Bush Caucus endorses Kreiss-Tomkins as Wasilla group registers to oppose Menard

All six members of the Alaska Legislature's Bush Caucus endorsed Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for governor, his campaign announced Friday. The caucus members, who represent rural and predominantly Alaska Native communities, are House Speaker Bryce Edgmon, Reps. Neal Foster, Nellie Jimmie and Robyn Frier, and Sens. Donny Olson and Lyman Hoffman.

The campaign cited his focus on rural infrastructure and subsistence rights and the law he wrote making Alaska's 20 Native languages official state languages. Kreiss-Tomkins represented Southeast Alaska in the state House for 10 years before retiring in 2023.

Two days earlier, the campaign announced that former Govs. Frank Murkowski, a Republican, and Bill Walker, an independent, had joined former Gov. Tony Knowles, a Democrat, in backing him in a joint op-ed. Sen. Lisa Murkowski has also endorsed him.

In a state House race, a Wasilla group registered Friday with the Alaska Public Offices Commission as an outside spending group under the name Truth for AK, then added Steve Menard's name Saturday to become Truth for AK Against Steve Menard. Its registration states its purpose as "To Defeat Candidates who are accused of Stolen Valor." Neither filing says what the accusation is or who makes it.

Menard, a Republican and former Wasilla City Council member, is running for House District 29. His election pamphlet statement lists Marine Corps service at Parris Island in 1995.

In Alaska's U.S. Senate race, three political committees reported new text and media spending in federal filings covering Oct. 25 through Oct. 31. These are independent expenditures: ads and messages that call for electing or defeating a candidate and are not coordinated with any candidate or party.

Common Sense for America PAC reported $11,007 for get-out-the-vote texts supporting Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. No Going Back PAC reported $5,560 supporting Sullivan and another $5,560 opposing Democrat Mary Peltola, both for texts. Duty and Country reported $3,436.13 in media production opposing Sullivan.

Two larger reports came from AB PAC, which reported $101,130.19 supporting Peltola, and America PAC, which reported $84,178.56 split between opposing Peltola and supporting Sullivan. Groups on both sides had reported far larger sums earlier in the race, including another $815,000 against Peltola from Last Frontier PAC, Alaska News reported Sept. 30.

Among state groups, The PAC for Alaska's Future reported $75,000 received Oct. 29 from The PAC for America's Future. Its report of the gift names 415 donors as the original sources of the money, none with an Alaska ZIP code.

The Alaska Gun Rights Firearms Liberty Fund reported $719.84 in spending from Oct. 3 through Oct. 24. It paid for postcards that target Rep. Jubilee Underwood over red-flag laws. Underwood holds the House District 27 seat and faces David Eastman on Tuesday.

Early voting at most sites runs through Monday, Nov. 2. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.