Politics

Five questions for Alaska's U.S. Senate candidates

Alaska Dispatch News has compiled information on and from Alaska's U.S. Senate candidates. Instead of a long, formal questionnaire, we asked the candidates to respond to five questions each, some of which were selected from reader submissions. The campaigns responded in writing, and their answers are presented here as submitted. For question No. 4, we allowed candidates to choose one of three policy-focused queries.

Election Day is Nov. 8. Early voting began Oct. 24. Check your voter registration status and find your polling place here.

Who's on the ballot:

Breck A. Craig – independent 
website: breckforalaska.us
Division of Elections filing statement
Age: 59
Time in Alaska: 3 years

Ted Gianoutsos – independent * 
website: www.tedandfran.com
Division of Elections filing statement
Twitter: @TedGianoutsos
Age: 74
Time in Alaska: 17 years

Ray Metcalfe – Democrat 
website: metcalfeforussenate.com
Division of Elections filing statement
Twitter: @Ray4AKsenate 
Age: 66
Time in Alaska: 47 years

Joe Miller – Libertarian
website: joeforliberty.com
Division of Elections filing statement
Twitter: @JoeWMiller
YouTube
Age: 49
Time in Alaska: 22 years

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Sen. Lisa Murkowski – Republican 
website: www.lisamurkowski.com
Division of Elections filing statement
Twitter: @LisaforSenate & @LisaMurkowski 
Facebook: SenLisaMurkowski & LisaForAlaska
YouTube
Congressional record
Age: 59
Time in Alaska: 59 years

Margaret Stock – independent 
website: www.margaretforalaska.com
Division of Elections filing statement
Twitter: @MargaretForAK 
Facebook: MargaretForAlaska
Instagram: MargaretForAlaska
You Tube
Age: 54
Time in Alaska: 30 years

* Gianoutsos did not respond to requests to participate in the Alaska Dispatch News candidate survey. 

The five questions

1.) Where do you get your news? (What outlets do you read, and how — online, in paper, on television? Do you personally use Twitter or Facebook? Have staff collect relevant articles? Have any favorite subscriptions? Caveat for readers: Candidates' lists are not meant to be exclusive. They provide insight into preferred methods and outlets.

Margaret Stock: I'm a voracious reader and I use several news applications on my iPhone to keep up with the news. As far as specific publications go, I read the Alaska Dispatch online and through my print subscriptions (one at the office, one at home). I have print and digital subscription to the Wall Street Journal, which I read regularly. I also read The Washington Post and New York Times online, and I have a print copy of The New York Times delivered on Sunday. I also regularly read The Atlantic, the New Yorker, Harper's, The Economist, National Review, Mother Jones, The Weekly Standard, The Week, The Quarterly Journal of Military History, and other publications. I have a personal Facebook page and enjoy TV news when I get a chance to catch it.

Joe Miller: I keep up with the news probably like most people do nowadays, online from a variety of news sources. Of course, my favorite source is Alaska's most popular political website: Restoring Liberty (JoeMiller.US), which I have been the publisher of since 2011. It is a top news site with contributors and writers from throughout the state and nation. I personally use Twitter and Facebook, though during the campaign, most of the posts on my personal accounts are made by campaign staff.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski: I start by reviewing the front page of the Alaska Dispatch News, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and Juneau Empire. Every day I read news articles from Alaska newspapers ranging from the Tundra Drums to the Wrangell Sentinel. I also read online news articles from many publications representing a diversity of news from the Wall Street Journal to The New York Times, NPR, Fox News and CNN. I am also a Facebook, Instagram, and more recently Snapchat follower. But the best information I receive to inform my decisions and actions in D.C. comes directly from Alaskans. Whether it's talking about the price of electricity in Napakiak or latest numbers on salmon runs in Petersburg, my best news source is Alaskans themselves.

Ray Metcalfe: I receive the Alaska Dispatch online, and I pay for access to the Juneau Empire online. I record and watch ABC, NBC and CBS local and national news. In the mornings I listen to public radio's local, national and BBC broadcasts.

Breck Craig: I read ADN daily and The New York Times Sunday Edition newspaper editions. I also pull online news down from the Christian Science Monitor (excellent source of international news) and the Associated Press. Morning local TV news and weather. Rarely will I watch a news "entertainment" show.

2.) What question, concern or complaint have you heard most often from voters while on the campaign trail?

Margaret Stock: By far and away, the biggest concern has been the high cost of health care and health insurance in Alaska. Folks tell me they are frustrated with the gridlock in Congress, which has prevented fixing the Affordable Care Act. They are also disappointed that Republicans seem to be rooting for its failure without proposing any viable alternative.

Joe Miller: Most Alaskans that I've spoken with — especially those who live in the Bush — are outraged over the fact that the state government took 50 percent of their PFDs before really addressing the state's budgetary crisis. I initiated the "Save-the-PFD" recall petition application this summer, months before I entered the U.S. Senate race, because I felt it was unfair for ordinary Alaskans to suffer due to Juneau's irresponsible leadership. I have received numerous emails from people who now are struggling to pay for their heating bills, cannot pay for necessary medical treatment, have no money for their children's clothes, and are unable to pay for other needs. The PFD grab was the most regressive tax in Alaskan history — perhaps in U.S. history — hitting those least able to afford it the hardest. Alaskans are upset that Lisa Murkowski, as a state legislator, voted three times to raid the PFD to fund state programs, despite the fact that 83 percent of us opposed it. Earlier this year, she injected herself into the debate, stating that cutting the PFD should be on the table. Alaskans around the state are very concerned with a governing philosophy that reflects more concern for the special interests, bureaucracy and cronies, than the people.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski: I hear a great deal of collective uncertainty from Alaskans about the future economic opportunity and jobs our state will have to offer the next generation. As a mom with two sons who have graduated college and are entering the workforce – one in law school and one taking over my family's small business – I make it my personal mission every day to fight for greater opportunities for future generations of Alaskans. When I advocate for natural resource development, it is for the young Alaskan headed to trade school for welding or the student studying engineering at the UAF. When I advocate for more affordable and quality health care in our rural communities, it is for the young Alaska nursing student at UAA. When I fight back against overly burdensome EPA regulations impacting our commercial fishermen, it is for the young Kodiak fishermen looking to take on the family trade. I will continue to fight to grow the core of our economy – natural resource development – while also growing opportunities in new industries like renewables, the emerging Arctic and tourism.

Ray Metcalfe: Many Alaskans recognize me as Alaska's anti-corruption candidate. Consequently, I get a lot of questions from people who remember my exposures of corrupt legislators who were caught taking bribes from oil service company Veco Corp. in exchange for their vote to let the big three oil companies take Alaska's oil for a fraction of its real value. People want to know if anything changed after the dust settled and what, if anything, can be done about corruption in Alaska. I remind them that I had taken the same evidence to state prosecutors who refused to act. My anti-corruption efforts didn't get traction until I placed the same evidence in front of the FBI. Had it not been for the FBI and federal prosecutors, no prosecutions would have occurred.

Breck Craig: Nobody really cares about the middle class and what they are going through; how hard it is for families to make ends meet anymore, especially in Alaska.

3.) Ten years from now, which two industries will most drive Alaska's economy? What would you do as a member of Congress to foster that?

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Margaret Stock: Ten years from now, the oil and gas industry will still be a major part of our economy, and we will be relying on the industry well into the future. We must continue to develop responsibly areas such as NPR-A. At the same time, we can and should support the growth of alternative energy sources. In contrast to Sen. Murkowski, I will not support energy projects like the Keystone XL pipeline that facilitate development of heavy Canadian tar-sands oil with a huge carbon footprint that will also compete with cleaner Alaska oil.
Ten years from now, Alaska's fishing industry will still be one of the largest employers in the state. Alaska has led the world in developing and maintaining sustainable wild fisheries. As fishing pressures continues to increase around the globe, demand for Alaska's premium, wild-caught sustainable fish products will continue to grow. We must continue to provide the resources needed for successful scientific management of our fisheries and protect these sustainable resources from any large-scale development projects that threaten their surrounding environment.

Joe Miller: The top two industries that will drive Alaska's economy in 10 years will likely remain oil and natural gas, followed by those drawn to the natural beauty of our state through tourism. To spur further oil and gas development, I will fight to pass — and convince President Trump to sign — the American Energy Renaissance Act, which is legislation that will open federal lands throughout our state to oil and gas exploration and extraction. It would also streamline permitting, and lower the regulatory costs associated with harvesting our natural resources. Further, right now two-thirds of our land is controlled by the federal government, which has hamstrung Alaska's ability to reach its potential. I will work with fellow senators from the Western states to see federal lands turned over to the states and the people, as the founders intended and Alaska's Statehood Act demanded. If we are able to get the federal government off our backs, and open up more of our resource base to development, we have the capacity to make Alaska unlike anything it's ever been. It can create an economic renaissance not only for our state, but spur the nation's economy too.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski: Alaska's economy, while built on oil, has gone beyond oil in many ways. The growth of our Alaska Native corporations and service sector mean more of the work related to resource development — from engineering to logistics — is being done here in Alaska instead of Outside corporate headquarters. I strongly believe oil and gas will remain a key driver of our economy and that we must continue to supply Alaska's oil and gas to the U.S. and the world. However, with my bipartisan energy bill I am also continuing to find ways to grow our investment in renewables and other energy sources for Alaskans. I see an Alaska economy that continues to grow our basic industries like fisheries, mining, tourism and research but with more of the work being done in Alaska.

Ray Metcalfe: While tourism will continue to flourish, Alaska is a resource state. Renewable and nonrenewable resources, fish, timber, mining for hard rock minerals, oil and gas, will continue to be the main driver of Alaska's economy for many years. These resources are commonly owned and as we harvest them, or allow others to harvest them for us, we need to remember who the resources belong to and remember that, from statehood on, it was the expectation that the sale of those resources would be the source of funding for public services. We need to be vigilant that there is a world market that should set the price for taking our resources, and we need to make sure our elected officials demand what our resources are worth.

Breck Craig: 10 years from now government spending (new military bases, ports, personnel) and high tech will drive the state's economy, with commercial fishing and oil a close third and fourth. As Alaska's U.S. senator, I will do everything in my power to drive down the cost of living and energy for Alaskans and secure infrastructure funding to push new roads, rail, power stations, communications cables and ports to Alaska's Interior and western shores.

4.) Choose ONLY ONE of the following questions to answer:

a) What can Congress do to help with the high cost of health care in Alaska?

Joe Miller: Many Alaskans have experienced the devastating effects of "Obamacare": Loss of their insurance plans and doctors, as well as skyrocketing premiums. We have seen multiple insurers (United Healthcare, Humana and Moda) leave the Alaska insurance exchange because it is simply financially unsustainable. Alaskans, purchasing through the exchange, are now left with one insurer, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and much more expensive insurance plans. To reverse this, I will fight to repeal "Obamacare," with all its mandates and penalties, and institute free market reforms that put Alaskans in charge of their own health care. This will result in better health care, at lower costs. If we continue on the failed "Obamacare path," Alaska will lose more providers. Unless we repeal it, the "Obamacare" system will crash — as some believe it's designed to do — bringing us a failed single-payer system with unprecedented levels of government control and even bigger problems with provision of live-saving care.

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Ray Metcalfe: I am 100 percent in agreement with Bernie Sanders' stated position "Health care must be recognized as a right, not a privilege. Every man, woman and child in our country should be able to access the health care they need regardless of their income. The only long-term solution to America's health care crisis is a single-payer national health care program."

Breck Craig: I will drive adoptions of an affordable health care system modeled after the world's best health care systems. Other countries have figured this out. Americans deserve affordable, high quality health, mental and dental care. Universal or single-payer health care (whatever you want to call it) should follow every American, irregardless of where he or she works. Businesses should not be responsible for providing it.

b) What is your position on anthropogenic climate change? What measures would you take to respond to it, if anything?

Margaret Stock: In contrast to Sen. Murkowski, I accept the overwhelming scientific consensus that human activity is a significant and indeed, a major cause of global warming. I will vigorously advocate for federal mitigation funds, including a waiver of federal matching fund requirements for projects necessitated by climate change. However, the federal government will simply not have enough money to fully mitigate the huge costs of climate change in Alaska and elsewhere if the pace of change is not substantially reduced. I support efforts to reduce the pace of climate change, including the Paris Agreement, an accord that was supported by 195 nations. I also oppose Republican Party platform provisions calling for abolishing the Environmental Protection Agency and ending subsidies for clean energy development.

c) What more, if anything, should Congress do to combat the opioid epidemic in America, and Alaska particularly?

Sen. Lisa Murkowski: I was proud to support and help advance the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, a bipartisan effort that helps address the growing opioid and heroin epidemic that has plagued our nation and has hit Alaska especially hard. CARA provides improved access to prevention, treatment, education and community support services for individuals and families impacted by substance abuse. It also provides additional support for our veterans as well as student athletes, who can be especially vulnerable to opioid addiction. It will place an emphasis on alternative pain management practices and on shifting away from opioid prescriptions. I am working to increase patient access to medically assisted therapies and I believe we must do more to provide for more treatment programs and facilities. I support and helped advance the Mental Health Reform Act that includes improved treatment of substance abuse disorders, but will also improve care for adolescents and children to help reduce mental health issues and ultimately substance abuse in the long run. While we work on the treatment side of opioid addiction, it is imperative we emphasize education prevention in our schools and communities and warning about the danger of opioids. We must be aggressive in preventing heroin, meth and other drugs from coming into our communities. That is why I am working with the U.S. Postal Service, asking with federal and state law enforcement to address this. Our air carriers also need to be part of the solution as we attempt to choke off the supply that flows into our off-road communities. Substance abuse and addiction is a problem across Alaska and we all need to be part of the solution.

5.) Name one way you would use the office you're seeking to improve Alaskans' lives that doesn't require legislation.

Margaret Stock: I have been an attorney for more than 20 years and my life has been dedicated to providing services to my clients, who include many individuals who are not part of the wealthy, elite classes in the United States. I intend to represent everyday Alaskans in Congress, not big corporations and wealthy elites. That is why I am not accepting corporate PAC money. I am also opposed to Citizens United and will seek to overturn it through advocacy and by example. Over time, that focus will improve the lives of all Alaskans.

Joe Miller: I will hold the executive branch within its constitutional limits by standing against rule by executive decree on issues such as gun control, amnesty and use of our land. Additionally, I believe one of the best things that I would be able to do, as a federal officeholder, is promote Alaska to business leaders both around the United States and around the world for the purpose of bringing jobs to the Last Frontier. Alaska has much to offer and boundless potential.
As Alaska approaches its 60th year as a state, we can continue on an upward path, if we exercise foresight and have the courage to change.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski: The most important job I have as a senator is to be an advocate for Alaskans utilizing federal services. On any given day my staff and I are working on hundreds of individual cases to help Alaskans navigate the federal bureaucracy and get the fair treatment that they deserve. Whether it's helping a veteran receive the care he or she has rightfully earned, making sure federal agencies are respecting the rights of Alaska property owners, or working with the State Department to ensure safe return when Alaskans traveling overseas run into trouble, I work every day with my team to make sure our government is working for Alaskans.

Ray Metcalfe: Two-fold: Any good senator assists constituents as they navigate the complexities, and sometimes injustices, of bureaucracy. But there is one thing I would do that no Alaska senator has ever done. The state of Alaska has never prosecuted public corruption. If the feds don't step in, it goes unchecked. Unfortunately, the feds have only stepped in twice since statehood. As proven in 2006 with the jailing of 10 legislators and lobbyists, that lack of enforcement has enabled corporations and foreigners to compromise public officials and relieve Alaskans of their resources for a fraction of their real value. For that brief six-year period following the 2006 FBI raid of six legislative offices, the state started getting a much fairer share of the profits generated from its resources. It took six years for the oil companies to regain control of Alaska's Legislature, and now we are going broke again. During the six years in between, we saved up $16 billion. It is the savings we are spending down today. Alaska has produced about 18 billion barrels of oil. Had Alaska's Legislature spent what they have spent while demanding a share of profits similar to what other countries get, and had they deposited the additional funds in the Permanent Fund, the fund would be about $250 billion by now, and your dividend under the existing formula would be about $10,000. Alaska would be in the same position today as many other oil producing countries are in. We could fund government for perpetuity just from the interest earnings. I would use my Senate office to pressure the FBI and federal prosecutors to be more vigilant in making sure the kind of corruption that enabled this fleecing of Alaska is permanently brought to an end.

Breck Craig: Encourage Alaskans to step-up and speak-out when they see abuse or neglect. Half the battle to preventing all the suicides, domestic violence, and rapes is speaking out. You see something bad happening, get trained on how to safely intervene or call for help. It is not OK to stay quiet anymore. "Snitches get Stiches" is the abuser's mantra, don't believe it. Sue and I are getting "green-dotted" as soon as the elections are over. Green Dot Alaska is a project aimed at engaging individual community members in preventing power-based violence in our communities.

 

Erica Martinson

Erica Martinson is a former reporter for the Anchorage Daily News based in Washington, D.C.

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