The Nifty Fifty House Party - Part V: Alaska

Last time, New Hampshire was on the radar screen as I pondered the potential of its two congressional seats, which the GOP is trying to take back in a state that historically is its own. Now we go to another state, one that is big in size but small in power yet at the forefront of the Republicans' own problems...

ALASKA

The second-to-last state in the union, and one that gave proud Texans heartburn when it became a state in 1959, Alaska is the largest state in the union. It has more coastline than the entire remainder of the country, and its capital is inaccessible by means of motor vehicles (Hint: you have to practically go swimming to get to Juneau). The bulk of the state's population is centered in the middle of the state's southern tier around Anchorage, while the northern part of the state, the Alaskan Bush (home to America's northernmost city of Barrow) is home to hundreds of native villages.

There are many good things about Alaska, such as salmon fisheries, Iditarod, and its amazing scenery. And there are many bad things, such as volcanoes on the Aleutian Islands, the Good Friday Earthquake that devastated many villages in the state, and the Exxon Valdez spill.

Then there's the bizarre (and at times, quirky) nature of its politics. Granted, it is a heavily Republican state, but it also has a strong libertarian streak. A strong secession movement, the Alaskan Independence Party resides here, and over half of registered voters here are undeclared. All of Alaska's congressional officeholders are Republicans. One of them, Ted Stevens, is up for re-election and current prospects are not that bright with corruption allegations enveloping the longtime senator, given his longstanding support of pork projects (remember the Bridges to Nowhere?). His plan to restrict web access in public schools and libraries, a position consistent with the far-right extremist minority, has also generated news, though not as much as the Bridges.

Luckily, Stevens is in the Senate, so I will not go further on him in the Nifty Fifty. But there are issues abound with "Alaska's third Senator"...

NOTE: Filing has not closed yet, If any significant developments come up I will let you know.

At-Large (S-Factor 12.5 GOP) Alaska's Republican dominance is in jeopardy, despite Governor Sarah Palin's well-deserved, much-needed reforms of a bloated state government (not to mention her attractiveness, she was once a beauty queen) and very high approval ratings (almost to the 90s). Don Young, the state's only congressman since 1973, has increasingly become a liability due to some of his recent stances, particularly in regards to the earmark process that has now become a focal point of debate among House Republicans.

While not a far-right congressman (he often has crossed party lines mostly on labor issues), Young's recent missteps have become a laundry list of sorts, including around half a billion dollars invested in two bridges (one of which would have borne his name), blasting a fiscally conservative Republican, New Jersey's Scott Garrett, for attempting to remove a piece of pork (and then blaming him and his fellow fiscal conservatives for the party's loss of control, even blasting Garrett's home state in the process), has been linked to Jack Abramoff, rudely scoffed at John McCain's request that Young give up some of his earmarks to help Hurricane Katrina victims, earmarked an interchange in Florida that Young claimed was endorsed by Congressman Connie Mack (who along with other Republicans in Mack's district opposed it), and is now under criminal investigation for bribery allegations involving VECO, an Alaska corporation accused of bribing Alaska state legislators. Already, Young has racked up $250,000 in legal fees pertaining to the VECO matter, and has done nothing more than contribute many reasons why we have a do-nothing Congress, and why Republicans are faced with the possibility of losing truckloads of seats this year.

Young is seen as vulnerable, with polls showing Young trailing former State House Minority Leader Ethan Berkowitz. Young's 2006 challenger, Diane Benson is also running again, but I expect the latter to defer to Berkowitz. On the Republican side, State Representative Gabrielle LeDoux and Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell are challenging Young. Parnell, with the endorsement of Governor Palin and the National Review is considered the stronger of the two, and will look to take out Young, a possibility that is becoming increasingly likely with each passing day. Alaskans will take three routes: stick with experience (Young, a route that is least likely), replace him with a rookie in the minority (Parnell), or replace him with a majority party newbie (Berkowitz). The question is: which one? Prediction: Tossup.

Next stop: Virginia (Finally, a big state).