By Suzanne Downing 
The Alaska Democratic Party is getting its panties in a wad – and for now, at least, it’s not about Republicans. It’s about Mary Peltola.
The state’s former one-term congresswoman is sitting on not one, but two potential races, and by doing so, she’s freezing out her own party.
As long as Peltola keeps her options open, Democrats can’t recruit or rally behind anyone serious to run against US Sen. Dan Sullivan. They’re in political limbo, waiting for Mary to decide which crown she wants next. It’s already mid-November and Alaska Democrats are watching their opportunity walk away: Nobody is paying attention to them and nobody is donating to them.
This may be why Democrat state Sen. Matt Claman suddenly leapt into the governor’s race on Monday. Until Claman’s entry, former Sen. Tom Begich, the Anchorage singer-songwriter, was the only Democrat running for governor. Both are Anchorage Democrats, and both well aware that there’s not enough oxygen for two. Claman’s move looks a lot like a Democrat establishment play to challenge old Tom, who, to his credit, at least had the guts to declare early.
But for Tom, it’s the past coming back to bite him in the butt. He wrote an op-ed in the ADN in favor of ranked choice voting. Old Tom made a sh*t sandwich for the future Tom Begich. Now it’s time for him to eat it.
Democrats always say they love ranked-choice voting, but now do they, with both singer-songwriter Tom and trial lawyer Matt fighting for that top spot.
Then there’s the Alaska Teamsters. In one of the more curious moves of the season, the union decided to issue an early endorsement – nine months ahead of the August primary. You’d think they’d rally behind a Democrat for governor, right? Wrong. They skipped both singer-songwriter Tom and trial lawyer Claman and went with “Republican” Click Bishop — the same Click Bishop who’s made a career of threading the needle between labor and business, and whose “R” stands more for “rhetorical flexibility” than Republican values.
This early endorsement is telling. It’s not just premature, it’s a signal. The message to Mary Peltola and to Alaska Democrats is simple: enough of the political coyness. Make a move or go home.
But Mary seems in no hurry. She’s enjoying being courted, relishing the attention, and keeping everyone guessing. For now, she’s the belle of the political ball, and the longer she waits, the more the Democratic machine grinds its teeth.
Politics in Alaska is always unpredictable. But this year, it’s downright weird. You’ve got unions endorsing Republicans, Democrat insiders tripping over each others’ cranks, and one “Maybe Mary,” whose position is “undecided” and who is holding all the cards.
And we’re still nine months out from the primary. Stay tuned — it’s going to get even stranger.
The Ak democrats don’t need to wait for peltola. She’s not going to win
Expecting more from her will be like expecting an old horse can win the Kentucky derby 🐎
She done
“Click” Bishop is the preferred candidate of most Democrats and many on the Left. Labor has figured out how to play the fake labels game very well. “Click” will run promoting infrastructure and “jobs” – much like Joey Biden, with the unspoken caveat that they all must be union jobs.
Lots of folks with beards and pick-up trucks will be fooled and vote for him. I will not.
As demonstrated by Bill Walker’s term in office, once elected the faux independent/“Republican” will govern from the left.
Click bishop is an imposter Republican hence grossly dishonest. The (too many) low info voters will fall for the R. The left have no scruples or character hence what’s a little lie?
Mary is about Mary’s pocket. For the 30 years I’ve known Mary I’m asking myself why would Mary give up all the easy money she’s making right now, which is in the six figures? She can play this consulting game right up to the point that she actually commits to a race. Then she’s done making money, doing nothing.
Why not just play the game she’s playing and run for Lisa’s seat 2 years from now?
Thankfully there are Republicans who actually understand the scam that is rank voting, some would have all Republicans drop out unless they get the most votes in the jungle primary.
https://thealaskastory.com/in-fairbanks-stop-hughes-softens-stance-on-dropping-out-if-not-leading-gop-candidate/
If a person with an R behind their name gets more votes from folks on the left, why should everyone else drop out? It’s far too early in this cycle to chose a candidate, but I know the ones I won’t vote for and there are a few that are already starting to stand out.
Mary-P has accomplished what and what exactly is her skillset that would benefit Alaska // Alaskans? Mary-P appears to be self-centered // self-serving, most likely the most accurate assessment voters need to know.
Click-B was pretty good at the 302. Maybe, his best efforts should be centered there rather than a political career, where his accomplishments as a politician were minimal.
“Make a move or go home.”
Or just: Make the move to home. 🏠
Mary needs to return to her fishing career