Category: News Feeds

A legislative ethics committee found that Homer Republican Rep. Sarah Vance violated Alaska ethics law when she used official legislative letterhead to publicly condemn a Homer News story last September. The story was about a local vigil she helped organize for Charlie Kirk, a right-wing political activist who was assassinated last year. 

The House Subcommittee on the Select Committee on Legislative Ethics launched a probe into Vance’s conduct after receiving 18 ethics complaints from September to December last year. On June 26, the seven-member ethics committee, by a majority vote, found probable cause that Vance violated the Legislative Ethics Act “by using Alaska State Legislature letterhead for a nonlegislative purpose, for involvement in or support of or opposition to partisan political activity.”

The committee determined that Vance’s use of official legislative letterhead violated Alaska statute that states that legislators may not use “public funds, facilities, equipment, services, or another government asset or resource for a nonlegislative purpose, for involvement in or support of or opposition to partisan political activity.”

The committee determined no corrective reaction is warranted, other than adhering to the authorized use of official legislative letterhead in the future. 

Vance opposed the ethics committee’s decision, saying in an interview on Wednesday her letter was not partisan activity and it was within her free speech rights to communicate with constituents. “I respectfully disagree,” she said. “The letterhead is mine, and my free speech should not be limited on how I can speak on behalf of my constituency.”

At issue in the probe is how Vance responded to a Homer News story published on September 17, 2025 that covered a local vigil for Charlie Kirk. Kirk was shot and killed at a public event on a college campus in Utah the week before. One suspect was arrested and is currently standing trial. Kirk was a vocal ally of President Donald Trump focused on mobilizing conservative students on college campuses, and many conservative supporters staged vigils and events around the country to memorialize him.

Vance wrote to the newspaper’s publisher, Sound Publishing, Inc. owned by Carpenter Media Group, an international chain, on her official legislative letterhead condemning the coverage of the Homer vigil. She also posted the letter to her official legislative Facebook page. The story described Kirk as a “far-right activist and Christian-Nationalist icon,” and described his views as “often racist” and “controversial,” characterizations to which Vance objected. 

“In the letter Representative Vance expressed her displeasure with portions of the content of the article and her perception that the Homer News is biased, engages in partisan rhetoric and political talking points,” the committee wrote in their decision. 

The committee identified several key phrases in her letter that violated Alaska statute, including that Vance noted a “growing movement to boycott” the Homer News that she said would result in potential financial repercussions. “If the paper continues to treat community events as opportunities for partisan spin, the consequence will be financial as well as reputational,” Vance wrote.

The committee members invited Vance to answer questions and appear before them, but she filed a request to dismiss the ethics investigation and declined to appear. On June 26, the committee held a public hearing with public comment, then moved to a nearly four hour executive session before announcing the majority vote finding probable cause that Vance violated ethics law. 

Rep. Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake, one of two House members on the committee, penned a dissenting opinion, which the committee issued with the decision. He questioned whether the authority of ethics law extends to official letterhead and defended Vance’s First Amendment right to free speech.  

The committee dismissed three other statutory violations cited in complaints, related to political fundraising and campaigning, legislative employee political parties and campaigning, and donations. The 18 complaints are confidential, and were not made public with the decision. 

In an interview, Vance said she believes the complaints were politically partisan and should have been dismissed. She said she is aware of the ethics rules barring the use of letterhead for campaigning for a specific candidate or fundraising. She rejected the finding that her letter was politically partisan.

“I called out the media for being biased and engaging in partisan activity, that doesn’t make me partisan, that’s just providing accountability,” she said. “Just like when I write letters to the Board of Fish for not following the public process, and I call them to account and say ‘you need to take a look at this and redo your actions.’ It’s the same advocacy on behalf of my constituents.”

Vance said she was expressing her free speech right and communicating with constituents with her letter and on her social media page. She said that includes noting the potential boycott and financial repercussions for the Homer News. 

“I wanted them to know the seriousness of what was happening with their paper that had been for a long time, and it wasn’t a threat, it was just saying ‘you need to know what’s going on.’ I meant it more informational, but people perceived it differently,” she said. 

Vance said she is still deciding whether to appeal or take further action on the issue. 

Nationwide, Kirk’s killing prompted a pressure campaign by Republicans and conservatives to clamp down on language deemed critical of Kirk. A Reuters investigation found more than 600 people were fired, suspended or investigated for comments about Kirk’s death within the first two months of his killing. Some have successfully sued for First Amendment retaliation and have received large settlements or monetary damages. 

The fallout from Vance’s letter was significant, though it was not mentioned in the ethics committee’s decision.

In response to Vance’s letter, the management of Sound Publishing, Inc. and parent-company Carpenter Media Group changed the story, removing some of the language Vance objected to without consulting the reporter or editor at the Homer News, who later resigned over the decision. 

In a joint letter, four reporters and editors with the Homer News and the Peninsula Clarion — also owned by Carpenter Media Group —  said they did not have a problem with Vance’s criticisms, but voiced strong objections to the management changing a story “at the behest of a local official.” They called the decision a betrayal of the journalists on staff and the company’s integrity. 

“We believe this destroys the credibility the public has placed in us as reporters and editors,” they wrote. The group said they could not continue doing their job knowing the possibility of future pressure from an elected official could result in stories being changed without their consultation.

Vance said she was surprised that the publisher responded and changed the article, and learned later that reporters and editors were not consulted.

“It was never my intent for anyone to lose their job or to create a disagreement within the inner workings of the paper, but what it did do that was highlighted by those articles is it revealed there were long term issues that had been going on for quite some time,” she said. 

“People say that I bullied and intimidated the media, I don’t believe that for one minute,” Vance said. “Sound Publishing is a pretty big corporation, and it was never my intent to bully, but just to say ‘no, this is wrong. You need to be aware of what’s going on in this community.’ And I’m going to speak up on behalf of my constituents, because their voice has been drowned out down here.”

Jake Dye, one of the reporters that quit the Peninsula Clarion, said by email on Wednesday that voters will decide whether they approve of Vance’s actions in the November election where she is running for re-election in House District 6. He said Vance’s comments implying financial repercussions crossed a line and “represents a problematic effort to explicitly intimidate the press.”

He said he doesn’t blame Vance for what happened and said Sound Publishing and Carpenter Media management are responsible for their response. 

“There are three fewer journalists on the Kenai Peninsula today than there were a year ago,” Dye wrote. “That’s not because Vance wrote a letter, but because our corporate overlords chose to fold under her pressure and let down the talented people they employed to do reporting in the state.”

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE

Every election, Alaska’s candidates for public office are bombarded by questionnaires from politically active groups, individuals and members of the media.

To cut down on the workload and increase response rates, some of Alaska’s biggest statewide news organizations are trying something new — collaboration. 

The Alaska Beacon, Alaska Public Media, KTOO and the Anchorage Daily News are cooperating this year on a single questionnaire for candidates. We’ll use the answers to build a voter guide that will help Alaskans make an informed choice when they vote.

You can help by asking your candidates to answer our survey. 

The survey won’t replace debates, forums and public statements. Instead, it’s something extra, aimed at informing voters about what candidates believe and providing a tool to hold them accountable once elected.

The Beacon is coordinating the legislative questions, the Daily News is handling the questions for Alaska’s governor race, and Alaska Public Media and KTOO are managing the questionnaires for the candidates running for Alaska’s federal offices.

The questionnaires were the result of months of work. 

Each news organization solicited its readers, viewers and listeners, asking a basic question: What do you want candidates to talk about?

That’s what’s called the “citizens agenda” — we think that good election reporting is less about journalism that tries to determine “who’s ahead,” and more about what a candidate’s positions are and how they would affect things if elected.

In June, each news group combed through your responses and settled on draft lists of questions. The number of questions, any limits on length and the style of the questions were decided by the respective news organizations. 

We held meetings to decide the final lists of questions, and they have now been sent to state legislative candidates, governor candidates, candidates for the U.S. House and candidates for the U.S. Senate.

The deadline to respond is July 13. We’re now calling candidates to double-check that they’ve received the questionnaires and to remind them to respond.

You can help us with that. When you see a candidate, or if you know a candidate, ask them to fill out and return the questionnaire. 

This is how the Beacon presented its 2024 questionnaire results, and we expect to do something similar this year. The Daily News, KTOO and Alaska Public Media will share the questionnaire results as well. 

Here’s what we’re asking legislative candidates:

• What name do you go by? (For example, how should we refer to you in coverage?)
• Would you be willing to serve in a coalition majority where members of the other party are in leadership? Why or why not?
• What’s the biggest need in your district, and how would you address it?
• What should be done to improve public education in Alaska?
• How should the Legislature handle the Permanent Fund dividend?
• What does your ideal fiscal plan look like? How should the Legislature bring state expenses and revenue into line in the long term?
• When you look at the state budget, what’s the No. 1 thing you’d like to see cut or reduced, and what’s your No. 1 preferred way to raise new state revenue?
• What, if any, changes does the state need to make to its elections and voting system?
• What threats do you see facing Alaska in the next four years?
• What should legislators do to make Alaska a better place for children and families?
• As Alaska’s average age rises, what needs to be done to make the state a better place for older residents?
• What should Alaska do to keep residents and visitors safe from crime and disasters?
• What, if any, change would you make to state law to support the Alaskans who are dependent on fish harvests and the fishing industry?
• What do people not know about you that you think they should know?
• What should the Legislature do to help Alaskans with the high cost of living?
• How are the Trump administration’s policies working in Alaska? Where do you see them working well, and where do you see problems?

Here’s what we’re asking U.S. House candidates:

• What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
• Describe your most significant episode of public service.
• Do you support or oppose the work requirements for Medicaid and SNAP that Congress imposed in the 2025 budget reconciliation bill? What impact do you think they will have on Alaskans who rely on these programs?
• What specific changes, if any, would you make to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s authority, funding, or oversight?
• Do you like Alaska’s nonpartisan primary and ranked choice voting system? Why or why not?
• What do you think of Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom’s decision to send Alaskans’ voter data to the federal government?
• President Donald Trump has taken military action, launched construction projects and imposed tariffs without obtaining congressional consent first. What is your view of these types of unilateral White House action?
• Who do you believe was the rightful winner of the 2020 election?
• How would you work with Alaska Native Tribes and organizations to shape federal policy?
• What specific federal actions would you support to address environmental and climate-related risks facing Alaska communities, including coastal erosion, permafrost thaw, flooding, wildfires, landslides, ocean acidification and extreme storms?
• What policy changes or government actions would you support, if any, to improve ailing salmon runs in Alaska’s rivers?
• What major issue(s) facing Alaska do you think receives too little attention?

Complete the following sentences in 5-20 words.

• Abortion should be ____
• U.S. military aid to Israel should be ____
• U.S. military aid to Ukraine should be ___
• ____ would reduce the number of deaths from mass shootings.

Here’s the questions for the U.S. Senate candidates:

• ​​Do you like Alaska’s nonpartisan primary and ranked choice voting system? Why or why not?
• What do you think of Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom’s decision to send Alaskans’ voter data to the federal government?
• What, if anything, should Congress do to ensure the security of elections?
• Do you support or oppose granting federal permits for a road to connect the Ambler Mining District to the Dalton Highway?
• What policy changes or government actions would you support, if any, to improve ailing salmon runs in Alaska’s rivers?
• Do you believe that Donald Trump was the rightful winner of the 2020 election?
• Knowing what we know now, do you think that the Senate should have voted to convict Donald Trump during his second impeachment trial?
• Have any actions by the Trump administration raised legal or constitutional concerns for you? If so, which ones?
• Do you support or oppose the work requirements for Medicaid that Congress imposed in the 2025 budget reconciliation bill? What impact do you think they will have on Alaskans who rely on these programs?

Complete the following sentences in 5-20 words:

• Abortion should be ____
• U.S. military aid to Israel should be ____
• U.S. military aid to Ukraine should be ___
• ____ would reduce the number of deaths from mass shootings

Here’s what governor candidates are being asked:

• Gov. Mike Dunleavy is in the final year of his eight-year tenure. Name what you see as his most significant policy successes and challenges, and describe how you would have handled the policy challenges differently.
• How do you think the Permanent Fund dividend should be calculated?
• Do you support levying new taxes to afford larger annual Permanent Fund dividends? Why or why not?
• Should the state change the way it allocates funding to K-12 schools? Why or why not?
• Do you think Alaska’s overall state budget is too big, too small, or just right? Please explain why.
• What new revenue measures, if any, would you support implementing to balance the state budget?
• Some Alaska communities are increasingly susceptible to destructive storms and environmental changes. What steps do you think the state should take to support these communities?
• Alaska has experienced years of net outmigration. What is the most impactful step you, as governor, would take to reverse this trend?
• Alaska has some of the highest healthcare costs in the country. What do you think the state should do to make healthcare more affordable?
• What do you think the state should do to bring down the cost of energy for Alaska consumers?
• Do you think Alaska should change the way it manages its fisheries? If so, how? If not, why not?
• Federal law requires that rural Alaskans be given access to hunting and fishing in Alaska, while the Alaska Constitution forbids that kind of preference. How would your administration approach subsistence hunting and fishing rights?
• Alaska currently has no laws restricting or encouraging data centers. Would you favor changing that? If so, how? If not, why not?
• Do you support enshrining the Permanent Fund dividend in the state constitution?
• Do you think Alaska should spend more than it currently does on operating and maintaining K-12 schools?
• Do you support enacting a defined benefits pension system for Alaska’s public employees?
• Should privately held oil and gas companies pay Alaska’s corporate income tax?
• Do you support maintaining open primaries and ranked choice voting in Alaska?
• Do you believe Joe Biden won the presidential election in 2020?

SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX.