Quiet Primary Campaign Season Expected

Jay Barrett/KMXT

Campaign season in Kodiak will be relatively quiet this summer, as our senator is running unopposed in both the primary and general election, and our representative will not face an opponent until November.

Alan Austerman, representative for House District 36, which includes the Kodiak Island Borough and mainland communities around Lake Iliamna, does not have a challenger in the August primary, but will face Democrat Andy Schroeder in the General Election. Schroeder is also running unopposed in the primary.

Unless a write-in candidate surfaces, Senator Gary Stevens has clear sailing back to the state capital.

— (Stevens 1 22 sec "Usually there’s a race … and what’s happening.")

After the U.S. Census is tabulated, the state will have to reapportion house and senate districts according to population shifts, which could mean Stevens’ normal four-year senate term might be cut in half:

— (Stevens 2 28 sec "I’m hoping this senate … change in the districts.")

Kodiak was once paired with Bristol Bay in a common senate district:

— (Stevens 3 25 sec "And that would always make … happened for a long time.")

Though no candidate from Kodiak is facing an opponent in the August 24^th Primary Election, it’s still important for voters to turn out at the polls. There is a statewide bond proposition on the ballot, which includes $20-million for a new Fish and Game headquarters and research facility for Kodiak.

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