July 16, 2026 – Every election season, candidates tell voters what they think they want to hear. That’s politics, right?
But sometimes what a candidate won’t say tells you more than what they do say.
I recently sat down for an extended conversation with Ryan Berry, who is challenging Sen. Cathy Tilton for the Alaska Senate District M seat. It wasn’t an interview I intended to air on radio, just a conversation between two Republicans about issues facing our state; I wanted to hear his policy positions and what to expect if he made it to Juneau.
I walked away with one overriding concern that Ryan would not answer a simple question: Would he caucus with Democrats if elected?
I asked him directly. More than once, but instead of giving me a yes-or-no answer, he turned the question around and asked me whether I would caucus with what he described as a bunch of “feckless and ineffective Republicans.”
That wasn’t the answer of a person who should represent Wasilla.
We’ve watched Alaska politics long enough to know that caucuses make all the difference in Juneau. They determine committee chairs, legislative priorities, budgets, and ultimately who controls the direction of state government. A candidate asking Republican voters for their support should be willing to tell them plainly whether they intend to help elect Republican leadership or join a coalition controlled by Democrats.
If the answer is “no,” just say no.
If the answer is “yes,” then have the courage to say yes and let voters decide. But don’t leave Republican voters in the dark.
Our conversation covered other issues as well.
I asked Ryan whether he supports paying a statutory Permanent Fund dividend. His answer was that the state cannot afford it. Reasonable people can disagree about the dividend, but I followed up with another question: How much money was in the Earnings Reserve Account this year?
He didn’t know. That surprised me because anyone running for the Alaska Senate should have a working knowledge of the state’s principal reserve accounts before declaring what Alaska can and cannot afford.
Then something happened that confirmed my concern. After our conversation, Ryan sent me a text message asking me not to share what he had told me about caucusing.
His text read in part:
“I was being honest with you about caucusing, if you could keep that close to your chest, as you know it’s politics and gamesmanship…”
Politics and gamesmanship. Seriously, Ryan?
If a candidate is comfortable discussing something privately but doesn’t want Republican voters to hear it publicly, voters ought to ask why.
I’m a talk show host. I talk about politics for a living. More importantly, I’m a Republican who believes voters deserve straight answers before they cast their ballots, not after.
Sen. Cathy Tilton has spent more than a decade serving Alaska in the Legislature. She has earned a reputation for being steady, dependable, and willing to make difficult decisions even when they aren’t politically convenient. As Speaker of the House and now as a senator, she has consistently represented conservative values while navigating one of the most challenging political environments in Juneau, the one created by ranked-choice voting.
You always know where Cathy Tilton stands. As she has said time and again, “All you have in Juneau is your word.”
After my conversation with Ryan Berry, I can’t say the same about him.
Some people may dismiss this as inside baseball. I don’t because Alaska has repeatedly seen elections where candidates campaign as Republicans only to help organize legislative majorities that advance priorities many Republican voters never intended to support.
That’s one reason I believe Alaska’s current election system deserves renewed scrutiny. Ranked-choice voting has weakened the accountability that party primaries once provided. Candidates no longer have to persuade Republican voters alone to advance. That makes it even more important for Republican candidates to be transparent about how they intend to govern once they’re in office.
Republican voters deserve clarity before Election Day, not “politics and gamesmanship” afterward.
Home » Amy Demboski: The one question Ryan Berry wouldn’t answer
Amy Demboski: The one question Ryan Berry wouldn’t answer
By AMY DEMBOSKI
July 16, 2026 – Every election season, candidates tell voters what they think they want to hear. That’s politics, right?
But sometimes what a candidate won’t say tells you more than what they do say.
I recently sat down for an extended conversation with Ryan Berry, who is challenging Sen. Cathy Tilton for the Alaska Senate District M seat. It wasn’t an interview I intended to air on radio, just a conversation between two Republicans about issues facing our state; I wanted to hear his policy positions and what to expect if he made it to Juneau.
I walked away with one overriding concern that Ryan would not answer a simple question: Would he caucus with Democrats if elected?
I asked him directly. More than once, but instead of giving me a yes-or-no answer, he turned the question around and asked me whether I would caucus with what he described as a bunch of “feckless and ineffective Republicans.”
That wasn’t the answer of a person who should represent Wasilla.
We’ve watched Alaska politics long enough to know that caucuses make all the difference in Juneau. They determine committee chairs, legislative priorities, budgets, and ultimately who controls the direction of state government. A candidate asking Republican voters for their support should be willing to tell them plainly whether they intend to help elect Republican leadership or join a coalition controlled by Democrats.
If the answer is “no,” just say no.
If the answer is “yes,” then have the courage to say yes and let voters decide. But don’t leave Republican voters in the dark.
Our conversation covered other issues as well.
I asked Ryan whether he supports paying a statutory Permanent Fund dividend. His answer was that the state cannot afford it. Reasonable people can disagree about the dividend, but I followed up with another question: How much money was in the Earnings Reserve Account this year?
He didn’t know. That surprised me because anyone running for the Alaska Senate should have a working knowledge of the state’s principal reserve accounts before declaring what Alaska can and cannot afford.
Then something happened that confirmed my concern. After our conversation, Ryan sent me a text message asking me not to share what he had told me about caucusing.
His text read in part:
“I was being honest with you about caucusing, if you could keep that close to your chest, as you know it’s politics and gamesmanship…”
Politics and gamesmanship. Seriously, Ryan?
If a candidate is comfortable discussing something privately but doesn’t want Republican voters to hear it publicly, voters ought to ask why.
I’m a talk show host. I talk about politics for a living. More importantly, I’m a Republican who believes voters deserve straight answers before they cast their ballots, not after.
Sen. Cathy Tilton has spent more than a decade serving Alaska in the Legislature. She has earned a reputation for being steady, dependable, and willing to make difficult decisions even when they aren’t politically convenient. As Speaker of the House and now as a senator, she has consistently represented conservative values while navigating one of the most challenging political environments in Juneau, the one created by ranked-choice voting.
You always know where Cathy Tilton stands. As she has said time and again, “All you have in Juneau is your word.”
After my conversation with Ryan Berry, I can’t say the same about him.
Some people may dismiss this as inside baseball. I don’t because Alaska has repeatedly seen elections where candidates campaign as Republicans only to help organize legislative majorities that advance priorities many Republican voters never intended to support.
That’s one reason I believe Alaska’s current election system deserves renewed scrutiny. Ranked-choice voting has weakened the accountability that party primaries once provided. Candidates no longer have to persuade Republican voters alone to advance. That makes it even more important for Republican candidates to be transparent about how they intend to govern once they’re in office.
Republican voters deserve clarity before Election Day, not “politics and gamesmanship” afterward.
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