Politics

Congressional candidate Q&As: Name two problems facing Alaska and what you’ll do about them

The Anchorage Daily News invited the candidates for U.S. Senate and U.S. House, as well as those running for the Alaska Legislature in Southcentral Alaska, to give their views on key issues and to discuss their priorities if elected. Many of the questions came from readers.

We’ll be breaking out individual questions and answers with candidates for U.S. Senate and U.S. House. You can find all the Q&As for congressional and legislative candidates, as well as other election resources, here.

Q: Name two big problems or challenges currently facing Alaska and how you plan to address them if elected.

U.S. SENATE:

Al Gross, Nonpartisan, Democratic nominee: Two of the biggest challenges Alaska is facing are spiraling cost of healthcare and an economy that was in recession before COVID-19, and is facing freefall now. These two things are closely linked, and a big reason I decided to run for Senate. As healthcare costs increase, government budgets and schools get squeezed, while at the same time creating huge obstacles to diversifying our economy — new businesses won’t come to Alaska because healthcare is prohibitively expensive.

John Wayne Howe, Alaskan Independence Party: 1. The corona19 virus, We need to open the state up for business. 2. We have a major myopia on oil, while we need oil, and are due the full 90% denied Us by the Feds, making land available for ownership by individual Alaskans, will give us a whole new lease on productivity, thus curing our myopia.

Dan Sullivan, Republican: The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most significant crises our nation has ever faced, from both an economic and public health standpoint. The CARES Act and subsequent legislation provided billions in relief to Alaskan families, small businesses, schools, Native communities, fishermen, and healthcare workers. I will continue to fight for Alaskan priorities in future relief legislation to cure the virus and create more Alaskan jobs as our economy recovers.

Another significant challenge facing Alaska is the scourge of domestic violence and sexual assault which leaving permanent scars and limits our state’s potential. I’ve led the charge on these issues, passing laws to help survivors receive more legal services, protect workers from sexual harassment, and keep our children safe from sex trafficking. I will continue to be a strong advocate for our survivors and build on the progress we’ve made so far.

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U.S. HOUSE

Alyse Galvin, Nonpartisan, Democratic nominee: We need to get Alaskans back to work, and that means providing the means to knock down the COVID-19 pandemic to create more certainty in the economy. I’m running to make sure that Alaskans can take care of their own. Rebuilding our economy, shoring up our healthcare system, and supporting a strong education system are the signal goals. The federal government has failed to provide the resources needed to combat the pandemic, and that must change. We must bring about a post-pandemic economic renewal. To do so I will fight for investment in Alaskan infrastructure (roads, ports, bridges, and high speed broadband). It is still possible to roll up our sleeves and bring people from both sides of the aisle together to work for common goals. I will bring this commonsense approach to Washington.

Don Young, Republican: First, Alaska and our country must persevere through the COVID-19 pandemic. We need to be able to safely reopen our economy, get people back to work, and protect our most vulnerable. I have and will continue to support these efforts in Congress. This means helping small businesses, supporting research for treatments and a vaccine, providing for public health resources, procuring PPE, increasing telehealth access and much more. Second, Alaska needs to diversify its economic base. While oil and gas development are vital, we need strength in an array of sectors to carry us, particularly in tough times. Many communities rely heavily on a few industries, and we can’t let a bad fishing season or cruise ship cancellations irreparably damage a town. I’ll work to protect these critical sectors of the Alaskan economy and promote policies to empower Alaskans to branch out. This includes advancing bills to support projects like hydropower, that reduce power costs for families and businesses.

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