Over at Eric Dondero’s blog for right-libertarians so far to the right that they are sometimes cheerleading for Republicans over LP candidates, there is an exclusive (below and at link) on the two person Senate primary in the Alaska LP. (Yes, we’re jealous.)
One of the contenders, Scott Kolhaus, worked in Washington, D.C. briefly in his 20s (as did I) on some local issues for some libertarian-run taxpayer groups. He also recruits Libertarians (he called me a year or two ago) to move to Alaska in his own free state project west. You can listen to an interview with him here about his community work in Alaska. And you can read about his attempt, a few years before that to get a secessionist initiative on the Alaska ballot here. (To say something Dondero would approve, given Putin, and Obama’s turning over some oil rich Bering Straits islands to Russia, maybe it’s good the state refused to let Alaskans vote on that.). Read about the Alaksa Libertarians decision not to allow Lisa Murkowksi on their ballot line here.
Eric thinks this foreshadows the return of Dick Randolph, a former elected Libertarian Alaska state legislator, to politics. I might just move to Alaska to work for a Libertarian Gubernatorial candidate.
Here’s a list of the other Alaska Libertarians running.
Libertarian Republican: Libertarian Party of Alaska to have a two-person p…: LR EXCLUSIVE… DEVELOPING…
Libertarian Republican has just learned that former longtime Libertarian Party of Alaska Chairman Scott Kohlhaas will be filing papers later today to run for the US Senate on the Libertarian ticket. Mark Fish, former Alaska Libertarian Party Chairman and former Chairman of the Alaska Republican Liberty Caucus, is already a declared candidate for the Libertarian nomination. ‘
Begich impact?
Kohlhaas told LR in a brief interview earlier today, that he plans on running on a platform of “pro-choice, anti-war, and open borders.” Such a decidedly left-libertarian campaign could prove hurtful to incumbent Democrat Senator Mark Begich.
Ironically, Begich, a stidently anti-free market progressive, sought to associate himself with the libertarian label just two weeks ago at a local campaign stop. Begich’s new found “libertarian” views garnered a few laughs at this website and in other libertarian circles.
Fish a US Army Veteran and staunch gun rights advocate, is generally considered a more right-leaning libertarian, and more acceptable to Tea Party and Republican voters than Kohlhaas. There is speculation that Fish is running as a stalking horse for a real candidacy from Tea Party favorite Joe Miller, if Miller loses the primary. Former Alaska state attorney Dan Sullivan has been leading the Republican field in recent polls.
The return of Dick Randolph
The Libertarian Party of Alaska would be permitted according to Alaska statute, to replace candidates that have already been nominated later in the process. This is what almost occured in 2010 when Lisa Murkowski lost to Joe Miller in the GOP primary. Afterwards, Murkowski made a determined effort to convince the Libertarian Party to put her on the ballot. They voted against it in Executive Comm. and she was forced to run as a write in. She still beat Miller in the general election.
Fish gave the introduction speech at Miller’s campaign kick-off for the Republican nomination, and according to sources, is a close advisor/volunteer staffer to Miller in the current campaign.
There is also speculation that Kohlhaas himself might be a stalking horse candidate for Dick Randolph, his close friend and former 2-term Alaska State Rep. from the 1980s who many have indicated is anxious to get back into electoral politics. >
The Insomniac Libertarian 