by Phil Swibinski

Notes from the Campaign Trail: June 12

Dear Alaskans –

We are excited to announce that I have finished in the top four of Alaska’s Special Primary Election and will advance to the state’s Special General Election in August to succeed Rep. Don Young in Congress. While votes are still being tallied and ballots will continue to arrive for the next ten days, it appears as though I will come in a strong third place in this historic 48 candidate election. Thank you to the State Division of Elections that is working hard to run an election that is fair.

Two Republican candidates, Sarah Palin and Nick Begich, came in the 1st and 2nd spots and it is clear that they are going to be very hard to beat (the 4th place spot is still not finalized at this time). As I have said before, neither of these candidates will serve Alaska well. Sarah quit on Alaska. Her interest in the race is ego-based and she will be working for Trump, the 2020 election deniers and his divisiveness. Nick was raised in Florida, sold cars in Detroit, and his knowledge of Alaska and respect for Alaskan values and our way of life is limited. Begich has already put out a statement about how this race is now down to a two-candidate race between he and Palin. How arrogant of him to dismiss the new ranked choice voting system before any votes are even cast for the final four candidates. This dismissive attitude towards Alaskan voters is a sign of how Nick would not serve all Alaskans if he is elected to our sole congressional seat.

Winning the race against Sarah or Nick is going to require a candidate who can present a strong vision for Alaska and who has values that Alaskans share. I believe that I am that candidate and as I have said before, I am ready and able to take on this fight. I’m ready to move to the next stage in this historic election, where we will be able to make a clear contrast between my vision for making Washington deliver more for Alaska, and my opponents who are controlled by partisan interests.

Thank you to all of my supporters in the primary and all Alaskan voters who participated in this unprecedented contest, as well as the other candidates who entered the race. This is not easy, and I respect everyone who stepped up to run. I also want to sincerely thank Monica and the rest of my family, our friends and our campaign team who have all worked so hard to reach this moment.

Next week will again be busy. On Monday I head back to Anchorage to begin meetings with various organizations to get their endorsements. I also look forward to reaching out to the other candidates in the Special Primary Election who did not make it into the Special General Election to start to build bridges and alliances. I want to work to heal divisions and move forward as a team.

Advancing in this campaign is an incredible honor and responsibility. Stay tuned and again thank you all for your support.

Sincere thanks and onward we go,

Al Gross

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