At forum, Alaska’s Republican governor candidates split with Trump on Greenland

image from: alaskabeacon.com

A fast-moving forum in Juneau on Wednesday hosted 10 of Alaska’s 12 Republican candidates for governor, but the size of the field in the hourlong event meant there was more flavor than meat in the soup du jour.

All but two of the candidates effusively praised incumbent President Donald Trump, but despite that support, most said they disagree with his attempt to acquire Greenland and make it part of the United States.

As of Wednesday, 16 people have signed up to run for governor in this year’s election: 12 Republicans, 3 Democrats and an independent.

The top four candidates in the August primary election will advance to the November general election, where voters will sort their choices using ranked choice voting.

Incumbent Gov. Mike Dunleavy is term-limited and unable to run for a third term, leaving the seat open.

Current Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom and author Hank Kroll were the only Republicans to not participate in Wednesday’s event, which was hosted by the Capital City Republicans on the night of their annual Lincoln Day dinner. Dahlstrom had a prior commitment and was unable to attend, organizers said. Kroll was not mentioned.

Asked to name their favorite Republican president other than Reagan and Lincoln, most of the 10 candidates said Trump, and some said they put him above Reagan and Lincoln.

“He’s the best president Alaska’s ever had,” said former attorney general Treg Taylor.

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Trump administration declares war on Alaska 8(a) contracts

image from: ktoo.org

Sen. Dan Sullivan is racing on his “Team Dan” campaign website to post as many endorsements as he can from Alaska Native corporate leaders before they have a chance to reconsider.

Speed is of the essence for Team Dan because the Trump administration has just declared war on the 8(a) contracting program that has been an economic lifeline for the majority of the most profitable Alaska Native corporations.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth opened the attack on 8(a) contracts, saying he is “taking a sledgehammer to the oldest DEI program in the federal government, a program few people outside of Washington have ever heard of, that I hadn’t heard of.”

No one inside an Alaska Native corporation is as uninformed as Hegseth, the former TV talker.

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Army puts 1,500 Alaska soldiers on standby for possible Minnesota deployment, AP sources say

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers to be ready in case of a possible deployment to Minnesota, where federal authorities have been conducting a massive immigration enforcement operation, two defense officials said Sunday.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans, said two infantry battalions of the Army’s 11th Airborne Division have been given prepare-to-deploy orders. The unit is based in Alaska and specializes in operating in arctic conditions.

One defense official said the troops are standing by to deploy to Minnesota should President Donald Trump invoke the Insurrection Act, a rarely-used 19th century law that would allow him to employ active duty troops as law enforcement.

The move comes just days after Trump threatened to do just that to quell protests against his administration’s immigration crackdown.

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Trump blasts Murkowski and other Republicans trying to limit his powers in Venezuela

image from: alaskapublic.org

WASHINGTON — In a speech in Michigan Tuesday, President Trump denounced U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and other Republicans who voted to check his use of military power in Venezuela.

Trump said he’s plagued by some “real losers” on the Republican side. He name-checked Murkowski but focused his ire mostly on Sen. Rand Paul. Trump said he did rallies for Paul in Kentucky.

“Then he votes against all the time. It's just crazy. I don't get it," Trump said. "Then you have Lisa Murkowski and you have Susan Collins, disasters. And you had a gentleman from Indiana that I don't believe, that Todd Young. He voted against, and you'd say, why are you voting against? They can't give you an answer.”

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Former US Rep. Mary Peltola launches Senate bid against incumbent Dan Sullivan

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Former Alaska U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, said Monday that she will run against Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, setting up a fight between two political heavyweights.

Peltola, the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress, is the only prominent challenger to Sullivan, who has strongly supported President Donald Trump and resource development in Alaska.

The announcement followed months of speculation that the Alaska Democrat would once again vie for office after losing her House seat more than a year ago to Republican U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III.

(READ MORE - adn.com)