Fansler for State House, or Why I Can’t Stand Idly By This Primary

Zach Fansler, Bethel City Councilman and former K300 Race Manager, has filed to run against Republican Majority Whip Bob Herron in the Democratic primary this year. I have served alongside Zach on Council and know him to be someone who puts thought and care into his votes and who is open and honest about the reasons he takes them.

Our representative, on the other hand, is acting more like the ultra-conservative Republicans from the Mat-Su Valley than the Democrats, moderate Republicans, and Independents who are protecting the interests of rural Alaska.

Representative Herron has repeatedly voted against adding Medicaid expansion to Alaska’s budget, despite the fact that the people of our region overwhelmingly support it and YKHC and AVCP have strongly advocated for it (and he claims to support it).

When Governor Walker expanded Medicaid, Herron voted to kill it by suing the Governor. Herron tried to explain this to KYUK by saying that he voted to sue as it was a “quicker way” to get Medicaid expansion. That does not make any sense. If he supported Medicaid expansion, he wouldn’t have voted to stop it. The misleading explanation of the vote is almost more alarming than the vote itself.

This session, Herron has joined with hardline Republicans, and against Democrats, Independents, and moderate Republicans, to vote to continue Alaska’s half billion dollar oil tax credit subsidy system that pays out more to oil companies than they pay in taxes. All the while, Herron’s Republican leadership is cutting rural education and other services that are desperately needed.

Compromise is important, but we have a legislator who crossed the aisle and never came back. This is the record of a far-right Republican. These actions do not support our interests in the Delta.

Zach Fansler is an honest man with a history of working to make the Delta a better place. I will be voting Fansler in the Democratic Primary this year.