Incumbents Sen. Jesse Bjorkman and Reps. Justin Ruffridge and Sarah Vance are leading in fundraising efforts ahead of the Aug. 20 Alaska primary election, according to information filed by Monday with the Alaska Public Offices Commission.
Electoral candidates were required to file disclosure forms with the commission describing their campaign income and expenditures 30 days ahead of the primary.
Senate District D
Incumbent Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, has represented Senate District D since 2022, covering the northern Kenai Peninsula including Kenai, Soldotna and Nikiski. At the start of the current period — in February — he had $47,000 on hand. From February through Friday, July 19, Bjorkman raised an additional $22,000 while spending around $25,000; he now holds $45,000.
Many donations received by Bjorkman in recent months come from teachers, health care workers, employees of local energy utilities, other elected officials and a handful of fishers.
Among his top donors is Ryan Tunseth, the owner of East Rip and a sitting member of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly, who made a donation of $1,000 and also provided nearly $600 in “event food and beverages” on June 20. Irving Carlisle, the owner of Alaska Maxi-Storage, donated $1,500. Mike Navarre donated $1,000.
Bjorkman received $6,000 in donations from political action committees. Those donations came from committees representing the National Education Association Alaska, Dentists of Alaska, the Alaska Public Employees Association, Alaska State Employees Association Local 52, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 302 and the Alaska Teamsters Local 959.
Bjorkman’s largest expense is nearly $10,000 paid to Martin Media for video production. Campaign signs cost Bjorkman around $3,000 and another $2,000 was paid to Jenness Graphic Design for design work of campaign literature. Around $2,000 each went to postage stamps and campaign giveaway items. He’s also spent more than $850 to provide ice cream at events like North Peninsula Recreation Service Area’s Family Fun in the Midnight Sun and the Soldotna Wednesday Market.
Rep. Ben Carpenter, R-Nikiski, who is challenging Bjorkman for Senate District D rather than seeking reelection to his seat for House District 8, raised almost the same amount as Bjorkman between February and Friday. He reported just over $22,000 raised in that period, outpacing Bjorkman by $216. Carpenter entered the period with less than $10,000 on hand and spent $13,000; he now holds $19,000.
Among the people who donated to Carpenter, 29 describe themselves as “retired.” His largest donations are $2,500 from geologist Robert Wall, $2,500 from Misty Peterkin, who describes herself as a “homemaker” and $2,000 from Samantha Halstead, who doesn’t have a listed occupation.
Carpenter also received $1,000 from Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets Managing Director Bradford Keithley, $1,000 from Jeff Epperheimer of Epperheimer Inc and $1,000 from Don Boston.
None of Carpenter’s donations in the period come from political action committees.
Of the $13,000 in expenses Carpenter reported, the majority at $7,500 are for signs and sign supplies. He also describes spending for campaign event food and print products.
Also running for the seat are Andy Cizek — who lists no income and one expenditure that leaves him with a $100 deficit — and Tina Wegener, who hasn’t filed any of the required disclosure forms.
House District 7
Incumbent Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, represents House District 7, which covers Kenai and Soldotna. He has raised $14,000 since February, adding to $7,500 already on hand. He spent around $4,000 and now has $18,000.
Like Bjorkman, Ruffridge received donations from several in the health care field, from teachers, the energy industry and fishers. Both candidates’ largest individual donors are the same. Carlisle, one of Bjorkman’s largest donors, also donated $1,500 to Ruffridge, Tunseth donated $1,000 monetarily and $500 in food, and Mike Navarre donated $1,000.
The $4,000 spent by Ruffridge largely went to campaign signs and shirts, which account for well over $2,000 together.
Challenging Ruffridge for the seat is former Rep. Ron Gillham, R-Soldotna, who held the seat from 2020-2022, when he was unseated by Ruffridge. He started the recent fundraising period with no money and raised $3,400 between Feb. 2 and July 19. Gillham’s report lists $800 in expenditures, leaving $2,500 on hand.
Gillham lists 10 donations, all from residents of Kenai and Soldotna. Seven of those people donated to both Carpenter and Gillham. Those include Don Boston, who donated $1,000 to Gillham, and Robert Wall, Lawrence Stinson and Joan Corr, who all donated $500.
Gillham has no donations from PACs.
Of the $800 in expenditures described by Gillham, nearly $700 are for “advertising materials” from Vista Print. Also listed are supplies for the upcoming Progress Days parade in Soldotna and an entrance fee for the Kenai Chamber of Commerce’s Fourth of July celebrations.
House District 8
Two candidates are currently seeking election to the House District 8 seat, which covers Nikiski, Sterling and Cooper Landing. Bill Elam, currently on the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly, and Lane Hillyer, a retired Air Force pilot, are vying for the seat vacated by Carpenter.
Elam entered the recent period with no money on hand. He reports around $8,000 in donations and $6,000 in expenditures, now holding $2,000.
Most of the donations received by Elam are from individuals who describe themselves as “retired,” with 12 such people providing 14 of Elam’s 25 donations. Other donors include employees of Central Peninsula Hospital, the Republican Women of the Kenai, and an Anchorage-based pastor.
Elam received $1,000 from Norm and Barb Blakeley; a total of $1,000 in monetary and event hosting donations from Jon and Karen Lasseter; and a total of $950 in monetary and lodging donations from Pastor MJ Quick.
Campaign signs and sign supplies make up around half of Elam’s expenditures at a little under $3,000. He’s also spent money on campaign booths at the Alaska Republican Party State Convention, on campaign stickers and on parade supplies.
Hillyer describes more money raised and spent than Elam but has funded much of his campaign himself. Starting with no money, Hillyer reports raising $14,000 and spending $10,000, still holding $4,000.
Of that $14,000, nearly $8,500 came from 18 donations made either by Hillyer or his wife. Hillyer also received money from the Republican Women of the Kenai, Robert Wall, Adam Bertoldo and Ben Carpenter.
Hillyer’s expenses include over $2,000 in signs, $2,000 in radio advertising, and other purchases for key chains, flyers and shirts.
House District 6
There are three challengers facing incumbent Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, for House District 6, which covers the southern Kenai Peninsula and includes Homer, Anchor Point and Kasilof. Dawson Slaughter, an Anchor Point Republican and president of the Anchor Point Chamber of Commerce; Alana Greear, an elementary teacher at Kachemak-Selo School running nonpartisan; and Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly President Brent Johnson also running nonpartisan, all are vying for the seat.
Vance leads her challengers in fundraising. She entered February with nearly $11,000 on hand, adding $16,000 and spending only $3,000 to close with $24,000 on July 19.
Donations to Vance come largely from Homer residents, including $1,600 from Brian Berens, $1,500 from Michael Fell, and $1,000 each from Margaret and Larry Boone. Retired people made 26 of her donations. Also represented are employees of the State of Alaska who claim residence in Palmer and Wasilla, top-ranking staff of Homer Electric Association and Robert Wall.
Vance’s spending includes Alaska GOP State Convention fees, sponsorship of the Kenai Peninsula Fair, radio advertising and a ferry ticket to Seldovia.
Slaughter reports a $4,000 deficit, after entering with no money, raising a little more than $1,000 and spending $5,000. Slaughter has received donations from nine people, including himself, with the largest donation coming from Homer chiropractor James Heston.
Slaughter spent $2,500 for “campaign digital services” from Mobibiz Marketing, $1,700 on text marketing from i360 and nearly $700 from Peninsula Clarion parent company Sound Publishing for “printing services.”
Greear, who reported entering the period with no funds, has since February raised $10,000. She spent around $6,500 and owes nearly $3,000. She has $200 on hand. Greear donated $1,200 to her own campaign, all in the form of various purchases. Her donations also include nearly $1,500 from South Peninsula Hospital employees, several donations from Kenai Peninsula Borough School District staff and 23 donations from people who are retired.
Greear’s biggest expenditure is payments made and a debt owed to the Alaska Democratic Party for “Coordinated Campaign.” She lists $1,200 paid to the party as of July 15, but also owes $2,500.
She also describes around $2,300 in payments to Robert Hockema for campaign management, $830 paid for a booth at Salmonfest and $350 paid to the Homer Theater for a campaign event.
Johnson entered February with no money on hand, has raised $20,000, spent $6,000 and owes $2,000 — for a total of $12,000 now in his coffer. He’s received more than 70 donations since he began campaigning in May, 36 of which came from retired people. Many of his donations come from health care workers. Most donors are from Homer, but Johnson also received $1,000 from an engineer in New York.
Johnson received $2,500 from the House Democrat Campaign Committee and $1,000 each from the Employees Political Action Committee of the Alaska Public Employees Association and the Alaska State Employees Association Local 52.
House District 5
Seward resident Leighton Radner, a registered member of the Libertarian party, is running against incumbent Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, for House District 5, which includes Seward as well as other communities not on the Kenai Peninsula like Kodiak and Cordova.
Radner lists $100 raised, a donation from himself, and $100 spent, to submit paperwork for the state’s election pamphlet. He has no money on hand.
Stutes has around $14,000 on hand, having raised over $15,000 since February and spending around $1,500. She is supported by as many PACs as individual donors, with donations from the NEA, Laborers International Union, Alaska Dental Society and both the Alaska Public Employees Association and Alaska State Employees Association all donating $1,000. Her largest donation is from Kodiak residents Vern and Debi Hall, at $5,000.
Signs are Stutes’ largest expenditure and have cost her campaign over $1,000.
Full APOC reports can be found at doa.alaska.gov/apoc.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com. This story has been updated with additional information.
