The Tea Party in Alaska is thrilled. There seems to have been a bit of turmoil at Alaska's Republican Convention in Anchorage this Saturday.
Party Chair Randy Reudrich is out. (He had already announced his resignation.) The news, however, is who ended up being elected--two Ron Paul supporters. Russ Millette was elected as Party Chair. And Debbie Brown as Vice-Chair. They take office in 2013.
Prior to the election, Reudrich had transferred the State Republican Party's $100,000 bank balance to Juneau Republicans. Millette takes over immediately as Party's Finance Chair.
Ron Paul supporters are celebrating the delegate apportiontment from Alaska to the Republican National Convention. Alaska has 24 delegates plus 3 superdelegates. Currently 8 are committed to Romney, 8 to Santorum, 6 to Paul, and 2 to Gingrich.
This is how thedailypaul.com puts it.
http://www.dailypaul.com/...
...It is confirmed that Ron Paul supporter Russ Millete was voted in as chair. (Note that according to AK Republican rules he will not have full power until Feb. 2013). Co-chair is RP supporter Deb Brown.
Also, secretary and treasurer are RP supporters.
The 6 delegates that were assigned to Ron Paul were filled by the top RP supporters that we wanted. Also, we got the 6 alternates.
The only bonus in the delegate count was that 3 RP people got in as alternates for the Santorum team.
Kathleen Miller (wife to Joe Miller, but an RP supporter - I can vouch personally for that) was selected as part of the electoral college (Alaska sends 3). I understand that is big...
From the Alaska Dispatch:
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/...
...Millette, 67, has lived off and on in Alaska, most recently returning to the state in 2005. He will assume chair of the state GOP at the start of 2013. But for now, he will serve as the party’s finance chairman.
Ruedrich, an old-school Republican who had held the job of chairman since 2000, chose not to run again, leaving the field wide open. Some party loyalists had expected that either Alaska GOP favorites Judy Eledge or Bruce Schulte would win the chairmanship, particularly after Schulte opted out to give more power to Eledge’s nomination.
But after the party delegates’ votes were tallied Saturday evening, a cheer erupted from Paul supporters on the second floor of the Hilton. Others looked crestfallen. Some blamed failed senatorial candidate Joe Miller and his wife, Kathleen, who spent much of their time Saturday huddled with Paul supporters. Miller was largely expected to jockey for a party leadership position, but it was Kathleen who, sporting a Ron Paul sticker, won a seat on Alaska’s GOP Electoral College...
Ruedrich confirmed Saturday that the state GOP transferred all, or nearly all, of its roughly $100,000 to the local Capital City Republicans in Juneau. The party did that because legislators were “concerned,” said Ruedrich, before ending the interview to tend to party business.
Incumbent legislators in Alaska have reason to be concerned. Alaska Redistricting has not yet been settled. The Redistricting Board has had their partisan redistricting plans rejected twice by Superior Courts in Alaska. The Board is appealing to the Alaska Supreme Court. The hearing is scheduled for May 21st.
It's getting a bit tight for anyone considering a run for office in Alaska this year. Deadline for candidate filing is June 1st. Seven entities across the State have challenged the Board's plan and have "friend of the court" status.
However, the Board is hoping the courts will allow their illegal first plan as a back-up plan, just in case their illegal second plan still doesn't pass muster.
From the Fairbanks News-Miner:
http://newsminer.com/...
...While the board will ask the court to approve the new plan, as a backup, its attorneys have been authorized to draft a petition seeking use of its first plan for this year's elections...
It would be nice to think that such turmoil within the Republican Party would work in the favor of Democratic candidates in Alaska. However, as the election of Lisa Murkowski demonstrates, after Joe Miller became the Republican Senate candidate in 2010, Democrats in Alaska tend to vote their fears in times like these, rather than their values.
But maybe their fear of Ron Paul will be less than their fear of Joe Miller. Obama might get an Alaskan bump--if Democrats can Get Out the Vote. However, there are also those Alaska greens and progressives, many of whom think their vote is hopeless in Alaska, will want to register their protest vote, as they frequently do, against a less-than perfect world.
The coattail effect may be that Republicans may have quite a turnout due to Ron Paul enthusiasm. Democrats in Alaska, and across the country, for all kinds of reasons, have their work cut out for them in 2012.