Category: Alaska News

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On the morning after he became one of four finalists in the race for Alaska’s lone U.S. House seat, Libertarian candidate Jim McDermott had to apologize.

He didn’t have much time to talk, he said, because he was busy working as a school tutor at Fort Wainwright, in his home town of Fairbanks.

McDermott, a Libertarian, became an unlikely figure in Alaska’s U.S. House race after four different candidates — three Democrats and a Republican — quit the contest, which put the eighth-place candidate into the last spot in Alaska’s top-four general election.

McDermott said he first learned about his finalist status from the Alaska Beacon.

On Tuesday morning, he said he feels as if Americans are developing a desire for a third party, an option that isn’t Democratic or Republican.

“I’ve been telling the Libertarian Party, ‘Guys, gals, this is our time,’” he said. “And now I see this. I feel like God’s hand is at work here. Here I am now in fourth. I was in eighth. I’m like, ‘How in the world did I get the fourth?’ So I’ll take it.” 

McDermott was endorsed by the Alaska Libertarian Party, which advocates for individual freedoms, limited government and a free-market economy. It is the third-largest political party in Alaska, with more than 6,000 members.

Under Alaska’s elections system, the top four primary election candidates, regardless of party, advance to the general election in November.

There, voters are asked to rank the four finalists (and a write-in candidate, if wanted) in order of preference. If one candidate gets more than 50% of the first-place votes, they win.

If no one has more than 50%, the candidate with the fewest first-place votes is eliminated. Any voter who picked them has their vote instead go to their second choice.

The process of elimination continues until only two candidates are left, and the one with the most votes wins.

In certified results for the August primary, Republican incumbent Rep. Nick Begich III had 44.6% of the vote, followed by independent challenger Bill Hill with 32.5%. Democratic challenger Matt Schultz was third but suspended his campaign before the primary and withdrew ahead of Monday’s deadline, which put Democratic candidate Eric Hafner in the third slot instead.

“I’ll gladly run against these wonderful people. They’re good people. They have good hearts for the most part,” McDermott said.

Hafner is serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison for threatening public officials while living overseas. He has never lived in Alaska and — barring a pardon — cannot live here if elected.

Two years ago, an Alaska state judge ruled that while it is unlikely that Hafner could serve if elected, neither Alaska law nor the U.S. Constitution prohibit him from running for office.

The Alaska Supreme Court has not taken up the issue.

Hafner earned 3.8% of the vote in the August primary and will be the sole Democrat on the ballot in November.

The fourth spot on the ballot could have gone to two different Democrats — including one whose listed address is in Massachusetts — or a Republican, but each of those candidates withdrew from the race before a Monday deadline.

That left McDermott, who earned 1.2% of the vote — 1,951 votes out of 162,932 in the race — enough for eighth place among 15 candidates in the primary. 

This is McDermott’s second run for Alaska’s U.S. House seat. In 2014, he received 7.61% of the vote in the general election. Republican incumbent Rep. Don Young won the race with 51% of the vote; Democratic challenger Forrest Dunbar finished second.

McDermott’s website from that campaign is still active, and as he spoke Tuesday, his stated policy priorities weren’t significantly different from what they were back then.

“I would look for more independence for people, and when I’m talking about that, it’s very simple. I’m just looking at less laws that are in place that hinder small businesses, hinder big businesses, but I kind of lean towards the small business,” he said.

McDermott favors term limits and was noncommittal about whether he would caucus with Democrats or Republicans in the U.S. House if elected.

“I would look for like-minded (people). I know I’m not going to be very popular with either group,” he said. “I’m a Libertarian. Personal liberties are our No. 1 core, and that’s what I’m going to be driving home.”

The U.S. House is closely divided between Republican and Democratic control, and Alaska is one of a relative handful of tossup states that could decide control of the House.

A former noncommissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force, McDermott stayed in Alaska after his last tour of duty brought him to Anchorage. After 15 years in that city, he moved to Fairbanks in 2006 and has lived there ever since, working at the University of Alaska and in a variety of other roles.

McDermott said he’s looking forward to campaigning and introducing himself to Alaskans.

“I have a pretty decent resume, and so I’d love to give it a shot,” he said.

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Final results from Alaska’s August primary election indicate existing coalition majorities in the state House and Senate are likely to continue after November’s general election and could even grow.

Alaska is the only state in the country where the state House and Senate are both controlled by coalitions of Democrats, independents and Republicans, something that forces bipartisan and multipartisan negotiations and compromises. 

In Monday’s certified primary results, coalition-leaning candidates led 24 of 40 state House races. The current coalition majority includes 21 lawmakers — two Republicans, 16 Democrats and three independents. 

In the state Senate, 10 of 20 seats are up for election this year. Coalition members or coalition-inclined candidates lead in seven of those races. Seven other coalition members are not up for election this year. 

“I think you have a chance for one of the strongest coalitions in a very long time,” said Andrew Halcro, a former state legislator and moderate Republican who commentates on Alaska politics via a popular podcast. 

Any majority group that controls the House and Senate dictates the agenda — who chairs committees, what bills advance and which ones do not. 

In the 34th Alaska State Legislature, conflicts between the coalition-led Legislature and Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a conservative Republican, led to a record number of vetoes and a lack of resolution on major issues, including a proposed trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline, increases in education funding and a long-term plan to balance state expenses and revenue. 

Senate District S – Southwest Alaska

Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel, is retiring this year as the longest-serving member of the Alaska Legislature in state history. 

Five people signed up to replace him, including current Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham. Edgmon was the top finisher in the primary, with 37.9% of the vote.

The other finalists in November’s election will be Republican Darren Deacon (23.9%), Democrat Wassilie Guy (18.9%), and nonpartisan Richard Robb (11.5%). None filed withdrawal paperwork before Monday’s deadline.

The fifth-place finisher was undeclared candidate Wayne Morgan (7.9%). He is eliminated and will not advance to November. 

This year, 4,184 people voted in the district, and turnout was up significantly from two years ago, when 2,899 people voted in the primary. 

In 2022, during a primary that coincided with a special general election, 4,257 people voted in the district and Hoffman earned 66.2% of the vote in a two-way race against Veterans Party candidate Willy Keppel. 

House District 37 – Bristol Bay and the Aleutian Islands

Edgmon’s decision to run for Senate means there is no incumbent in the race to represent House District 37, which covers Bristol Bay and the Aleutians. 

Seven candidates registered for the primary, the most of any state House race in Alaska. 

The district is a tossup politically — two years ago, 50.8% of participating voters picked Republican Donald Trump for President, but 52.9% voted for Democratic U.S. House candidate Mary Peltola and 72.5% went for Edgmon for U.S. House. 

Four years ago, the district went for Peltola and Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski in the general election.

In the August primary, Republican Brenda Wilson of King Cove had 22.6% of the vote, the most among the seven candidates for state House.

The other three finalists are Democratic candidate Evelynn Trefon (19.8%), nonpartisan Mark Smith (17.5%) and nonpartisan Cade Woods (9.2%).

Democratic candidate Dennis Robinson had 15.1% of the vote but withdrew before Monday’s deadline, as did undeclared candidate Kimberly Johnson, who had 10.7% of the vote. Their withdrawals cleared the way for Woods to be promoted into the fourth spot. 

As a result, there will be one Democrat, one Republican and two independents to pick from in November. 

House District 23 – Eagle River

Incumbent Republican Rep. Jamie Allard was the top vote-getter in a five-way primary election for the state House seat representing half of Eagle River, earning 39.8% of the vote in a strongly Republican district.

Democratic candidate Jim Arlington advanced to the November election with 31.9% of the vote, followed by Republican Ruby Jones (13.9%) and Democrat Lee Hammermeister (5.8%).

Republican Nick Capozzi finished ahead of Hammermeister with 8.6% of the vote but withdrew before Monday’s deadline. In a statement on Facebook, he said he was withdrawing to fulfill a pre-election pledge to stop his campaign if he was “soundly defeated” in the primary. 

Capozzi said he is not endorsing Allard and believes there is “growing dissatisfaction” with her in the district.

“While I sincerely hope District 23 is well represented, I believe the Republican Party should carefully evaluate who is best positioned to earn and maintain the confidence of District 23 voters in future elections,” he wrote.

Hammermeister, though registered as a Democratic candidate, does not have the party’s support. 

House District 29 – Eastern Mat-Su

Incumbent Republican Rep. Garret Nelson of Sutton was appointed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy to represent the district after Dunleavy appointed its former representative, Republican George Rauscher, to the state Senate.

In the August primary, Nelson finished second, behind Republican Steve Menard, who had 39.4% of the vote in a six-way race that was the second most crowded among legislative contests last month.

Nelson had 23.2% of the vote, just ahead of Democratic candidate Kimberly Slone, who had 23.1% of the vote as the sole Democrat in a strongly Republican district.

Nonpartisan candidate Jessica Kusner-Kalarchik was fourth, with 8%. 

Libertarian candidate Candice Frisby (4.2%) and undeclared candidate Amber Hansen (2%) were eliminated after finishing fifth and sixth, respectively. 

House District 30 – Big Lake

A five-way race for the state House district representing Big Lake, the Denali Borough and the western Matanuska-Susitna Borough resulted in just three candidates advancing to the November election after the two lowest finishers withdrew ahead of Monday’s deadline.

Incumbent Republican Rep. Kevin McCabe had 32.4% of the vote in the heavily Republican district, followed by Democratic candidate Sandra Loomis with 29.2%.

Republican challenger Doug Massie was third, with 20.6%. 

Withdrawals leave two more candidates running unopposed

Among Alaska’s 40 state House elections, four incumbents ran unopposed in August and will be unopposed in November, except for write-ins.

After one candidate was disqualified and another withdrew on Monday, two more races will also have candidates running unopposed.

Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, a Republican, disqualified Republican House District 22 candidate Jose Roel Tagle after the Alaska Public Offices Commission said he had violated state law by failing to disclose his personal finances on time.

Tagle’s disqualification leaves Democratic incumbent Ted Eischeid as the only candidate for the Anchorage district.

Elsewhere in Anchorage, former Anchorage Assembly member Felix Rivera quit the House District 13 race ahead of Monday’s deadline.

That district is currently represented by Democrat Andy Josephson, who is retiring and isn’t seeking re-election. Rivera’s departure leaves Democrat Lisa Keller as the only option on the ballot in November.

The other four unopposed state House legislators are Reps. Sara Hannan, D-Juneau; Chuck Kopp, R-Anchorage; Genevieve Mina, D-Anchorage; and Will Stapp, R-Fairbanks. 

In the Senate, three of 10 races are unopposed: Sens. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka; Löki Tobin, D-Anchorage; and Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, all remain on track to return to the Capitol in January. 

In open districts, conservative Republican candidates tended to trail

While Republican candidate Brenda Wilson led all challengers in the primary for House District 37, her performance wasn’t repeated by all Republicans in open state House and Senate seats

In Senate District C, which covers Kodiak, Cordova and parts of the southern Kenai Peninsula, Rep. Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, earned 49.4% of the vote to replace Sen. Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak. 

Stevens is retiring, and the seat has no incumbent. Stutes is a moderate, one of two Republican members of the House’s coalition majority, and is expected to replace Stevens in the Senate’s coalition majority if elected.

Two more conservative Republicans, Heath Smith of Homer (37.8%) and Carrie Harris of Anchor Point (12.9%) finished behind Stutes in second and third. 

In Stutes’ House District 5 in Kodiak, nonpartisan candidate Kathy Simpler had 61.4% of the vote against Republican challenger Sheldon Prout in a head-to-head race. 

In Anchorage, where Democratic candidate Cliff Groh is attempting a return to the state House in the district covering Government Hill and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, he had 67.2% of the vote against Republican challenger Dan Sager. The seat is currently held by Republican Rep. David Nelson, who is not seeking re-election.

Farther north, in Eagle River, Republican Rep. Dan Saddler is retiring. Republican Ken McCarty, a former legislator himself, led a three-way race to replace Saddler, earning 46.8% of the vote.

One of the other candidates in the race, former Rep. Sharon Jackson, withdrew ahead of Monday’s deadline. That leaves Republican Gina Wall, who earned 33.8% of the primary vote, as McCarty’s sole challenger.

In Fairbanks, Republican Rep. Frank Tomaszewski is running for the state Senate seat being vacated by Republican Robert Myers. Primary results showed him with 60.9% of the vote in a head-to-head race against Democratic challenger William Hunt. 

Four incumbents trail in primary, but outcomes could change in November

In Anchorage’s Sand Lake neighborhood, Democratic candidate Denny Wells had 52.7% of the vote in a head-to-head race against Republican incumbent Rep. Mia Costello.

That’s a reversal of the general-election result two years ago, when Costello had 51.5% of the vote in a race against Wells and perennial candidate Dustin Darden, running as a Democrat. 

The district has a slight Republican lean — it went for Trump two years ago, but the Republican candidate had less than 50% of the district’s vote for president. 

In Homer, Republican Rep. Sarah Vance finished the primary more than 13 percentage points behind nonpartisan challenger Brent Johnson, who earned 56.9% of the vote in a head-to-head race.

Vance has been in office since 2019 and has governed as a Christian conservative, but she appeared to alienate some conservative Republicans this year when she worked across party lines on a bipartisan election reform bill.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed that bill, and lawmakers sustained his veto after two Republicans — both from southeast Alaska — switched from supporting the bill to opposing it. 

In Fairbanks, Rep. Tomaszewski’s wife, Harmony, is the lone Republican candidate in the strongly Republican district being vacated by Tomaszewski. But in final primary election results, Harmony trailed nonpartisan candidate Joy Beth Cottle by 6 percentage points. 

The two will appear on the ballot again in November. 

In Western Alaska, Rep. Nellie Unangiq Jimmie was the only incumbent Democrat who didn’t finish first in the primary. 

With 29% of the vote, she finished second to former Democratic Rep. CJ McCormick, whom she defeated in 2024.  

Republican Willy Keppel was third with 24.3% of the vote, followed by nonpartisan candidate Joseph Amik, with 14.7%. 

Turnout in the Democratic-leaning district was low by comparison with the rest of the state — fewer than 16% of eligible voters cast ballots in the primary. 

Primary success isn’t a guarantee of success in November, even in head-to-head contests: Two years ago, Sen. Scott Kawasaki, D-Fairbanks, received fewer votes in the August primary than his Republican challenger, Leslie Hajdukovich. 

Just three months later, Kawasaki reversed that result and remains a member of the Senate today.

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President Donald Trump has a lot of irresponsible ideas: Igniting a trade war with Canada because I figure he never liked hockey; declaring that Lake Ontario should forevermore be called Lake America because it’s easier to spell; and taking much of Venezuela’s oil because no one can stop him and he loves the idea of the U.S. government owning shares in private businesses.

But rather than criticize the guy, the president’s actions give me an idea: The state needs to go full Trump if it is ever going to get a North Slope gas pipeline project built.

Clearly, trying to make the uneconomic project magically economic by giving it free gravel from state lands, billions of dollars in property tax relief, and not taxing the corporate profits of the private developers hasn’t worked.

Nor has the more than $1 billion the state has spent on the effort in the past quarter-century changed the outcome.

And we aren’t alone in spending money: North Slope oil and gas producers have spent hundreds of millions of dollars too, searching for an economically viable project to sell the gas to customers somewhere, anywhere. The companies gave up in 2016 and turned over the project to the state.

The state’s decision to give away 75% ownership of the stalled project for free to a private developer in 2025 has not resulted in much more than pledges, promises and promotional press releases.

To use one of the president’s favorite words, the state needs to leverage the remaining 25% stake it holds. We need to think like Trump, just without the obscenities and insults in his social media posts.

I propose a two-front war, using that word because it appeals to the president’s love for fighting, whether he uses the U.S. military or watches cage fighters on the White House lawn.

First, the state offers a share of its 25% stake in the project to the president’s sons, in-laws, friends, whatever it takes to buy their support, much like the Trump family has embraced deals with Middle East oil and gas producers the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

That 25% share isn’t doing the state any good anyway. Alaska’s profits from a gas pipeline could more easily come from taxes and royalties and jobs, without the risk of ownership. So why not donate much of our stake to the Trumps to buy political favor.

The second part of my proposal is that Alaska win the president’s attention by making his enemies our enemies.

We let Trump know that if Alaska does not get a gas pipeline, utilities in the Anchorage-dominated population center may have to import natural gas from Canada for heat and power. No way he could let that happen. Maybe he would commit the federal treasury to invest in the gas line just to deny Canada. Spite is a strong motivating factor with the guy, so we should play to that emotion.

Of course, the Trumps may decide they don’t want an ownership stake in the losing project, even if it’s free. And the president may have moved on to a trade war with someone else by the time Alaska can get the idea of Canadian gas into his head.

But what if Alaska plays its trump card and the president imposes a tariff on Canadian natural gas imported into the U.S., same as hockey sticks? The risk may be worth it. Nothing else has worked to get the pipeline built. We need to start thinking like Trump.