US Senate race: Challenger Margaret Stock, independent

I am running for the U.S. Senate and I ask for your vote.  I have the background, experience and drive to get the job done for Alaska's citizens. At one point in life, I was a homeless teenager who had the good fortune to have caring adults guide me so I could turn my life around. I graduated from Harvard and earned a law degree. I have had two careers: as a private attorney and as an U.S. Army officer for 28 years, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. I am a nationally recognized expert on immigration, national security and constitutional law. I have drafted legislation, testified before Congress, and advised our top military leaders.

I understand how Washington, D. C., works — and why it isn't working today. I am running as an independent because partisan politics and powerful special interests have produced gridlock in our nation's capital. The resulting dysfunction and obstruction harms our state and country, damages our economy, and erodes confidence in democratic institutions. People don't trust Washington because Washington no longer works for them.

[Alaska's US Senate candidates don't agree on much]

Alaskans deserve better. Because money is at the heart of the problem in Washington, D.C., and because I want to work only for Alaskans, I am not accepting corporate PAC money, unlike Lisa Murkowski. I have a proven track record as a pragmatic problem-solver. As an independent, I will collaborate with anyone who has a good idea for our state. I will be relentless in getting things done for Alaska. My issues include:

Money in politics: I support full disclosure of dark money in politics and overturning Citizens United. Lisa Murkowski was the decisive vote in the 2010 defeat of the DISCLOSE Act, which would have shined light on election spending, and Murkowski ducked the vote on a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United.

Confronting climate change: I accept the overwhelming scientific consensus that humans significantly contribute to climate change, and support a carbon tax or a cap and trade system. Lisa Murkowski postulated that a volcano in Iceland is a major cause of global warming and opposed a resolution that humans significantly contribute to climate change.

Fixing the Affordable Care Act: Because Alaskans deserve affordable health care, I will work to fix the ACA by increasing cost transparency and allowing the sale of insurance coverage across state lines. I also support expanding Medicare coverage to allow more people to buy in. Lisa Murkowski  complains about the ACA and votes to repeal it without any replacement—which would reverse the expansion of Medicaid in Alaska and also leave many Alaskans without any insurance.

Having a functional U.S. Supreme Court: I support holding a hearing and voting on the ninth Supreme Court Justice – and the sooner the better, because a dysfunctional judiciary cedes power to the executive branch. Lisa Murkowski has flipflopped on the issue, first telling Alaskans she supported an up-or-down vote, but now supporting the longest empty seat in the court's history.

Supporting reproductive rights: I support a woman's right to choose. Lisa Murkowski told Alaskans she supports this right, but then voted both to allow employers to refuse to cover contraceptives and defund Planned Parenthood.

[Anchorage lawyer among 24 'genius' grant winners]

If we want to break the gridlock in Congress, we must elect senators who will put people above party; not cave into national party bosses and corporate special interests; and stand up for Alaskans. I am all work and no party. Please vote for me on Nov. 8.

Margaret Stock

Margaret Stock is an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate. She is a 30-year Alaska resident and retired Army Reserve officer who has taught constitutional and national security law and political science at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and UAA.  She is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School, the Harvard Law School and the U.S. Army War College. She is a board member of the Prince William Sound Science Center and a 2013 MacArthur Foundation Fellow.

The views expressed here are the writer's and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email to commentary@alaskadispatch.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@alaskadispatch.com.