Alaska gubernatorial candidate and current State Representative Christopher Kurka has named Paul Hueper as his lieutenant governor running mate. The announcement was made on Jan. 31 from Kurka’s campaign headquarters in Wasilla.
Paul and his wife Marilyn were victims of a botched FBI raid in April of last year.
They went to D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021, to listen to former President Donald Trump’s speech. When dismissed by Trump to “peacefully and patriotically protest,” they found themselves at the back of an exceptionally long line and never entered the Capitol building.
Nevertheless, the FBI had security footage of a woman who they suspected of stealing Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s laptop. The FBI saw a photo of Marilyn Hueper’s face and clothing that day and thought her image matched that of a woman in the Capitol. On April 29, 2021, because they knew the Huepers were in D.C., they bashed in the door of their home at the Homer Inn and Spa boutique hotel with guns drawn, placed them in handcuffs, and questioned them – all without showing badges or search warrants.
After that fateful day, Hueper’s were determined to become much more active in protecting and defending basic constitutional rights and freedoms.
In introducing himself Jan. 31, Hueper said he and his wife have three daughters and have successfully owned and operated the Homer Inn and Spa for many years. They did not expect to enter the politics, but recent personal and national events inspired them to enter the political fray.
“I don’t have to be here. This was not part of my career choice,” the 59-year-old Hueper said. “But why not?”
Wearing a shirt emblazoned with, “We the People are pissed,” he praised Kurka’s strong principles and “deep wells” that give him courage to say and do the “hard things” that need to be done for Alaska.
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Hueper said he will work to restore PFD payments, and is determined to protect residents from unwarranted Covid mandates. He also spoke of the need to ensure that Alaskans have faith in their elections, and said election reform is a priority.
“If we don’t wake up, we’re going to lose this republic,” he said. “But more important we’re going to lose Alaska.”
With regard to dealing with the federal government’s policies toward oil and gas development and Covid mandates, Hueper said Alaska must fight federal overreach.
Hueper was up front about his faith, saying he respects everyone’s freedom to believe what they want, but he “makes no apologies” for being a Christian.
Raised in rural Minnesota, he is a former basketball player who stands “a half inch” taller than Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
He ended by telling the audience that he agreed to join Kurka’s campaign “to restore leadership for the people, by the people.”
15 Comments
Hueper’s motivation to represent Alaskans: “why not”.
Yep…I’d like to hear him speak. I’m not impressed by the t-shirt and Jean jacket, either.
Polished politicians wear expensive suites to build an image that projects a kind of status quo conformity to a certain set of “rules.” The establishment and political elite have made these “rules” dictating how a person who wants political position and access should dress and talk; and how they should “politely” conduct themselves when speaking in the public forum, whether that be on the campaign trail or in office. These rules are then foisted upon the public as requisites to serve, and anyone who does not follow them is adjudged and declared to be inferior to them, and unfit to serve. However, what the establishment refuses to acknowledge or consider are the actual merits of the words, deeds, and character demonstrated by the honest, hard-working folks from which all political authority and power to govern is derived. Enter Paul Hueper: A hard working, honest, intelligent man, who is neither given to, or impressed by the trappings and conventions of the political elite. Suit, or no suit, Alaskan’s will be hard-pressed to find a better guy to run and serve for the important position of Lt. Governor this Campaign season.
FBI footmen have just followed orders….Like Hitlers SS… For good men to do nothing.
Yes we need new blood in the governors office.
Please stand tall, not like the small governor we have now.
Terry, Teresa, John, Mike… I was at the meeting, were you? After hearing him, my opinion is that Paul Hueper is an ordinary, honorable citizen who is now motivated to become involved. Often a single event gives the kick needed for us to change; maybe for Paul and Marilyn it was the gross infringement of their constitutional rights by the FBI. I’m not ashamed to state my support for Christopher Kurka and now his choice in a running mate. I’m going to hear and watch them, and withhold frivolous criticism. If the t-shirt and jean jacket wasn’t appropriate, maybe a 3 piece Philadelphia lawyer’s suit would have been more impressive. I’m not looking for a polished, highly-educated running pair but a team who has backbones of steel, passion for honest government and anger at the current weakness and deadlock in Juneau. I’m looking for a team that cannot be bought or bribed and most of all as stated, a team with a solid trust in God Almighty, because our troubles are way deeper than we can solve ourselves.
Sally, I’m not saying that Hueper is a bad guy, nor do I deride him for his clothing choices. Simply stating that he has nothing on the record beside his being spotlighted after his run in with the Feds. I agree that ones’ resolve can be emboldened by a single event, but electing a man to the second highest office in the state, and throwing him into the deep end to make him Governor in waiting, along with becoming the approval authority of future elections for the state is simply unwise. Not saying he needs to be a career politician, but starting at the top of the heap is not the place to determine whether one will sink or swim. Run for city council or borough assembly. If your home town won’t elect you, why should the rest of us. As a successful business owner, he may understand the loss and gain columns of a balance sheet, but does he have the stomach for politics and the bureaucratic wrangling it takes to get things done in Juneau? Personally, I support the idea of Chris Kurka, but he too has not proven to be effective in Juneau, yet he thinks he can do better as CEO of Alaska, without finishing his first term in the legislature. We simply need to demand more from our candidates. I also believe that the party should select a running mate. Finally, God is sovereign, and He gave us Bill Walker, Mike Dunleavey, Donald Trump and Joe Biden as part of His plan and purpose. What have we learned from those experiences?
We need to be wise with our choices. Just because someone has been victimized by the feds, does not make him a good candidate for political public service. We need to understand that it is going to be ever more difficult to elect another conservative if we don’t first differentiate between conservatives and RINOs, and stop making emotional choices at the ballot box. Ranked choice has made it harder to vote effectively with a field of spoilers. This party needs unity in order to be effective. This announcement is a publicity stunt to give Kurka name recognition, but it is more virtue signaling than optimizing the ticket.
Kurka torpedoed his chance by choosing a nobody.
Good thoughts. I have my reservations about Kurka just because Joe Miller has backed him. I definitely do not trust Dunleavy. He is spineless. Too many so called conservatives throwing their name in the race. Walker will probably win because we are dumbasses
Amen
If you want to have another politician in office, look for someone with political aspirations as evidenced by their continual efforts to, “build a resume.” If you want hard questions answered and creative work arounds that make financial sense hire a small business owner who doesn’t derive their revenue off of big-government contracts, subsidies or crony networks. Everyone else who is running for the top two administrative offices in the state are lawyer, career politicians, bureaucrats or big-business CEO types. How has that been working for us so far Alaska? Kurka and Hueper represent the typical, can-do, creative Alaskan family, who takes the good with the bad, weathers the storms that come, and then make something better. Anyone who tries to tell you differently is trying to sell you something you don’t really want.
I met Paul just after the FBI raid. He was gracious and seemed like a gentleman. There has not been any accountability from the FBI for this botched raid of his home. Did Governor Dunleavy ever do anything about it? What about the ineffectual Don Young, Lisa Murkowski, or Dan Sullivan? Were hearings held in Washington D.C.? I must have missed them. The raid in Homer was an unconstitutional act and nobody in our state government did a darn thing about it. One wonders what happened to the 4th amendment, where we are supposed to be safe in our homes from unreasonable searches and seizures? The FBI executed a no-knock raid on the Hueper’s, where the FBI kicked their door down and held them at gunpoint. There was no serving of a search warrant, The FBI exhibited the tactics of the Nazi Gestapo. The FBI was able to violate the Hueper’s rights with no consequences. I would love to see Alaska enact some sort of accountability for the FBI agents responsible. Perhaps suing them with a civil lawsuit in state court? Perhaps a lawsuit in federal court for deprivation of their constitutional rights? There has to be a way to set this right. I would love to see the attorney general comment on this.
Ah, yes! A little-man, big-man routine out to razzle-dazzle the groundlings with senseless exuberance, mental flatulence, and sweet ordure. Who knows: they might steal the election with an oafish act like a couple of “swells.” I’ll gladly toss a nickel or two into their hat just to help keep their street show alive to humor me through the “damnpenic!” (As I overheard one man so refer to our health crisis.) Let’s see what you have, Kurka! Time’s a-wastin’.
IIRC, Ralph Samuels got into politics because his brother was killed and the perp was going to walk. He wanted to make sure such a miscarriage of justice didn’t happen. He got in, did his work, then got out (the way it is supposed to work). Hueper may have the same idea. I’m sick of professional politicians who stab us in the back.