, balancing the budget, gun rights and immigration. These are all things that Miller has spoken about repeatedly on the stump. What might be surprising to some who view Miller as a fire-breathing radical, is the ad’s warm tone. Notice the upbeat music, the lack of attacks on his opponents. how he holds a baby. It’s not the softest of all ads, but it does have a human touch, something that many in the state haven’t seen from Miller.

Fagan, Biegel and me

I’m joining Dan Fagan and Glen Biegel on their show Friday 8 a.m. to talk politics and makeup, if they’re lucky. Tune in at 95.5 FM, and 1080 AM in Anchorage and 92.5 FM and 1020 AM in the Valley. Or listen on line here.

North Slope mayors endorse Begich

U.S. Sen Mark Begich received a handful of endorsements in his bid for reelection from current and former North Slope mayors, including the following:

Charlotte Brower, North Slope Borough Mayor (Current)
Robert Harcharek, Mayor of Barrow (Current)
John Hopson Jr., Mayor of Wainwright (Current)
Eugene Brower, North Slope Borough Mayor (Former)
Edward Itta, North Slope Borough Mayor (Former)
Rep. Benjamin Nageak, North Slope Borough Mayor (Former)

Also recently, Begich received the endorsement from the board of directors of the Sealaska Corporation, which has 21,600 Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian shareholders throughout Alaska. The Arctic Slope Regional Corp’s board recently endorsed GOP Senate candidate Sullivan.

From a Begich campaign press release: Continue reading →

Tension escalates between Begich and Murkowski

Politico, a D.C. based publication, isn’t above overplaying narrative tension. However, a piece today about the increasing strain between Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich as Begich’s reelection campaign begins to heat up, appears to be understated, if anything, I’ve heard.

begich murkowski politio

To set up the story, Murkowski is quoted as saying that she wants a “Republican partner,” and that Begich, according to her “needs to run on his record — and not mine.”

Politico recounts a recent instance where she requested her name Continue reading →

Treadwell raises $164,000 in second quarter, campaign in debt.

GOP Senate candidate Mead Treadwell raised $164,016 in the second quarter, which runs from April 1 to June 30, his report from the Senate clerk’s office shows. The report shows that he has $167,047 cash on hand, but his debts are $254,309, which means that he’s nearly $90,000 in the red.

Unlike Sen. Mark Begich and GOP candidate Dan Sullivan, Treadwell had declined to release the reports to the media earlier, presumably because this report, like his previous ones, don’t bode well for his ability to raise the kind of money that many believe is needed to beat Sen. Mark Begich in the fall.

Treadwell formed an exploratory committee in December, 2012, and has been an official candidate since the June, 2013. Continue reading →

Loose Lips: ‘Moose the Movie.’ No acting mayors allowed. The B.S., I mean B.C. junket.

Tennys Owens’ gallery, Artique, will be selling limited edition prints by Byron Birdsall that will be signed by all seven living Anchorage mayors in celebration of the city’s centennial. But wait! I count eight, including acting Mayor Matt Claman. Word is that someone in City Hall—guess who– decided that an acting mayor isn’t the same thing as the real deal. Anyhow, all the other mayors will gather August 5 to sign the prints, except Begich who had a scheduling conflict and has already signed them.

The Mat-Su Business Alliance, a for-profit corporation, has endorsed Dan Sullivan’s candidacy for the U.S. Senate in the GOP primary.

When reviewing APOC reports a few days ago, it looked like ADF&G Commissioner Cora Campbell is the only member of the governor’s cabinet that hasn’t contributed to his campaign yet. Continue reading →

Miller raises $129,000 in second quarter. Treadwell’s disclosure still not available

According to disclosures filed with the Senate clerk’s office, GOP U.S Senate candidate Joe Miller reported raising $129,000 in the last quarter, which runs from April until the end of June. He spent $121,000 and has $17,000 in debt. He still has a respectable $303,000 in his war chest, much of which he was able to roll over from his 2010 campaign and from his leadership PAC.

Neither Miller nor Mead Treadwell, another GOP Senate candidate, filed electronically, so neither of their reports are online at the FEC’s office yet. As of Wednesday morning, Treadwell’s hadn’t arrived at the clerk’s office. Once it arrives, it’s processed and sent to the FEC, who then has 48 hours to post online. When contacted on Wednesday, Treadwell’s campaign again declined to release his report to the public prior to it arriving at the Senate clerk’s office.

Both Sen. Mark Begich and GOP Senate candidate Dan Sullivan’s numbers were available almost immediately about two weeks ago. Sullivan gave them out if you asked. Begich posted his on his website, and included all of the small donors. Begich raised more than $1.25 million. For the first time since he entered the race, Sullivan was slightly behind Begich, raising $1.2 million.

Correction: The original story said that FEC reports are filed electronically. That’s not true. All reports are mailed in. Further, Sullivan’s report is not yet available on the FEC page, however the campaign has made it available to reporters.

Local pro-Sullivan super-PAC goes on air

The super-PAC Alaska’s Energy/America’s Values, supporting GOP Senate candidate Dan Sullivan, is going on air on Wednesday with the following ad. Anchorage-based ad man and political operative Art Hackney, who runs the super-PAC, said that the ad will begin to run 10 times a day on Fox, and is the beginning of a series of ads leading up to the GOP primary on August, 19. This one features Athena Fulton, who Hackney says is a born and raised Alaskan, a single mom and a Sullivan supporter.