Republicans Pick Up AK Senate Seats
Republicans picked up seats in the Alaska Senate in Tuesday's election. Fairbanks-area Republicans John Coghill and Pete Kelly won their bids for Alaska Senate. Anchorage Democrat Bettye Davis lost her bid to keep her seat to Republican Anna Fairclough. And Bert Stedman, a Republican from Sitka, beat Democrat Albert Kookesh of Angoon.
Less Than 100 Votes Separate House District 34 Contenders
With 100 percent of House District 34's precincts reporting in, Jonathan Kreiss-Tompkins (D) leads Bill Thomas (R) by under 100 votes. Many other races are still waiting on precincts.
Don Young Wins Another Term
Incumbent Don Young easily won another term in Congress Tuesday night, grabbing 65 percent of the vote in a multi-candidate field. The Republican veteran easily defeated Democrat Sharon Cissna of Anchorage and Libertarian Jim McDermott of Fairbanks.
Voter Turnout Varies Around State
Workers with the Alaska Division of Elections called around the state this afternoon to get a sense of how voter turnout was going. Gail Fenumiai is the Director of the division of elections. She says turnout is varying across the state.
Public Support For Big Projects In Bond Prop A Is Limited
Voters will also decide tomorrow whether the state should sell more than $450 million in bonds to pay for transportation and economic development projects. It’s one of the largest Bond Propositions in Alaska history. And one Fairbanks area project on the list does not have support from the local community.
Reminder: Check Your Polling Place!
Before you head to your polling place, you may want to double check the location. That's because redistricting may have changed where you vote. If you voted in the primary election, then you may have already figured out that your voting location changed. If you didn't, then you could be in for a surprise. Gail Fenumiai is the Director of the division of elections. She says since there was low turnout for the primary, around 25 percent, voters may be confused come election day. But no need to fear, Fenumiai says it's as easy as going to the Division of Elections website.
Questions Remain As Campaign Season Comes To A Close
As the campaign season comes to a close, there are few questions remaining about where Fairbanks area candidates stand on the big issues. Everyone wants to lower the cost of energy, and Republicans and Democrats differ sharply on oil tax reform. A Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce forum this week saw re-hash of the familiar topics, but also provided some new insight. KUAC’s Dan Bross reports on what the candidates running for State House Districts 1, 4 and 5 had to say.
Incumbents Face Off In Anchorage House District 25
Sometimes during redistricting, when new lines are drawn, incumbents end up running against each other. This time around, it happened in two senate races and three house races across the state. That's the case with Democrat Peter Petersen and Republican Lance Pruitt in Anchorage's House District 25.
Conservative group is targeting Superior Court Judge up for retention
A conservative group is targeting a Superior Court Judge in Anchorage who is on the ballot for retention this year. Alaska Family Action is campaigning against Judge Sen Tan for decisions he made in the late 1990s on cases related to the issue of abortion. The Alaska Judicial Council is responding with an advertising campaign supporting Tan, calling him one of the highest rated judges in the state.
Legislator Concerned About Outside Funds In Campaign Advertising
As Nov. 6 draws near, political advertising raises its pitch, and sometimes the campaign advertising gets ugly. But now, an Anchorage lawmaker, who is running for re-election himself, says he’s dismayed at the way outside political action groups are skirting state campaign finance laws.
Bell Challenges French for Senate Seat
Senate District J, which represents West Anchorage and Sand Lake, is one of the most contentious races in the upcoming election. Because of redistricting, the Spenard part of the district shrunk while the Sand Lake and Jewell Lake neighborhoods were added. Republican Businessman Bob Bell is challenging longtime Democratic Senator Hollis French for the seat.
A Week Before Election, State House Candidates Sharpen Rhetoric
Redistricting has many incumbents facing incumbents for the Alaska legislature this election. And that’s true of two House races in the Fairbanks area. House district two includes Two Rivers and House District 38 represents Nenana and Tanana.
Senate E: Huggins – Herman
Incumbent Charlie Huggins, a Republican with a strong military background and a Vietnam veteran, is being challenged for the Senate E seat representing Wasilla, Big Lake, and Point Mackenzie, by a woman who is a professional therapeutic masseuse with long roots in early childhood education. Democratic opponent Susan Parsons Herman, says she'll work across party lines, while two term Senator Huggins says he'll stick to a party agenda. KSKA's Ellen Lockyer has more.
Juneau State Legislator Gets To Know Expanded District
Juneau Democratic state representative Beth Kerttula is spending time this fall getting to know the residents and issues in several smaller Southeast Alaska communities that will be part of her district in 2013. Because of redistricting, Kerttula’s House District 32 will include Petersburg, Kupreanof, Gustavus, Tenakee and Skagway. She’s running unopposed for the seat and considers it an opportunity to represent an expanded district.
Campaigning Heats Up For Petersburg Borough Vote
Petersburg is far from the presidential swing state circuit and does not even have any contested state legislative races to weigh in on this fall. However, yard signs are up around town showing a political campaign of a different sort heating up this fall. Supporters and opponents of the creation of a new Petersburg borough are making their case through mailings and on the airwaves, editorial page and online.
Fairclough Challenging Davis in Redrawn District
A Republican representative from the state House - Anna Fairclough is hoping to unseat long term Democratic Senator Bettye Davis from Anchorage. Redistricting changed the playing field. The new Senate district now includes Eagle River where Fairclough has been a popular candidate in the past.
Media Scrutiny of Port Project Puts Officials on the Spot
After news reports highlighted them, the Anchorage Assembly moved concerns about the Port of Anchorage Expansion project to the top of their agenda at their regular meeting Tuesday.
Oil Taxes Key Issue In Fairbanks-Area Elections
Candidates for three State Senate seats representing portions of the Fairbanks area are on the Nov. 6 general election ballot. The candidates took questions during a Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce sponsored forum last week, and Alaska’s oil tax was a key issue.
Municipality Has Port Study, Holding Until After Bond Vote
Bundled into the bond proposition included on the Nov. 6 election ballot, voters will find $50 million for the “Port of Anchorage Intermodal Expansion Project.” It's the largest request on the list. But voters won't have much information on the project before they make their decision. That's because a report detailing problems with the bungled upgrade to the 50-plus-year-old port won't come out until after the election. 
Finance Reports Show Thomas Far Ahead Of Kreiss-Tomkins
More money is going into the House District 34 campaign than any other race in Southeast. Changing legislative boundaries combined Sitka with much of the old Southeast Islands House District. That’s the one that includes Haines, Craig, Metlakatla, Hoonah, Angoon, Kake and some other small cities.