The list of candidates running for Alaska's lone U.S. House seat topped 35 on Friday, with current and former state legislators, an orthopedic surgeon and a North Pole city council member named Santa Claus among those filing ahead of a late-day deadline.
A special primary is set for June 11. The top four vote-getters will advance to an Aug. 16 special election in which ranked choice voting will be used, a process in line with a new elections system approved by voters in 2020.
The winner will serve the remainder of the late-U.S. Rep. Don Young's term, which expires in January. Young, a Republican, had held the seat since 1973 and had been seeking reelection at the time of his death last month.
Republican state Sen. Josh Revak, Democratic state Rep. Adam Wool and independent Al Gross, an orthopedic surgeon who unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in 2020, were among the latest candidates to file with the state Division of Elections. Andrew Halcro, a former state lawmaker who is running as an independent, also filed. They join a list that includes Republican Nick Begich; Democrat Christopher Constant, an Anchorage Assembly member; and John Coghill, a Republican former state lawmaker.
Revak, who previously worked for Young's office and was a statewide co-chair for Young's reelection bid, said he felt a “strong calling and a duty" to step forward.
He said he was “heartbroken” by the filing timeline, coinciding with a period he said should be focused on remembering Young.
Young lied in state at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. A public memorial was held in the Washington, D.C.-area on Wednesday and a public memorial is planned in Anchorage on Saturday.
Revak said he also plans to run in the regular primary for U.S. House.
The August special election will coincide with the regular primary. The regular primary and November general election will determine who represents Alaska in the House for a two-year term starting in January.
The Division of Elections is targeting Sept. 2 to certify the special election.
Gross also plans to run in both the special and regular elections. His campaign announced a leadership team that includes several Republicans and independents, as well as Democrats, including former Gov. Tony Knowles.
“We are building a campaign that embodies all of Alaska,” Gross said in a statement.
Wool said he has privately discussed a run for years. He said he looked at the candidates running in the special primary and “wasn't that impressed. Many of them have never won an election, don't have any statewide recognition and politically aren't aligned, certainly not with me or what I would think the majority of Alaskans are looking for.”
Wool, from Fairbanks, said he considers himself moderate.
Meanwhile, a man who years ago legally changed his name to Santa Claus and serves on the North Pole city council also filed with the state Division of Elections for the special primary. Claus, who said he has a “strong affinity” for Bernie Sanders, is running as an independent.
He said he is not soliciting or raising money. He said the new elections process “gives people like me an opportunity, without having to deal with parties, to throw our hat in the ring.”
“I do have name recognition,” he said with a laugh.
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