It’s been a sad week due to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. It’s been especially concerning seeing the amount of people on social media who either praised what happened or tried to make some sick and twisted rationalization of it. The one saving grace is the sheer amount of people who have come out across the country and world to celebrate his life. I don’t know what the answer is but I know the problem is we live in a country with some seriously mentally deranged people. 

The big news this week is Republican gubernatorial candidate Bernadette Wilson announced Senator Mike Shower (R – Wasilla) as her running mate. This created a domino effect affecting several Mat-Su legislative seats. Suzanne Downing resigned as editor and main content producer at Must Read Alaska after she got sideways with owner Jon Faulkner. The internet sales tax bill was finally transmitted to Governor Mike Dunleavy (R – Alaska) after sitting for four months. And 911 in Anchorage was down on Friday and Saturday. 

A friendly message and reminder to all our readers. The Landmine is made possible by myself and a team of awesome Alaskans. I have been covering the legislative session in Juneau for the last seven years and returned from Juneau in May. If you enjoy the content we provide, please consider making a one time or recurring monthly donation. You can click here to donate. We have a system that makes it super easy. We would really appreciate it. And thanks to everyone who has been supportive. And a well-known Eagle River representative picked up an opponent. 

Wilson/Shower

Just imagine if Bernadette’s last name was Golden… 

Of the ten declared candidates for governor (nine Republicans, one Democrat), Republican Bernadette Wilson is the first to announce her running mate. Since voters approved the open primary and ranked choice voting in 2020, candidates for governor now choose their running mate rather than having separate primaries for governor and lieutenant governor. This is the second gubernational election cycle with this system. 

Wilson and Shower made their announcement at an event at Susitna Brewing in Big Lake. It was a pretty bizarre event. To get in you had to give your name, email address, phone number, and mailing address. The two women running the check in table were uncompromising on obtaining this information. Unfortunately, one of the first people I saw when I walked in was the sue happy lunatic Amy Demboski. Bad start. 

Not long after walking in a woman came up to me and introduced herself as Bernadette’s campaign manager. She then informed me that I was not allowed to film or record the event in any way. I asked her why and if it was a public event or not. She said it was a public event but no filming was allowed. I then pointed to a guy who had a camera setup who was filming and asked why he was allowed to film. She said he had permission. I then asked her how one obtains permission. She said it was too late. 

Then about ten minutes later she came back up to me and said, “I spoke with Bernadette! You are permitted to film or stream her remarks and her remarks only.” By that point I had no interest in being allowed to selectively film the event. 

Once the event started I took some pictures to post on Landmine social media. Another woman, who had a classic Karen look, approached me and said, “No filming or photographs!” I ignored her. Over the years I have observed that you can glean a lot of information about how an elected official will behave based on how their campaign operates. Just imagine how a Governor Bernadette administration would operate.

I have to note that after the event started they stopped serving drinks at the request of the campaign. These two female bartenders had to just stand there the whole time and were not allowed to serve drinks. I really hope the campaign compensated them for their lost tips. 

After her hype man made some opening remarks, there was the pledge, the national anthem, and a prayer. The former Deputy Palmer Pam Melin spoke. She was introduced as “a corporate executive by night and political sniper by day by choice.” Then they played a video of Representative Byron Donalds (R – Florida) talking up Bernadette. 

Then Bernadette was finally up. She spoke for more than 30 minutes. She covered everything from the dividend delusion to trawling, which she said she’s seen “completely rape Alaska’s waters.” She said, like Donald Trump with the country, she can turn the state around in 90 days. She said that Wally Hickel and Ronald Reagan had not held elected office before they were first elected governor and Donald Trump had not held elected office before he was first elected president. Hell of some comparisons! 

After speaking about election integrity, she introduced Shower as her running mate. Luckily he did not speak nearly as long as she did. Shower is an interesting pick. He’s served in the Senate since 2018. He got sideways with fellow Republicans when he was in the majority and was largely absent during the 2023/2024 sessions when he was in an unrecognized 3-member Republican minority. After the 2024 election, the Republican minority grew to six and he became the minority leader. He will bring some Valley support to the ticket. But Shower likes being the center of attention. I’m not sure how he will do as second fiddle. 

Other Happenings 

With Shower as Bernadette’s running mate, his Senate seat is now open as he is up for re-election next year. Immediately after the announcement, Representative George Rauscher (R – Sutton) filed to run for his seat, making his House seat open. There are other potential moves that could happen. One is Representative Kevin McCabe (R – Big Lake) could also decide to run for Shower’s open seat. This Landmine article, “Shower pick as Bernadette Wilson running mate creates more open Mat-Su Valley seats,” provides more information. It will get really interesting if Shower decides to resign before the start of the next session. Dunleavy would get to choose his replacement. And if he picked Rauscher or McCabe, he would get to choose their replacement too. 

Representative Cathy Tilton (R – Wasilla) confirmed to the Landmine that she will run for Senator Shelley Hughes’ (R – Palmer) open seat. Hughes, who is up for re-election next year, is running for governor. Hughes could also decide to resign before the start of the next session. Representative DeLena Johnson (R – Palmer) is the other representative in Hughes’ Senate district. It’s not clear if Johnson will seek re-election or run for the open Senate seat.  

With Tilton and Rauscher running for the Senate, and Representative Louise Stutes (R – Kodiak) running for the open Senate seat due to Senate President Gary Stevens (R – Kodiak) retiring, and Speaker Bryce Edgmon (I – Dillingham) likely running for Senator Lyman Hoffman’s (D – Bethel) open seat (who is also retiring), there could be four current representatives in the Senate in 2027 (20% of the Senate). It would also mean the House would lose three former speakers (Edgmon, Stutes, Tilton), creating quite a leadership vacuum in the House. 

Gerald Nelson, a registered independent, filed to run for Rauscher’s open House seat.  

Senate Bill 113, the internet sales tax bill, was transmitted to Governor Dunleavy this week. It’s due back by October 1. He will almost certainly veto it. And the Legislature won’t be able to override it. It passed both bodies with a combined 42-18 votes. But as a revenue bill it requires a three-quarter vote for an override, or 45 votes.  

Just another example of the failed city and state we are living in. What kind of place lets 911 go down for two days? And now the Anchorage Police Department is saying “911 lines are now temporarily functional as work continues to resolve the issue.” What an absolute joke. 

This Week’s Loose Unit

This week’s designee is maximum loose. This week’s Loose Unit is Must Read Alaska owner Jon Faulkner.

On Monday (9/8/2025) I broke the story that Suzanne Downing had left Must Read Alaska over a dispute with Faulkner stemming from a story about former Attorney General Treg Taylor. Downing sold Must Read Alaska to Faulkner and a small group of owners in 2023, but continued to run the day-to-day operations since selling. 

To put it simply, Faulkner fucked up. Regardless of how you feel about Suzanne Downing (you are probably aware I have had quite the rocky past with her), she was prolific at putting up content on Must Read Alaska. She built it into one of the most widely read news sites in Alaska. Replacing her is an almost impossible task unless Faulkner and his ilk want to spend a lot of money hiring several writers. And with no transition plan, things over at Must Read are not looking good. 

Since her resignation, the new Must Read Alaska people have published two articles about it. The first, Suzanne Downing Resignation, came from Todd Lindley. He basically just says how great Downing and implies she left on good terms. Very loose.

Then Faulkner, channeling his inner Paul Harvey, published an article, “The Rest of the Story.” After saying how great Downing is, he denied ever asking her to take down the story but admitted he, “asked her respectfully to revise the article to more fairly frame the issue and to quell concerns about favoritism in our reporting. I supplied what I believed to be supporting facts, for example that the waiver was proper protocol and supported by precedent and common sense. My request was summarily dismissed.”

To put it simply, I don’t believe him. Instead of saying he never told her to take down the article, he wrote a 735 word article obfuscating what happened. Who knows what will happen to Must Read Alaska. Since Downing left it’s been mostly unexciting guest columns. But whatever happens, it’s a bad start when the first things they say about why Downing left are clearly not the truth. 

If you have a nomination for this week’s Loose Unit, or if you have any political news, stories or gossip (or any old pics of politicians or public officials) please email me at jeff@alaskalandmine.com.