AK-AL: Young moves from Likely Republican to Lean Republican
Young, the occasionally curmudgeonly dean of the House, has survived countless close elections over the course of his 45 years in Congress. But he's never had to face an independent running with the endorsement of the Democratic Party before, and a poll taken last week by the nonpartisan Alaska Survey Research showed Young leading education funding advocate Alyse Galvin by just 49 percent to 47 percent.
Galvin outraised Young $643,000 to $236,000 in the third quarter. Galvin grew up in Alaska, graduated from UC-San Diego, moved back to Anchorage and worked in the hospitality industry. Her husband, a Democrat, served as the state's commissioner of revenue under Gov. Sarah Palin. In 2017, she led a grassroots effort called Great Alaska Schools to protest public education cuts proposed by the legislature to address budget deficits.
Galvin stresses her Independent affiliation and is listed as an "Undeclared" who is the "Alaska Democratic Party nominee" on the ballot. She's hoping to attract independent and third-party voters, who were a big reason President Trump only won Alaska 51 percent to 37 percent in 2016. However, her ads against Young's healthcare and tax votes mirror Democratic ads across the country, and Young is arguing she's a liberal Democrat in disguise.
At 85, Young is the oldest House incumbent seeking reelection in 2018, and Galvin argues he's served past his usefulness and is in the pocket of lobbyists. But he isn't shying away from a fight, and his ads warn that Galvin would vote for Nancy Pelosi and enable a crackdown on Alaska's energy industry. Young is still the favorite, but Gov. Bill Walker's last-minute exit and endorsement of Democrat Mark Begich adds an additional layer of uncertainty.
https://www.cookpolitical.com/analysis/house/house-overview/ten-rating-changes-democrats-enthusiasm-edge-narrows-and-fundraising
ALYSE GALVIN
https://www.alyse4alaska.com
