Did Matt Claman violate Alaska campaign finance law by fundraising during special session?

By SUZANNE DOWNING

May 21, 2026 – Democratic gubernatorial candidate and state Sen. Matt Claman may have stepped into legally dangerous territory Thursday morning when his campaign sent out a fundraising email after the Alaska Legislature convened a special session in Juneau.

The timing is key because Alaska law places strict limits on fundraising activity by legislators while the Legislature is in session in the capital city.

The regular legislative session ended late Wednesday night. But Gov. Mike Dunleavy immediately called lawmakers back into special session beginning Thursday at 10 am in Juneau, meaning the fundraising restrictions did not disappear overnight.

Yet after 11 am Thursday — more than an hour after the special session had began — Claman’s campaign distributed a fundraising solicitation.

Under Alaska statute, legislators may not “solicit or accept contributions” during a regular or special legislative session while in the capital city where the Legislature is meeting. The restriction is designed to prevent lobbyists, special interests, and political donors from exerting influence on lawmakers while legislation is actively underway.

The restriction appears in Alaska campaign finance law and legislative ethics guidance. The law contains a narrow exception during the 90 days before an election, allowing fundraising activity outside the municipality where the session is being held. But Juneau itself remains off-limits during session.

Claman is both a sitting legislator and a declared candidate for governor, which potentially subjects him to multiple overlapping statutes governing campaign fundraising during session.

Alaska Statute 15.13.074 specifically addresses fundraising restrictions involving candidates for governor and lieutenant governor during legislative session in the capital city. Guidance from the Alaska Public Offices Commission and the Legislative Ethics Committee also warns lawmakers against campaign fundraising activities tied to legislative sessions:

“While the legislature is convened in a regular or special legislative session, a legislator or legislative employee may not solicit or accept a contribution to be used for the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election under this chapter unless (1) it is an election in which the legislator or legislative employee is a candidate and the contribution is for that legislator’s or legislative employee’s campaign; (2) the solicitation or acceptance occurs during the 90 days immediately preceding that election; and (3) the solicitation or acceptance occurs in a place other than the capital city or a municipality in which the legislature is convened in special session if the legislature is convened in a municipality other than the capital city.”

The key legal question may come down to where Claman was physically located when the solicitation was sent and whether the campaign itself “solicited” contributions while he was in Juneau during session.

If he personally authorized or participated in the fundraising communication from Juneau after the special session convened, it could be argued the solicitation violated Alaska law. If campaign staff outside Juneau independently distributed the email without direct involvement from Claman during session hours, his campaign could potentially argue otherwise.

The statute has long been controversial because lawmakers routinely hold fundraisers immediately before session begins, then pause formal fundraising once gavels drop in Juneau. The prohibition exists specifically to create a firewall between active lawmaking and campaign money.

Violations can trigger complaints before the Alaska Public Offices Commission, legislative ethics investigations, civil penalties, and potentially criminal consequences under Alaska campaign finance law, depending on the circumstances and severity of the violation.

Claman is one of 18 candidates who have declared they are running for governor in Alaska in 2026.