The rise of the ‘stealth Democrat’: Party promotes no-party candidates in districts where its label is a liability

By SUZANNE DOWNING

Aug. 4, 2026 – The Alaska Democratic Party increasingly appears to have only one firm requirement for the candidates it supports: They must not be Republicans.

In a series of campaign promotions released ahead of Alaska’s Aug. 18 primary election, the party is presenting a mix of registered Democrats and candidates who officially identify as nonpartisan. The common thread is not their voter registration, but the political coalition they would support in Juneau.

Among the non-Democrats being promoted by the Alaska Democratic Party are Grant EchoHawk in House District 1, Rebecca Himschoot in House District 2, Calvin Schrage in House District 12 and Alyse Galvin in House District 14.

The Alaska Division of Elections lists EchoHawk, Himschoot, Schrage and Galvin as no-party candidates.

Yet the Alaska Democratic Party is introducing them to voters in the same campaign series it uses to promote registered Democrats such as Rep. Zack Fields, Sen. Löki Tobin and Rep. Genevieve Mina — three of the Legislature’s most reliably left-wing members.

“Ketchikan, Metlakatla, & Wrangell, meet your candidate running for State House: GRANT ECHOHAWK!” the party announced in one social media post.

Similar posts describe Himschoot, Schrage and Galvin as “your candidate,” even though none is running with “Democrat” beside his or her name.

The party even uses a photo of Republican Rep. Kevin McCabe in its ad for Calvin Schrage.

The distinction is becoming largely cosmetic. Here are the same types of ads the party runs for actual Democrats:

Democratic Party officials understand that the Democratic label is politically toxic in many Alaska legislative districts. A candidate openly running as a Democrat may begin a campaign at a disadvantage, particularly in Southeast Alaska, suburban Anchorage and other districts where voters lean conservative or independent.

The workaround is simple: Register as nonpartisan or undeclared, avoid the Democratic label on campaign signs and prominent advertising, and still receive promotion and support from the Democratic Party and its political allies.

It is political camouflage for candidates whose path to office depends on voters not viewing them as conventional Democrats.

The party does not explain why a Democratic organization is effectively claiming candidates who have chosen not to identify themselves as Democrats.

Himschoot, Galvin, and Schrage already serve as members of the Alaska House’s Democrat-led coalition. Galvin previously ran for Congress with the support of national Democrats. Their official registration may be nonpartisan, but their value to Democratic organizers is clear: They help Democrats and their allies assemble governing majorities without requiring every member to carry the party label.

The phenomenon has grown under Alaska’s jungle top-four primary system, which places candidates from every political affiliation on the same primary ballot. The structure makes it easier for parties and interest groups to build coalitions around candidates who adopt more convenient labels.

A candidate may appear on the ballot as nonpartisan, describe himself or herself as independent and avoid the word “Democrat” in major campaign messaging. Behind the scenes, and increasingly in plain sight, the Alaska Democratic Party is embracing these stealth Democrats.