In a special U.S. House race, Alaska Democrats see opportunity
Alaska’s congressional delegation has not counted a Democrat among its members since 2015. With a special election on the horizon to fill Alaska’s lone U.S. House seat, Democrats and their allies in the state are wondering if now is their chance.
But in a field of 48 candidates, only six are registered Democrats, and some candidates with progressive views are running without a party affiliation and putting distance between themselves and the Democratic Party.
One of them is Al Gross, who in his 2020 U.S. Senate run received the Democratic Party endorsement and raised millions of dollars from donors hoping to flip the Senate from Republican to Democratic control. The independent candidate lost by a wide margin to GOP incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan. Gross, an orthopedic surgeon and commercial fisherman, is shunning any connection to the Democratic Party this time around.
In a crowded field, Gross benefits from name recognition bought with more than $19 million spent by his campaign in 2020. But he will be fielding challenges from both the left and right. On the left, he’ll battle Democrats with local and statewide experience like Chris Constant, Mary Sattler Peltola and Adam Wool, and one wildcard named Santa Claus.
Read more: https://www.adn.com/politics/2022/05/05/in-a-special-us-house-race-alaska-democrats-wonder-if-now-is-their-time/
(Anchorage Daily News)