A wild U.S. House race takes shape in Alaska with a field of 51 candidates, including seasoned politicians and everyday Alaskans, and a new election system that could upend traditional campaign strategies:
“I don’t like getting dressed up,” Claus said. “So I’m thinking, well, if I went to Congress, maybe I should just wear the Santa suit.”The list of candidates who had already announced runs before Young’s death includes Republican businessman Nick Begich III, the grandson of Nick Begich Sr., who was elected to Alaska’s lone congressional seat in 1970 but disappeared during a 1972 flight from Anchorage to Juneau. Begich Sr. was replaced by Young in 1973.
John Callahan talks about filing to run for the U.S. House seat in the Alaska Division of Elections office Friday. “My greatest qualification is that I’m a fully functional adult,” he said. Former state Sen. John. Coghill, a Fairbanks Republican, speaks during a joint session of the Alaska Legislature on July 11, 2019, in Juneau.
“I believe we might be looking for the superlative: wildest. The most wild,” said Joelle Hall, president of the Alaska AFL-CIO and its former political director. Candidates who have entered the race with leftover cash from other campaigns, or who have their own money to spend, will have a leg up on those who need to raise money from donors, who could be reticent to participate in such a chaotic race, Begich said.
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