KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Dave Donaldson/APRN and Jay Barrett/KMXT
The deadline passed Tuesday night for filing to run in this year’s Primary and General Elections, with a dozen people – from four different political parties – entering the race for governor. Nine people are running for Lieutenant Governor, six for the U-S Senate and four for the U-S House of Representatives.
But state legislative races are not so heavily contested. Of the 40 House and 10 Senate seats open, 16 races are uncontested.
Senate President Gary Stevens, a Kodiak Republican, faces no opposition to his return to the capitol. He says the unusually low number of candidates could indicate that the public is reasonably happy with the direction the legislature is headed – and, he says, people are ready to pay less attention to politics.
Kodiak’s House Representative Alan Austerman does not have a primary challenger, but will face Democrat Andy Schroeder in the November General Election.
Stevens also points to economic uncertainty as a factor in the candidate turn-out. He says people are concerned about the high costs of campaigning and the amount of money that the races at the top of the ballot will take away from what’s available to the legislative races. He says at candidate fundraisers this year he’s seen fewer people in attendance than expected.
— (Races 2 18 sec …the whole thing.")
The Primary Election is on August 24th.
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