Colver isn't just a RINO, he's a Democrat

I am writing about an extraordinary event.

On June 11, the Alaska Republican Party voted unanimously to endorse Republican candidate George Rauscher for State House District 9. This was a vote by more than 70 volunteers representing their local areas from the Brooks Range to Ketchikan. Not one person spoke up for the incumbent, Jim Colver.

This endorsement for George Rauscher came after local grass-roots Republicans in House District 9 endorsed him, followed by endorsements from local Republicans in Districts 7, 10, 11 and 12.

As a volunteer helping the Alaska Republican Party on and off since 1983, I've never seen such unanimous grass-roots support against any incumbent. From the most liberal Republican to the most conservative, everyone voted to support George Rauscher over Jim Colver.

Republicans are rarely uniform. We are the party of scrappy individuals, take pride in thinking for ourselves and no special interest tells us what to do, say or think. We are a big team with lots of opinions. So what is behind the unanimous support for Rauscher and the unanimous opposition to Colver?

One reason brings us together.

Despite his campaign rhetoric, Jim Colver is not a Republican. He remains what he was for most of his life, a Democrat. Our unanimous opinion is that he is running a con.

You all got a glimpse of the con he plays with his silly campaign mailing claiming he was going to save "social security." That reveals some of Colver's contempt for voters. Social Security is a federal program and as a state representative he has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with it. But he uses that scare tactic as a con artist would selling oceanfront property in Arizona.

Our view is that Colver is not conservative, he is not a Republican. Here are some of the reasons:

He earned a D rating from the 2016 Alaska Business Report Card.

He personally donated $1,000 to Democrat Mark Begich in 2008 and 2009.

The greatest share of his campaign money comes from the traditionally Democrat big labor PAC.

He voted with the Democrat minority in the House on high-profile bills.

The chairman of the Accountability Project predicted, "(Colver is) very susceptible to flipping over to a Democrat-led coalition in the House."

We believe it.

The Alaska Republican Party does not oppose any other Republican incumbent in the state.

We know voters want to decide for themselves — and we believe in the primary process and trust voters to decide whom to vote for in the primary.

But when you are being played by a Democrat, we think you ought to be told the truth behind the facade.

What makes him unique is that we believe Colver is running a con. He is at heart a Democrat, and has used the voters, his colleagues and his new party registration as a ruse to advance the Democrat agenda.

That is why volunteers of the Alaska Republican Party stand united behind George Rauscher, a rock-solid choice to honestly represent you in Juneau. There is no official Democrat in the race — they did not need one; they already have Jim Colver.

Please vote. We believe the next House District 9 state representative will be chosen in the Republican primary election Tuesday, Aug. 16.

Tuckerman Babcock is chairman of the Alaska Republican Party.

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