Aug. 20 primary election will test strength of candidates. Real decision comes in November

Voters go to the polls Tuesday, Aug. 20, for Alaska’s primary state election. Although it’s kind of a dress rehearsal for the November general election, because under Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system virtually all candidates automatically proceed to the November ballot.

But Aug. 20 is still important because it will show the relative strength of candidates for state House and Senate races as well as for contenders in the one statewide race on the ballot, the seat in the U.S. House of Representatives now held by Mary Peltola.

The vote totals are important to candidates in mustering support for November and in raising money.

Several legislative races in Mat-Su election districts are uncontested. Cathy Tilton, a Republican who is now Speaker of the House, has no opponent in her race for reelection in Wasilla’s House District 26. Likewise Rep. DeLena Johnson, also Republican, has no challenger in her reelection in House District 25 in Palmer.

Rep. George Rauscher, Republican from Sutton, is now unopposed in his re-election since his opponent, Bruce Webb of Valdez, is now out of the race. Rauscher’s House District 29 reaches from the Mat-Su to Glennallen and Valdez.

Two of Mat-Su’s three state senators, Shelley Hughes and Mike Shower, are not up for reelection because only half of the 20-member Senate is up every other year.

The one contested Senate race is that for the seat held by David Wilson in Senate District N. Borough Assemblyman Rob Yundt is running for the seat, opposing Wilson. Both are Republican.

Wilson has been in the Senate for a number of years and has chaired the Senate Health and Social Services Committee, which deals mainly with health care. Yundt is a contractor who has been on the borough assembly for some time.

Wilson has strong support in the health care community while Yundt will tap supporters in Mat-Su’s influential conservatives. Yundt also brings considerable financial resources in his bid.

However, Yundt has rankled many in the health care community with his recent criticism of the Mat-Su Health Foundation and of the cost of health services provided by the Mat-Su Regional hospital, which is partly owned by the health foundation.

On the other hand, some of his criticism is shared by others in the community. The Aug. 20 vote will be an important test of strength by Yundt and Wilson, although the final test will come in November.

In other races, one contest that will be watched closely is Wasilla’s House District 28, where incumbent Rep. Jesse Sumner, Republican, is facing three opponents, Steve Menard, Elexi Moore and Jessica Wright.

Sumner is expected to draw more votes than his opponents.

He accomplished a lot in his first term in the state House including sponsoring an important bill that could help rein in prescription drug costs. His bill brings Pharmacy Benefit Managers, which act as middlemen in pharmaceutical purchases, under tighter state regulation.

Another state House race that will get attention is incumbent Rep. David Eastman’s reelection bid in Wasilla’s House District 27. Eastman is a strong conservative known for his independent streak in the state House.

He has a loyal following among conservatives in his district but faces Jubilee Underwood, the president of Mat-Su’s school board, in the fall elections. Underwood is also a strong conservative who may appeal to some of Eastman’s supporters.

One other race to watch is Republican incumbent Rep. Kevin McCabe’s race in House District 30, which includes Big Lake and northern parts of the Mat-Su region. McCabe is part of the House leadership in the current Legislature and chairs the House Transportation Committee.

He faces Doyle Holmes, also Republican, in his reelection bid.

Despite the uncertainty on a few key races, such as that for Sen. David Wilson’s district, the overall conservative character of Mat-Su’s delegation won’t change.

In fact, it’s thought that the overall character of the overall state Senate in the next Legislature won’t change. Republicans will likely hold an edge over Democrats and independents but a handful of Republicana are likely to join with Democrats to form a coalition as they did in the last election cycle.

The key question for Mat-Su is whether any of the region’s three senators will join a Republican-Democrat coalition to gain influence. In the current Legislature Sens. Shelley Hughes and Mike Shower opted to remain outside the coalition. Sen. David Wilson, on the other hand, joined the coalition.

Wilson became part of the Senate leadership while Hughes and Shower went to the “back bench,” where they had little influence on legislation.

This is important because entities in Mat-Su, particularly the borough, need to have the ear of Senate leaders on legislation important to the region, such as state funds for local roads.

As part of the coalition Wilson provided that access to Senate leaders. On the other hand, Hughes and Shower demonstrated they were true to principles and didn’t want to compromise.

It’s thought that the state House races will result in a split in the Legislature similar to the current one where there is a slim Republican majority and a Republican leadership led by House Speaker Cathy Tilton.

However, the partisan divide is likely to be close again in November and a few changes in stat House seats could result in a coalition in the that body, too. Whether this will happen won’t be known until November, but results of the Aug. 20 primary may indicate how the political winds are blowing.