Alaska State Sen. David Wilson (R-Wasilla) was elected to the Alaska State Senate in 2016, but faces his most formidable challenge this year from solidly conservative Rob Yundt.
Yundt, a current Mat-Su Borough Assemblyman with a strong conservative record, is vying to oust Wilson in order to rebuild a conservative-minded majority in the State Senate.
Both men, along with perennial candidate Stephen Wright, are vying to represent 36,000 Wasilla-area residents who live in Senate District N.
While all three candidates will automatically make it out of the Aug. 20 primary, thanks to the Ranked Choice Voting system which advances the top four primary candidates to the general election in November, Yundt is far outpacing both Wilson and Wright in campaign fundraising.
According to the latest campaign disclosures, Yundt has amassed $50,535 compared to Wilson’s $13,685 and Wright’s $2,074. Yundt also has far more cash on hand ($25,019) than either Wilson ($4,437) or Wright (-$916).
Wilson’s campaign is funded by just 33 donations, many of them small amounts from union and government employees. Yundt, however, has garnered support from more than 120 donations – mostly in smaller amounts from private businesses and the self-employed, along with a $10,000 boost from WM Construction in Palmer. None of Yundt’s support comes from unions.
Wright has less than $250 in non-monetary donations, along with $1,822 of his own money.
As the incumbent, Wilson has won three consecutive races for the State Senate, but his recent actions have put him at odds with many in the overwhelmingly conservative Mat-Su.
After his most recent reelection victory, Wilson joined seven other Republicans who rejected efforts to form a GOP majority despite the fact that Alaskans elected 11 Republicans to the 20-member Senate.
Thanks to the Republican defectors, Democrats enjoyed key leadership posts and powerful committee assignments, which effectively negated efforts by conservative Republicans to pass meaningful legislation in Juneau. Fellow Mat-Su Senators Shelley Hughes and Mike Shower attempted to create a Republican controlled majority, but were ultimately unsuccessful.
Wison’s actions drew the ire of Republican Party leaders in District 27, who unanimously passed a strongly worded resolution condemning him for abandoning GOP values and choosing to help form a left-leaning Democratic controlled bipartisan majority.
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This past January, Wilson’s bi-partisan reputation was recognized by Future Caucus, a left-leaning political activist organization that selected him and hard-left Democratic Sen. Löki Tobin (of Anchorage) to participate in a nationwide fellowship program tailored for state legislators who demonstrate a willingness to cross party lines.
Funded by hard-left activists, Future Caucus supports liberal expansionist immigration policy, environmentalist regulations, gun control restrictions and some of the most extreme elements of the LGBTQ agenda.
15 Comments
Wilson’s refusal to caucus with Republicans after the last election makes him a traitor to Valley Republicans.
We are not racist – you failed to honor the wishes of your constituitency.
You MUST go.
Yundt is a successful businessman – he is the type of leader we need.
A new face in the race is Elexie Moore. Would be good to hear more about her and from her. I’d vote for her over Yundt. Wilson is history.
Not the same seat. Moore is running for House. Yundt is running for Senate. You can vote for both.
I saw that later. Thank you for the correction. Well, I am voting for Yundt over Wilson every day. Pack your bags Wilson because you are history.
I am in district 29 and George Rauscher has done a phenomenal job for our district and our state so will always have my vote. I am though uncertain about Yundt. He has done some speculative things on the assembly. Trying to remove gravel pit regulation allowing for gravel pits in subdivisions for one, thankfully thwarted by an overwhelming ‘bi-partisan’ response from the community. Now he is proposing to eliminate any restriction on mobile home parks. Show me a nice mobile home park anywhere in the state that does not attract crime and vice. Do you want one going in next door without any public input allowed? I consider both proposed ordinance efforts a bit rash and they do not lend to public safety or the development of the fast growing Matsu borough. Maybe at the state level he would be great but what I have witnessed locally has not set well. I do not know anything about the candidate Elexie Moore but see her mentioned above. David Wilson has definitely drifted left.
Moore is not running for Senate.
Not sure about the ones you don’t like. I do know that he will be a far better Senator than Wilson and we will gain a seat, which if the Senate seats pretty much remain the same, hoping Matt Claman is outed, hear that is a good possibility, then we would have at least a “minority” with Shelley, Shower, Meyers, Yundt, hopefully the new Republican over Claman. That alone would give us 5, maybe a couple others that are in the so called “majority” switching. Latter aspect would give seats on committees with a 5+ “Minority” Also, with Yundt, that would give all the Valley Senate representation, instead of Wilson not being a good voice for not just his constituents, but the Valley as a solid conservative area of the State.
I would suggest strongly talking to him about your concerns.
Spot on! Matt Claman is bad news in every direction. I would hope his work would be repealed when he is out of office. Wilson lost it a few years ago and sticks around only for free bucks at the expense of the state. Votes are bad and no purpose. He’s like the “wind in the windmill” with no directions to go in.
I listened to Mr Yundt explain his ideas, beliefs, and goals. He is conservative, financially savvy, a family man who does not plan to become a good old boy politician and wants realistic economic development in the valley. I hope a like minded person will replace him at the borough assembly.
Help in anchorage. I wil be voting asap. Need to now who to call and procedures to take if i see suspicious play at voting place ie machines kicking back ballots. Checking
The truly frightening aspect of election central is an internet connection on ANY of the machines. Pull your phone out, go to “settings”, then “internet & network”. See how many connections pop up. Take a screenshot. That is proof of how they’re messing with vote tallies.
Hey, I just want to say thanks for this article. I just donated $100 to David Wilson’s campaign because I want elected officials who are willing to work with everyone to find common ground.
Thank you for your reply, after reading it; I just went in and donated $100 to Rob Yundt for state senate to beat David Wilson and get real representation back in the state senate.
Whatever you do don’t call him a traitor, he will file a report with the Troopers that you are a threat. He is a slimeball!
Sen. David Wilson (R-Wasilla) is a closet Democrat, And IMO Democrats Are Evil Based on their Actions over 200 years…Only a moron would support a democrat in these times. So even worse is one whom acts like a republican…ie Sen. David Wilson (R-Wasilla) Vote this guy OUT! Adios David Wilson…!