August 16, 2018 Politadick

Today I'm looking at one of the most important house races, House District 31. In my opinion Paul Seaton's time in the legislature needs to end. His move last session to 'switch sides' and join the minority to take control of the house was a slap in the face to his constituents and supporters (including his own party), many of whom donated time and money to get him re-elected, believing that he would uphold the values of the party that he professed to be a part of.

With that in mind I've interviewed and talked with two of the three Republican candidates who would challenge Mr Seaton. John Cox and I have been acquainted for many years and I believe him to be an honorable man with a sound conservative philosophy and a love of Alaska. Sarah Vance was unknown to me prior to the recall effort in Homer, but burst on the scene with enthusiasm and a passion for making positive change. In my subsequent interview with her I found her to be thoughtful, well spoken and well versed on the most pressing issues facing Alaska.

Either one of these candidates would be a better Representative for District 31 (and the rest of the state) than Mr. Seaton.

After a round of interviews on the show this week with both of these challengers I have decided that I need to endorse the one that I believe has the best chance of beating Mr Seaton in the general.

That being said (and for what little it's probably worth) I am encouraging residents of 31 to vote for Sarah Vance in the primary on Tuesday. This endorsement is simply my personal opinion.

While both candidates are well versed in the issues and both have strong conservative beliefs, I believe that, as the youngest of the potential candidates Sarah brings a new energy, viewpoint and perspective to the problems facing us. I belive she will be a big help in bridging the gap between the "old guard" boomers, Gen X-ers that are becoming 'empty nesters' and millennials, the one group that we desperately need more engagement from in state politics.

One final thought. As I said earlier either Sarah OR John would be better representatives than Dist 31 has currently. I would remind folks in both camps that in the end, we (conservatives) are on the same side. It does no good to circle the wagons, fire inwards and tear each other apart in the primaries to have the tattered survivor face a fresh challenger in the general. Instead of fighting, snarkiness and sniping at one another over our chosen candidates, let's have reasoned discourse.

Good advice! Politadick