The Council of State Governments (CSG) and CSG West are both having their national conference in Anchorage starting this weekend through the first half of this week. More than 1400 people are expected to attend. One of the biggest names on the list is CNN political analyst David Gergen who has been an advisor to four U.S. Presidents. But most will be politicians, some will be Alaska state politicians. And although the subjects will vary from the economy to energy and land policy issues, you can expect most of the Alaskans attending will be buzzing about the announcement that Rep. Craig Johnson is going for Mike Chenault’s House Speaker position. Already, I’m told, people are jockeying for positions under the new organization.
Biggest news from Sunday’s KTVA/ADN GOP Senate debate:
.@DanSullivan2014 says he did not vote for @lisamurkowski in 2010. #akdebate
— Becky Bohrer (@beckybohrerap) August 11, 2014
Don Young enjoyed a belated birthday celebration on the deck of former Gov. Bill Sheffield’s house on Wednesday evening. About 150 friends and supporters showed. Young always draws an interesting crowd – some might call some of them odd ducks–and Wednesday was no different. Harley riders mixed with lawyers and businessmen, many of whom couldn’t get a handle on the guy wearing the orange safety helmet, big rubber gloves, whose suit with what appeared to be military kpins. Everyone made way for Dawn Linton’s straw hat. Spotted: Anchorage mayoral candidate Dan Coffey; Perry and Gloria Green; DC lobbyists Jack Ferguson and C.J. Zane; Ed Rasmusson; Sen. Lesil McGuire; Luke Miller and Tyson Gallagher from the Parnell campaign; Bill Bittner; Independent gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker and his wife Donna; Ron Duncan; Diane Kaplan; Palmer Mayor and state Senate candidate DeLana Johnson; Laurie Herman; and Randy Ruedrich. Most uncomfortable: Forrest Dunbar staffer Wiley Cason, who was keeping track of the evening and who Young was surprisingly gracious to. Heard: Rep. Dan Saddler singing a version of “Forever Young,” the lyrics of which he declined to send to me, but I know there was a reference to Young’s large Oosik, which never gets old. Best line of the night: “Perseverance overcomes intelligence every day of the year… I never claimed to be a rocket scientist, but I will chew your leg off,” by Don Young.
Speaking of Don Young and Forrest Dunbar: The latter played a rock star in a campaign video. The former knows a rock star, Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler, who’s dating an Anchorage girl:
Word is that Joe Miller has a new campaign staffer. Shawn Dow served as the Ron Paul presidential campaign director for Arizona in the last election, which begs the question: Do the national libertarian leaning Republicans have plans for Miller if he loses the primary?
A few tidbits from the most recent campaign disclosure reports: GOP Senate candidate Dan Sullivan’s July FEC report listed former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who maxed out. Also listed: skinny conservative, best known for creating a diet empire, Jenny Craig. Sen. Begich’s campaign counts Barbra Streisand as a supporter. Also surprising: Bill Walker’s most recent APOC filing listed conservative activist Jim Minnery as a contributor.
This will be the last week that Speaker Mike Chenault’s COS Tom Wright will be staff chair of the National Conference of State Legislators. While chair, he oversaw the updated NCSL’s website, which is truly a great resource for anybody who wants to know what’s going on with state Legislatures and laws across the country.
Crashing on ATVs: With the incumbent mayor’s seat up for election in Wasilla this October and with the mayor running as an independent candidate for state House, for a long time it looked like the mayor’s guy, Bert Cottle, might be running unopposed to be the next mayor of Sarah Palin’s home town. But then there was the mayor’s proposal to ban ATVs inside the city limits which has provoked OUTRAGE a new entrant into the race. Just before the filing deadline, general contractor Loren Means announced his candidacy. Means says he’s going to self-fund his race and is adamantly opposed to the proposed ATV ban. The race is non-partisan. However, it is interesting to note that Cottle in the last election cycle ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat from Valdez against Rep. Eric Feige for the state House. Means is a registered Republican and a super voter.
In other Wasilla political news: The seat currently occupied by Wasilla City Council member Colleen Leonard -Sullivan (Anchorage Mayor Dan’s sister) and the Wasilla-area borough Assembly seat held by Steve Colligan, didn’t get any interest from challengers. They will both run unopposed, news which is more exciting for some than others.
The outspoken Anchorage Republican Women’s Club prez Judy Eledge is again being outspoken about her disdain for former GOP chair Randy Ruedrich. This, from a recent Facebook Post. The article in question is a scathing letter to the editor Ruedrich wrote about Mead Treadwell, whom Eledge supports. Ruedrich is a Dan Sullivan guy. (FYI: SEC=State Executive Committee. SCC=State Central Committee). Will the two make up in heaven? Probably not.
Say what you want about Ruedrich, he knows how to get votes. As of late last week, Republicans, who make up about 27 percent of voters, requested 6,221 absentee ballots. Dems, who are about 14 percent, only requested 1,097. The independents, who make up 53 percent of the voters, requested 3,198.
This one on Kodiak state House candidate Carol Austerman’s campaign page is supposedly causing Randy Ruedrich fits. Remember, Austerman is in a three-way Republican primary race. She’s running against Louise Stutes, and Rich Walker:
Here’s the caption to the photo: “I was happy to welcome Mark Begich to Kodiak today as he opened his campaign office here. I have made the commitment if elected to State House to work across party lines to get work done to benefit our District and that commitment extends to working with Congress as well.”
Result of the Tanana Valley State Fair League of Women Voters Straw Poll, which is likely the most unscientific poll taken this election season:
Conact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com
Dumb ass spelled my name wrong, and it was $27K for Ms Wilson. If you’re going to be pissy, at least make an effort to be accurate.
The poll is controlled by the VERY non-partisan League of Women Voters. It is a poll simply based on those that walked up to the booth and asked for a ballot. Why does everything have to be a conspiracy?
Looks like people are voting yes on 1
It’s important to take note of what Alaskans really think and how they plan to vote, because polls can lie, oil companies can manufacture consent though millions in advertising, then all they have to do is steal the election which is all set up for fraud and has been grossly compromised recently with no explanation.
In 2004, 16 out of 40 districts had 200% voter turnout!
We have paper ballots, but they are only read by accuvote diebold machines, then put through a diebold central tabulator.
Election workers are not allowed to count the ballots, no one hand counts the paper ballots.
We need hand counted results posted at the precinct level before they go through the central tabulator so we can double check the results to the deibold machines. Anything less makes our democracy a farce.
Please read more at bradblog “something smells very fishy in Alaska” and Shannyn Moore at huffingtonpost “stolen election from alaska?”
LMAO. What a crock. Even now you can’t bring yourself to concede the obvious — that your guy stepped in it this time. The attempt at damage control after the ridiculous initial admission is even more lame than what started it. Seems like it would have been a lot easier to just say “I voted for Murkowski.” Unbelievable.
Either Northern Observer is Art Hackney himself, or a moron. The “mythomania” ad is ineffective, wordy, and convoluted, as is literally every other ad Hackney does.
Yes. Please. Read the ad.
It is comedic, and therefore is worth your time. Do not notice what is going on around you. Read the ad. Ignore the blatant self-reviews done by people who run IEs. They are good for you. Dan is good for you. Dan is good for Alaska. Vote for Dan. Dan is a fighter. Fight Dan, fight.
How many Dan’s does it take to run Obama out of the White House?
One!
THERE IS NOTHING THAT ONE DAN CANNOT DO ON HIS OWN, IN THE ARENA, FIGHTING THE FIGHT!!!!!
Who are the journalist who like Dan anyway.
Let’s see who Dan paid off:
Dave Steiren – $7,000
Coyne – Money given by Hackney
Fagan – Ads running on his blog that was started to launder cash from the campaign
am I forgetting somebody?
Don’t worry, I’m not biased, who has Mead paid off:
Ms. Wilson – what did she get, $18,000 – wonder what he got for that, if you know what I’m sayin?
Porcaro – All the media buys
Last there is Joe:
Who is the only non-dirty candidate in the race.
GO JOE!
Johnson, you’re right. The ad is both informative and hilarious. Thanks for the heads up.
Read the ad that looks like its from the dictionary.
Myy comment is not directed at tis article. Rather, it is directed to one of your ad’s – – Mythamainia.
This ad popped up when I clicked in “continue reading” on my iphone. It intrigued me enough to click on the ad and continue reading. What a hoot. I would encourage all your readers to take the time to check out this ad.
Becky came back with the truth from the Sullivan campaign who set her straight. Dan did vote, but he didn’t vote in the Senate race because as AG he thought it would be a conflict of interest. And look, it would’ve been! Had he voted, how could he have presided over the proceedings that happened after. So the truth, from Sullivan, Dan voted in 2010, but he abstained from voting in the Senate race when he voted early because he knew that would be a bigger deal later. You’re trying to poke holes in nothing. Get over your envious attitude Treadwell supporter.
The real joke is a seated attorney general who says he didn’t vote in one of the most contentious and high-profile elections in Alaska history. Not sure which is worse — that he truthfully didn’t vote, or that he lied about not voting to avoid having to admit to voting for Murkowski.
The straw poll was controlled by dems. If it was honest, Dan would be 17 points above Treadwell and 5 above Begich. Miller would be 6 points behind Dan. Dan’s the man, joe’s a shmoe, and #NobodyNeedsMead but #MeadneedsWeed nobody will vote for a freakin stoner. No wonder he “greenlit” pot. What a joke.
AWRC bully, I mean Judy Eledge, is out of control. I would suggest that she has serious anger management issues. She has little or no tolerance for anyone that has a perspective or view that differs from hers. Worst yet, she is a teacher. I hope and trust she’s not teaching the closed-minded rhetoric that she posts regularly.