A special primary election to fill the seat left vacant by former U.S. Representative Don Young will take place on June 11. Ballots have already been sent out in the mail to Alaskans with a list of 48 candidates running for the position. Thanks in part to APRN, ADN and the Alaska Beacon, here are the remaining candidates KNOM has not yet covered:
Ernest Thomas is a Democrat from Anchorage. He owns and operates Exclusively Alaskan Good, a specialty grocery store in Anchorage. Thomas says he is running to help reform Alaska’s justice system through federal oversight.
Anne McCabe is a nonpartisan candidate from Soldotna. She is a former educator and told KDLL that she is running because of how divided the country has become. She wants to bring people together to solve problems.
Emil Notti is a registered Democrat from Anchorage. He served as the first president of the Alaska Federation of Natives and played a pivotal role in the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, or ANCSA. Notti only intends to finish out Young’s term and won’t run for reelection in November. He wants to increase the urgency of the discussion around climate change, and combat the power of political action committees.
The following candidates did not respond to interview requests from KNOM, APRN, or ADN:
Dennis “Denny” Aguayo is a nonpartisan candidate from Nikiski.
Brian Beal is a candidate from Fairbanks. He hasn’t declared any political affiliation. He encourages all Alaskans to vote in the special primary election.
John Callahan is a registered Republican from Anchorage.
Lady Donna Duchess is a nonpartisan candidate from Anchorage. If elected, she will focus her efforts on the areas of homelessness, trafficking, veterans’ affairs and clean energy, according to her campaign website.
David Hughes is an independent candidate from North Pole. He is a senior program manager at Scientific Research Corporation.
Maxwell Sumner is a registered Republican from Wasilla.
Richard “Clayton” Trotter is a registered Republican from Eagle River. He is an Associate Professor of Business Administration at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Bradley Welter is a registered Republican from Anchorage.
All ballots must be postmarked by election day, June 11, to be considered valid. Voters in Western Alaska who haven’t already mailed in their ballots may wish to instead drop their ballots off at the nearest early voting site before election day, or at their regional voting office on election day itself.
Image at top: The U.S. and State of Alaska flags.
