Democratic candidate stands out in early fundraising for Alaska legislative elections

A university professor seeking to unseat Alaska’s Republican House minority leader has impressed observers with the biggest fundraising haul among all candidates in this fall’s legislative elections. Fifty-one legislative races are on the ballot this year.

Liz Snyder, running as a Democrat, reported raising $86,471.91 through Feb. 1. Her prospective opponent, Rep. Lance Pruitt, R-Anchorage, has not begun fundraising and said he is uncertain whether he will run for re-election.

“Holy crap — she’s actually the biggest story,” said Republican political consultant Art Hackney when asked about Snyder.

[View the full list of candidates registered so far and their fundraising totals.]

Each February, candidates and political groups are required to post a start-of-the-year report that outlines how much money they have on hand. With incumbent lawmakers barred from fundraising during the legislative session, those reports act as an early signal for the state’s fall elections.

“That’s giving you an indication of future potential to get a message out,” said Matt Larkin, president of Dittman Research, an Anchorage consulting firm.

Tom Anderson, who is advising several Republicans, said early donations also allow a candidate to connect with important people who in turn can influence others.

“When you’re a new candidate and seeking notoriety, visibility and maybe even credibility, the more donors and the higher stature the better,” he said.

Amber Lee, who is advising Snyder in her run for office, said Snyder “did amazing” in her early fundraising.

“I think people are pretty upset about some of the things her opponent did during the last legislative session,” Lee said of Pruitt’s support for the budget plan proposed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy.'

Pruitt said he “will hold off” on deciding whether or not to run for reelection.

When asked about Snyder’s fundraising in particular, he said, “Money has never been the determiner of success in my district."

He said he has defeated better-funded opponents in the past.

Big early fundraising totals dissuade challengers from entering a race and can discourage people from donating to an opponent, said Hackney and others. Campaign cash can also act as a “weapon” during an election campaign, said Jim Lottsfeldt, a consultant who typically works with progressive candidates.

“Money is speech. You have to have money to put out a message. If you don’t have money, there’s just no way to sit down and have coffee with every single person who’s going to vote for you,” Hackney said.

The number of donations matters as much as the total raised, Lee and Hackney said, because each contribution represents a possible volunteer or potential voter.

“It’s a reflection of people’s enthusiasm for you as a candidate,” Hackney said.

But the February reports aren’t everything. Alaskans have until June 1 to enter the fall primary, and the deadline is even later for independents seeking a slot in the November general election. In addition, because incumbents have lists of past contributors, it’s easier for them to raise money quickly, several consultants said.

“I think it’s noteworthy, but I think it’s also worth taking a bit of wait-and-see until June,” Larkin said.

Hackney said it seems as if early campaign tallies are down across the board.

“This whole Dunleavy recall effort has really sucked the money out of the room,” he said.

In his view, Alaska has a limited number of political donors, and if they’re being asked to contribute to efforts for and against the recall, that leaves less money for legislative races.

Larkin agreed, saying that this year’s oil-tax ballot measure, presidential race and US Senate contest may also be factors.

Lottsfeldt and Anderson disagreed. Contributions aren’t limited to state borders, Lottsfeldt said.

“If the stakes are high enough, there’s unlimited amounts of money to be spent in Alaska because we’re so cheap,” he said.

Highlights across the state

• In Senate District L, which covers Anchorage’s Taku/Campbell, Bayshore and Oceanview neighborhoods, Sen. Natasha von Imhof, R-Anchorage, has more cash on hand than any other candidate: $74,526.25. She has no opponents so far; one potential Republican challenger dropped out after he failed to meet residency requirements.

• In South Anchorage’s Senate District M, Sen. Josh Revak, R-Anchorage, has $48,984.87 in cash on hand. His Democratic challenger, former lieutenant governor candidate Debra Call, has not reported any fundraising. It had been thought that Democrats would target that district and House District 25, which makes up part of Senate District M, because voters in the House district picked Democrat Mark Begich over Dunleavy and Democrat-endorsed independent Alyse Galvin over Republican Don Young for U.S. House in 2018.

Instead, House District 25 incumbent Rep. Mel Gillis, R-Anchorage, has reported $45,138.67 in cash on hand. His Democratic challenger, paralegal Janice Park, has a campaign surplus of just $2,423.17 after expenses of more than $11,000.

• In west Fairbanks, incumbent Rep. Adam Wool, D-Fairbanks, has raised just $3,500 and said this week he does not know if he will run for re-election. Republican challenger Kevin McKinley has $10,932.34 in cash on hand.

• Incumbent Big Lake Republican Rep. Mark Neuman has been significantly out-raised by Republican challenger Kevin McCabe, but McCabe has spent significantly to set up his campaign, leaving him with a campaign account not much larger than Neuman.

• In addition to Pruitt, two other incumbent lawmakers have not yet filed for reelection: Rep. Dave Talerico, R-Healy and Rep. Ivy Spohnholz, D-Anchorage. No one has filed to run in Spohnholz’s district, while Talerico has a Democratic challenger. Rep. John Lincoln, I-Kotzebue, has confirmed he will not run for re-election. Rep. Tiffany Zulkosky, D-Bethel, has not filed a fundraising report but has a letter of intent to run for re-election.

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Correction: Alyse Galvin is an independent endorsed by the Alaska Democratic Party, not a Democratic candidate.