Politics

Young returns to the U.S. House

Alaskans voted Tuesday to send Congressman Don Young back to Washington, D.C., for his 23rd term as the state's sole representative in the U.S. House.

With 98 percent of precincts reporting early Wednesday, Young held 50 percent of the vote. Democrat Steve Lindbeck trailed by 14 points, with about 36 percent of the vote. Libertarian Jim McDermott had 10 percent of the vote in early returns, and independent Bernie Souphanavong drew nearly 3 percent.

The congressman's 2016 campaign was a quiet one. Young traveled the state, shaking hands and talking to constituents, but managed to avoid the kind of controversies, born of a loose tongue, that have dogged him for decades.

The year of good behavior was notable during a campaign where his party's presidential nominee — Republican Donald Trump — drew constant media attention for his comments.

That left Democratic challenger Steve Lindbeck with little ammunition, as he sought to relitigate crass statements Young made during the 2014 campaign and to try and pin Young down for accepting campaign funds from a shipbuilder headquartered in Louisiana while declining to interfere in the company's potential labor dispute. Young argued that would be unethical.

"I feel really good because we ran a very positive campaign," Young said by phone on Tuesday night.

With Republican majorities in the House, Senate with Republican Donald Trump headed to the White House, Congress will have a lot of work ahead, he said.

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Young, who has been less than enthusiastic about Trump, stopping short of endorsing the candidate, said he wasn't entirely surprised by Trump's win Tuesday. Some states that voted for Obama and changed parties this year were unexpected, he said. It shows that "the American people are tired of big government," Young said.

The congressman said he's a fan of Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who he said he expects to be the "ballast of the ship."

After getting a new Cabinet approved by Congress, the next step will be new energy legislation and efforts to slow and repeal government regulations, Young said. People are "fed up" with endless government paperwork, he said.

There will be plenty of pressure on Congress to deliver, Young said. "We will have no excuses. If we can't put together a package that makes this country great again, shame on us," Young said.

Young, 83, will return to Capitol Hill as the most senior Republican member of the House. His 43 years there fall short of just one other House member: Michigan Democrat John Conyers, 87, who first came to Congress in 1965. Conyers was expected to win re-election this year.

Young hails from the Interior city of Fort Yukon, and was born in California. He moved to Alaska in 1959 to teach, and became mayor of Fort Yukon in 1964. He served in the state House and Senate before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

His beloved first wife Lu, with whom he has two daughters, died in 2009. Young married Anne Garland Walton on June 9, 2015 — his 82nd birthday — in the chapel at the U.S. Capitol.

Young raised more than $1 million this year.

Lindbeck raised more than $875,000, according to the Federal Election Commission. But early polls showed he struggled to gain name recognition as he ran advertisements that largely focused on Young.

"It didn't come out the way we wanted," Lindbeck said on his way out of the Democrat's party in downtown Anchorage Tuesday night.

"We ran a good race. We got ourselves in position and we had a chance, and you know, sometimes the voters don't agree with you."

Lindbeck said he doesn't know what's in his future — it's too son to say, but plans to stay engaged. "I've been involved in Alaska public life for 35 years already, and I'll stay involved," he said. "Alaska's what I love."

Tegan Hanlon contributed to this story. 

Erica Martinson

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

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