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Don Young has been Alaska's lone member of the U.S. House since 1973, serving 18 terms. He was previously a member of the state Legislature and the mayor of Fort Yukon. He's running against Sean Parnell and Gabrielle LeDoux in the Aug. 26 Republican primary. Below he discusses his opponents, helping constituents, earmarks and the Iraq war.
Q. Why should Alaskans re-elect you to a 19th term?A. I think they look at what I've been able to do and I ask Alaskans to ask themselves where I've let them down. This is the job of representing the whole state. It's not one part of the state, it's not one part of our society. It's the whole state. It's all the way from Barrow to Ketchikan, all the way from Attu to Eagle; you know, it's small villages like Eek. I think people in those regions know I've been able to do the job and I've done the job well and I will continue to do that.We believe -- and when I say we it's my wife and myself -- that not only have we done the job, we still have the fire to continue to do the job and we're going to have some very tough times ahead of us, especially if Obama gets elected. And what's going to happen to Alaska and where our future is going to be because they are totally against resource development, and this is really what our state is about yet.Q. Your opponent Sean Parnell says that you told him Gov. Sarah Palin is "like a crystal figure, I'm going to crush her." Is that true?A. He's a liar. He came back here because that was when the governor was having little problems with our senior senator. He asked me why we weren't getting along with the governor. And I said, I have no problem with the governor and no one can show me where I've ever had a problem with the governor. But I said, be careful of polls, it is a reality that crystal is the finest glass in the world but when it shatters it's the worst of all. I never threatened the governor.I call him a direct liar. And he's doing that because he's tied with the governor.He's done nothing if you check his legislative record. He's a zero. A zero. It's amazing to me. I've never seen a candidate try to hook on and live off of someone else like he's doing. ... It's a classic example of how someone can, with no merit or any depth, try to convey an idea I somehow threatened the governor.Q. Do you have a problem with the governor?A. Well, right now I do. Because she's supporting my opponent. And it hurts me in a way because I helped her get elected. And, in fact if you will ask her straight up front, I was very supportive when she was mayor, very supportive of her political career. She was 9 years old when I first got elected. Now she's out supporting my opponent, and why I do not know.Q. I was going to ask you next what you think of your opponents in the Republican primary, Parnell and Gabrielle LeDoux. You've made it pretty clear on Parnell, but what do you make of Gabrielle LeDoux?A. I respect them both. I think Gabrielle has an area she has an expertise in, fisheries and that type thing and I give her credit for that. I have nothing ill to say about her.I'm disappointed in Sean. Reality is, I ask the question, of Alaskans, what has he done, and a zero comes up. Every time. I don't care how many times you push that computer. A zero comes up. And that bothers me. Because this job is more important to the state.Q. What do you think of the (anti-tax and spending group) Club for Growth's backing of Sean Parnell?A. I'm a little bit shocked that my opponent would come all the way back to Washington, D.C., to talk to the Club for Growth, who has never supported anything in Alaska at all. ... They said that I voted for the Farm Bill; well, yes I did, because it's good for the state of Alaska, it's good for rural Alaska, it's good for the poor of Alaska. And it's the right thing to do They are anti-WRDA (the Water Resources Development Act), the renewal of the Corps of Engineers projects that handle all the ports in the areas of the state of Alaska, and all the dredging operations and everything else ... very frankly if he has that kind of support I hope Alaskans recognize he's not the person for Alaska.Q. What's your position on the federal gas tax?A. A tax itself should go up 5 cents and that's what I've said all along when I was the chairman of the Transportation Committee. And if you want to build roads, if you want to have transportation, if you want to save fuel, we've got to address it. Q. What are you most proud of accomplishing in your time in Congress?A. That's an issue that everybody asks about. I think the proudest thing is serving my people and answering over 30,000 letters and phone calls a year and working for individual constituents. Now you can go down the line of the big legislation, the pipeline ... started in the House 35 years ago, became law within six months after I got elected.Q. What should voters think of the fact the federal Department of Justice is investigating you?A. I have no comment on that, as you know, I'm under direction not to do so. I've been very upfront about that with the Justice Department, with the legal team I've hired.Q. Why have you spent over $1 million of your campaign funds on legal fees?A. I just said, no comment.Q. Sean Parnell is calling for a one-year moratorium on earmarks. What do you think of that?A. I hope he continues that. It may be very attractive to those who don't understand the process. But there's never been an earmark for Alaska that has not been asked for by a city, a person, a community activist group. They've all been requested. It has not come from me. ... I hope that, Mr. Whoever He Is keeps saying that, I can guarantee that if he was by accident to win this primary you can just about be assured he won't be (re-elected) and back in Washington, D.C. Q. What should be done about the war in Iraq?A. I've been very clear about the war. We did the right thing. We just didn't understand the history of Iraq, that was probably our biggest mistake. And we have three different factions. It will probably never be settled, we'll probably have to have a police force over there.And I listened very closely to Obama and Clinton when she was running, they're going to withdraw the troops -- that's nonsense. It won't happen. I'll buy you the most beer you can drink if that happens. They are going to have a police force over there because you can't afford to have a genocide and have a threat to Israel.