“Fiscal hawk” Brad Keithley has released what has being called his “hit list” of state legislative candidates that he’ll target, and ones he’ll support, in upcoming races, with up to $200,000 of his own money.
He’ll be opposing the following three incumbents:
- Republican House Majority Leader Lance Pruitt in East Anchorage.
- Republican Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux in East Anchorage.
- Democrat Rep. Geran Tarr in East/ and Midtown Anchorage.
Their challengers are Democrat Matt Moore, Democrat Laurie Hummel, and Libertarian Cean Stevens.
In an open House seat in West Anchorage, he will be supporting Republican House candidate Anand Dubey over Democrat Matt Claman.
Tarr is in the Minority and LeDoux is not part of the House leadership.
Keithley said he’ll be “closely watching” two Senate seats, and potentially an additional House race.
Anchorage-based Keithley, a lawyer until recently with Perkins Coie and now a consultant, has tried, and to some extent succeeded, in elbowing his way into Alaska’s political class by preaching fiscal responsibility. Last winter, he was toying with a self-financed run for governor. Keithley opted out of the governor’s race, however.
Keithley said he made his decision based on a questionnaire that he sent out and on a poll that he commissioned to see what candidates were vulnerable and where his money would be best spent.
“After reviewing incumbent records and responses to the candidate questionnaire I sent out, it became clear which candidates take fiscal responsibility seriously and which ones don’t,” he said. “I’m now ready to roll up my sleeves and put my money where my mouth is. Alaska future generations – my generation’s kids, grandkids, and great grandkids deserve no less.”
Here’s his list and his explanation for supporting/opposing individual candidates:
House District 15. Keithley is supporting challenger Laurie Hummel over incumbent Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux. “While a Democrat, I believe that Hummel nevertheless is a fiscal conservative committed to helping solve what she clearly sees as a building fiscal crisis. On the other hand, LeDoux voted for the last two record budget deficits and while giving lip service to supporting lower budgets, appears comfortable with the procedures that led to them and if left unchecked, will continue to lead to others in the future.”
House District 19. Keithley is supporting challenger Cean Stevens over incumbent Rep. Geran Tarr. “Stevens is committed to both the budget and procedural reforms that are necessary to address this problem. Tarr, on the other hand, not only voted for both budget-busting capital budgets the last two years, but also supported amendments to the operating budgets that would have made the deficit even worse.”
House District 21. Keithley is supporting Republican Anand Dubey in a district that has no incumbent over Democrat Matt Claman. “Like Stevens, Dubey has committed himself both to the budget and procedural reforms that are necessary to address this problem. Indeed, Dubey probably had the best quote of any in response to the candidate questionnaire we sent out: ‘The current budget model … which the State of Alaska is using is something out of Alice in Wonderland.’”
House District 25. Keithley is opposing incumbent House Majority Leader Lance Pruitt’s bid for reelection. “As a member of legislative leadership over the last two years Pruitt has led Alaska straight into the situation that if not corrected ISER says is heading in the very near future toward a fiscal crisis, economic crash, income taxes and a diversion of the Permanent Fund earnings. Some have suggested that Pruitt should have been opposed in the primary like Eric Cantor was at a federal level, but it’s too late in the election cycle to do that. Instead, I will support his opponent Matt Moore who has taken a strong stand on fiscal issues.”
Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com
Mr. Keithley, I must disagree with you on Anand Dubey. Take a good look at his tenure as Director with the Department of Administration. He is anything but fiscally responsible and has no business in any capacity as a public official. According to Anand, he was a superstar in that capacity. The truth is far different than his version.
I will not go into detail, but there are many reasons that Anand is unfit for public office. I went through four administrations and six Directors in that division, and he was by far the least competent.
I do not know much about Matt Claman, but I am certain that he is a far better choice than Anand Dubey. There are few people that I worked with at the State of Alaska that are less fit for public office.
*waves at Brad*
I haven’t always agreed with Mia Costello since she has been a legislator but I have found her to be extremely hard-working, scrupulously honest, and easily as intelligent as anyone can hope to be. She is a caring conservative whereas I am simply a conservative, but she works so hard it is entirely worthwhile to overlook the shortcoming she has in this regard. I consider Mia to be one of the great Alaskans of her generation, and she is a good shot.
@Rebecca:
Go to Brad Keithley’s website (blog) where he has publicly shared results of the candidate surveys. Some like Mia Costello, Bill Stoltze and quite a few Republicans did not even bother answering the questionnaire, which is a good indication that the Republicans that did not send their responses were the same ones which created the $2 billion deficit problems in the State of Alaska. I suggest you do some of your own research on the REPUBLICANS who are currently in office, have been responsible for the HUGE deficits in the last 4 years and the ones that “feign” fiscal prudence, and the ones that have NOT bothered to send responses to Brad’s questionnaire. Guess what? Almost all the Republicans I’m describing are the ones that fall into the above categories I’ve just described.
To Brad Keithley:
How about you support Clare Ross and get rid of that “liberal” pretending to be fiscal conservative Mia Costello? You said you would like to put your money where your mouth is right? Then put your money to work to get rid of Mia Costello. Costello is a real piece of work. She supports nonsense such as minimum wage and has been part of the finance committee on the legislature bringing on huge $2 billion deficits in the last 4 years. I see Mia Costello as a REAL problem. I think its high time we get rid of this career politician who cares nothing about Alaska, but cares more about climbing the political ladder. I believe from your own records, Mia didn’t even bother to send your fiscal sustainability questionnaire back to you. That should tell you something. Mia is part of the “corrupt bastards club.”
I wonder who the two senators are. Mike Dunleavy, in the Valley, would be a great target. Not only is he part of the free-spending gang, he also wasted huge amounts of legislative time, on the public dime, pushing a radical revision to the state constitution that he knew from the start was unpopular with Alaskans.
He is also a first-termer, so he should be less firmly mired in the muck of incumbency.
Sixty members in the Alaska State Legislature and Mr. Keithley could spend $200,000 to defeat three of them and elect one more? That would cost $50,000 per legislator. I assume his tactic to defeat includes financial support for their opponents. Now if those he financed can avoid an ethics problem for appearing to vote based on a campaign contribution, remain true until time for re-election, not be rendered ineffective by banishment from the majority caucus for failure to support the budget, and require no further funding for re-election from Mr. Keithley, he can, over the next few election cycles, have the other 56 for a mere $2,800,000.
Or, he could focus, perhaps for less money and in a much shorter period of time, on the Governor’s race because the Governor has the authority per Article 2, Section 15 of the Alaska Constitution to: “…by veto, strike or reduce items in appropriations” regardless of what the legislature proposes. The current Governor did not veto one penny from the latest legislative budget so maybe that is a race to look into.
I apologize for suggesting that the Ethan who wrote this might be someone benefiting from the expenditures. It has been pointed out to me that is not the case. Sorry to both Ethans!
Ethan – what are you talking about? Brad isn’t supporting candidates based on their merit. He is opposing incumbents who didn’t do exactly what he wanted them to do and who he feels are easy targets -not the worst offenders – and supporting their opponents who, by their APOC reports and endorsements, show that they are not likely to be fiscally conservative. In the other races he is supporting brand new candidates who have only words to judge – not actions. But if this is Ethan who’s firm is benefitting financially from Brad doing this – got it. PS – Where are the survey results? Brad promised to share them. I’d like to see the written answers that led to Brad’s decisions.
So for the next 5 weeks this fellow is going to spend $40,000 per week to defeat 3 candidates. How is he going to do that?
Stand this guy in front of a wind-powered generator where he can amount to something real.
Well I’m impressed. A person who can see through the stinky haze of party politics and support a candidate based on his/her merits and philosophy….