Democrats Are Forcing Ranked-Choice Voting On Alaskans Who Oppose It
Administrative agencies are having a direct effect on whether Alaskans who don't want RCV can organize and get their message out to voters.Administrative agencies are having a direct effect on whether Alaskans who don't want RCV can organize and get their message out to voters.Congresswoman Palin? Former Alaska governor says she would run for Congress ‘in a heartbeat’ if asked to run for open seat
Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential candidate, could be headed to Congress.
What is the background?
Don Young, Alaska’s at-large congressman, passed away Friday at age 88.
Young, a Republican, was the longest-serving member of Congress. He was elected 25 times and served nearly 50 years in Congress. Young was running for re-election at the time of his passing.
"It’s with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we announce Congressman Don Young, the Dean of the House and revered champion for Alaska, passed away today while traveling home to Alaska to be with the state and people that he loved," Young’s office said in a statement. "His beloved wife Anne was by his side."
What did Palin say?
Speaking with Newsmax TV host Eric Bolling, Palin revealed she would join Congress "in a heartbeat" if asked to replace Young.
"Oh my goodness, think of those huge shoes that are to be filled when we consider Don Young’s longevity and his passion, his love, his fighting spirit for our wonderful state of Alaska, and for the nation as a whole," Palin said.
"If I were asked to serve in the House and to take his place, I would be humbled and honored and I would— yeah, in a heartbeat I would," she added. "We’ll see how this process is gonna go, in terms of filling that seat, but it would be an honor."
"It would be an honor": Sarah Palin responds to calls urging her to replace a late Alaskan Rep. youtu.be
When Bolling asked if Palin truly is "up for that challenge" of being in Congress, Palin compared the feat to the one Donald Trump took when he ran for president.
"Well you know, when you have nothing to lose — kind of like President Trump. In one sense, you have everything to lose, as Trump gave up so much," Palin began.
"But on the other hand, you know, when the media has already clobbered you, as bad as you can get clobbered, and the haters, you’re not going to change their mind," she continued. "But you have faith that there are enough Americans who understand where you’re coming from, your love for the country, your servant’s heart, um yeah, I think there are enough Americans who understand what we need and when I have nothing to lose as is the case today, I think it would be good for my family even. Yeah, I'd serve."
Anything else?
Numerous Alaskan Republicans will battle for Young’s seat in a special election that will be held sometime this summer — most likely on Aug. 16 — and will test Alaska’s new ranked-choice voting system.
“There are a lot of people who worked for [Young] who thought they should inherit his seat in some fashion,” a Republican operative told the Washington Examiner. “Now that he’s passed away, a lot of these people would be free to throw their hats in the ring.”
So far, Nick Begich is the only Republican who has declared he will run in the special election. Democrat Christopher Constant, a member of the Anchorage Assembly, has also said he will run.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) has said he will not run.
Republican Congressman Don Young from Alaska has died at 88 years old
U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) died Friday night.
Rep. Young was the longest-serving member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Fox News reported that his death occurred while at the Los Angeles International Airport on his way home to Alaska.
Young was 88-years old and his cause of death has not yet been determined. Young had served in Congress since 1973 after winning a special election.
“It’s with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we announce Congressman Don Young, the Dean of the House and revered champion for Alaska, passed away today while traveling home to Alaska to be with the state and people that he loved,” a statement from Young’s office said.
“His beloved wife Ann was by his side,” it continued.
Young’s office confirmed that in the coming days they “will be sharing more details about plans for a celebration of his life and legacy.”
Jack Ferguson, a current lobbyist who previously served as Young’s chief of staff said that despite his age, Young was excited to be running for re-election.
He said, “He was vibrant, he had a lot of energy, he’s very clear of mind, spoke clearly about what he wanted to accomplish, set goals that he wanted to make happen, and was happy to be running.”
Young served as dean of the House. This means that he was the most senior member of either political party. He was also the last active member of the House who was elected in the 1970s.
Before entering Congress, Young worked in construction, fishing and trapping, and gold mining. He also captained a tugboat and delivered products along the Yukon River.
Shortly after being sworn into Congress, Young found himself holding a leading role in the historic battle for approval of the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline. His success in this endeavor is often heralded as one of the most important achievements of his career.
Young even said, “Next to statehood itself, the most historical legislation passed that affected every Alaskan then, now, and in the future, was the passage of the pipeline legislation.
Despite his well-documented good nature, the Congressman was also known for his larger-than-life antics including famously wielding a walrus’s pubic bone on the House floor during a debate over the rights of Alaskan Natives to sell the sex organs of endangered animals, defending the controversial industry of fur trapping while attaching a steel trap to his own leg, and holding a knife to the neck of former U.S. Rep and Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio).
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