Last-minute candidates fill out August primary ballot

June 02, 2010

Scott McAdams says alternative energy will be his main campaign issue. (KTUU-DT)

by Rhonda McBride
Tuesday, June 1, 2010

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Those candidates who want to appear in the August primary ballot had to have filed by 5:00 Tuesday night. In keeping with tradition, the state Division of Elections was flooded with last-minute filings.

Gov. Sean Parnell has no shortage of challengers. With Tuesday afternoon's filing of Republican Brad Snowden, there are now a dozen candidates running for the state's top job. In the running are seven Republicans, three Democrats, one Libertarian and one Alaskan Independence Party member.

There were two last-minute filers in the race for the U.S. Senate: Democrats Jacob Seth Kern and Scott McAdams, the mayor of Sitka.

McAdams filed early Tuesday morning at the Anchorage Elections Division and says alternative energy will be his main campaign issue.

"It's time that in Washington D.C., we craft policy that ensures we are able to lessen our demand on resources globally and make Alaskan resources the green choice in the global marketplace," said McAdams.

As of Tuesday morning, it looked a lot like legislative incumbents were running unopposed, but what a difference a day makes. Eight more candidates picked up challengers.

Sen. Bill Wielechowski is no longer running unopposed. He'll face Republican Ron Slepecki in the general.

The suspense is over in Fairbanks for the District 9 seat: Rep. Scott Kawasaki is running for re-election, but he has no challenger until the general.

In House District 11, the race for the seat that Valdez Rep. John Harris is vacating has become a crowded field.

The Republican primary is now a three-way race, with two new filers: Peter Fellman and Don Haase.

The winner in that race will face the mayor of Valdez, Democrat Bert Cottle, in the general election.

Rep. Nancy Dahlstrom's seat in District 18 is also up for grabs with two last minute filers: Republican Dan Kendall and Democrat Martin Lindeke.

There are two other Republicans in that primary: Dan Saddler and Bill Cook.

The lieutenant governor's race also got more interesting with a total of nine candidates.

Two Democrats joined the fray late in the afternoon: Jack Powers of Anchorage and Lynette Hinz of Sitka.

Contact Rhonda McBride at rmcbride@KTUU.com.

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