As national opinion turns against President Donald Trump and threatens to trickle down to Republican Congressional candidates, two Alaska independents have continued to out-raise the GOP incumbents they’re challenging, according to new figures released Wednesday.
Alyse Galvin, an independent who got 46.5% of votes when she ran against GOP U.S. Rep. Don Young two years ago, raised $690,000 between April 1 and June 30, leaving her with $1.4 million in her accounts.
Young raised $260,000, and has $960,000 in the bank. He also was substantially out-raised by Galvin in the first three months of the year.
In Alaska’s U.S. Senate race, incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan raised $1.2 million, compared to the $1.6 million raised by independent challenger Al Gross.
Gross’ figures include a $100,000 donation from himself on the last day of the three-month fundraising period, and since his campaign began, he’s spent a total of $720,000 of his own money.
While both Galvin and Gross are independents, they’re both seeking the nomination of the Alaska Democratic Party in its primary election next month.
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Galvin, in a prepared statement Wednesday, touted recent polls showing that both Congressional races could be close, and said she was grateful for Alaskans’ support.
“It is clear Alaskans are ready for new leadership that listens to our communities and fights for what we need: good-paying jobs, lower health care costs and a strong education system,” the statement quoted her as saying.
Young’s campaign manager, Truman Reed, said Galvin’s focus is raising money from Outside “liberal extremists,” including “environmental extremists that want to turn our state into a national park, gun control advocates who want to trample the Second Amendment and people pushing a socialist agenda.”
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“She’s simply too liberal for Alaska,” Reed wrote in an email. “Alaskans still want Don Young in Washington because he’s effective and gets the job done.”
Gross’ campaign released a prepared statement that attacked Sullivan for not objecting to Trump’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic, branding him “Yes-Man-Dan.”
“We’re building a movement in Alaska to bring an independent voice to Washington, and I’m proud of the support our movement has drawn from all over Alaska,” the statement quoted Gross as saying.
Sullivan’s campaign manager, Matt Shuckerow, noted that Gross still hasn’t made it through the Democratic primary, in which he faces two other candidates, Edgar Blatchford and Chris Cumings.
Shuckerow said that Sullivan only recently formally launched his campaign with four events across the state that had more than 400 co-hosts, and he added that 1,200 volunteers have been recruited.
“The senator is very excited about the support and energy his campaign’s receiving,” Shuckerow said. “We’ll see who our opponent is after the August primary, and we look forward to having a discussion about the important policy issues facing our state and our country.”
Nathaniel Herz is an Anchorage-based journalist. He's been a reporter in Alaska for a decade, and is currently reporting for Alaska Public Media. Find more of his work by subscribing to his newsletter, Northern Journal, at natherz.substack.com. Reach him at natherz@gmail.com.
