Thanksgiving is on Thursday! I hope everyone has a great time with friends and family. The legislative session is less than two months from beginning. Senate vacancies left by the resignations of Mike Shower and Shelley Hughes should be filled soon, which will likely leave two Republican vacancies in the House. The Republican House minority is dealing with some serious internal issues, including the ouster of Representative Mia Costello (R – Anchorage) as minority this week. And longtime Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority board member Dana Pruhs, who served as chair for years, is off the board as of this week for reasons that are not yet known. 

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. I will be heading back this January. 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. 

Last night, Senator John Kennedy (R – Louisiana) spoke at the Sheraton in Anchorage for an Alaska Republican Party gala event. It was a packed room that included Senator Dan Sullivan (R – Alaska), Representative Nick Begich (R – Alaska), Governor Mike Dunleavy (R – Alaska), and dozens of legislators and gubernatorial candidates. Rick Green (Rydell) did a great job as emcee. Noticeably absent was Senator Lisa Murkowski (R – Alaska), whose name was not uttered once by any of the speakers. On a personal note, this was the first time in many years that I was either not kicked out of an Alaska Republican Party event or told I would be kicked out if I filmed or took pictures. So that was nice! I switched to Nonpartisan in 2020. But everyone was super nice and it was a great event. Minus a few of the introductory speakers who droned on for way too long (looking at you Senator Sullivan, big fan but 30 minutes was way too long!), it was a super fun event. Senator Kennedy killed it with his funny jokes and sharp wit. It was truly enjoyable watching him speak. 

Senate Republicans could vote on both vacancies at same time

The following is an excerpt from this week’s edition of the Alaska Political Report. You can click here for more information about the Political Report. A subscription is $1,299/year per organization. Discounted pricing is available for non-profits and government entities. Our coverage of the budget starts with the governor’s proposed budget, and we track everything in detail through the entire process. If you have any questions or would like to subscribe, please email jeff@akpoliticalreport.com.

Mat-Su Republicans from Districts 25 and 26 are set to meet on Sunday to decide on up to three names to send to GOP Gov. Mike Dunleavy to choose from to replace Shelley Hughes. Hughes resigned her Senate seat last week to focus on her campaign for governor. 

Note, they met today and sent the following names to Dunleavy to choose from: Cathy Tilton, Tom Bergey, and Gerrie Deal.

Hughes‘ most likely replacement will be Wasilla Republican Rep. Cathy Tilton, who is already running for the open seat. Palmer Republican Rep. DeLena Johnson told the Political Report she is not applying for the vacancy, and is running for re-election to her House seat. 

Mat-Su Republicans from Districts 29 and 30 met last week to send names to Dunleavy to replace Mike Shower. The three names they sent are Sutton Republican Rep. George Rauscher, Big Lake Republican Rep. Kevin McCabe, and Ryan Sheldon. Rauscher, who is already running for the seat, is the most likely replacement. 

Both replacements will need to be confirmed by a majority of Republicans in the Senate. With nine total (five majority, four minority), a minimum of five votes are required. The majority Republicans are in an interesting position as at least one of their members is required to confirm the replacements. If one is confirmed first and then immediately sworn in, the next replacement would need six votes as there would be ten total.  

But Kodiak Republican Senate President Gary Stevens told the Political Report he would prefer to have both nominees voted on at the same time. Stevens said the vote will be in-person and conducted by secret ballot. It would be easier for everyone to meet once instead of twice to vote on confirming the replacements. 

Stevens said he recommended this to Dunleavy, but acknowledged it’s ultimately up to him to decide if he chooses both replacements at the same time or separately. A source in Dunleavy’s office told the Political Report it is likely Dunleavy will choose both replacements early next week. 

Stevens said he does not want to drag out the process and prefers to meet sooner than later. If Dunleavy chooses the replacements on Monday, it’s possible the vote could take place the weekend after Thanksgiving, according to Stevens. 

If Dunleavy does choose Rauscher and Tilton, even with the majority advantage, neither should have an issue being confirmed. They are both respected and share similar political positions as Shower and Hughes. 

If Rauscher and Tilton are confirmed to the Senate, both of their House seats will become vacant. Republicans in their respective districts will then need to decide on names to send to Dunleavy for their replacements. It’s important to note that Dunleavy is not required to choose from the list. It’s feasible he could go off list if he is not happy with the names that are sent to him. 

We are watching the process closely and will have updates as they become available. 

House Republican drama

Representative Mia Costello is no longer the minority leader of the 19-member Republican minority. Costello told the Landmine she was approached by Representatives Will Stapp (R – Fairbanks) and DeLena Johnson (R – Palmer), who told her they had the votes to replace her. Stapp said that was true, but they were hoping she would make some changes. Regardless, it’s clear they had to votes to oust her and she decided to voluntarily step down. This is significant. Other than the speaker coup in the early 1980s, no one I spoke with could remember a time when a minority or majority leader waa ousted in the middle of a Legislature. The House minority is severally fractured and it’s not clear who will be their new leader, and how they will keep the group together. It could get very loose next session! 

To add more fuel to the fire, seven House minority Republicans had their names removed from an invitation to a fundraiser for Representative Frank Tomaszewski (R – Fairbanks). Their crime is they voted to override Governor Dunleavy’s veto of the education funding increase. They even removed Senator Mike Cronk (R – Tok), one of the most solid and Alaskan people in the Legislature! So much for a big tent. 

And to add even more fuel to the fire, three House Republican minority members showed up to a fundraiser for Republican Nick Capozzi, who is challenging Representative Jamie Allard (R – Eagle River), who is their colleague. Imagine just how lit those caucus meetings are going to be next session, that is if their group even holds together. If they lose just one member, they lose one of their five seats on the 11-member finance committee. If they lost three or four members, they will lose seats on committees with seven members. 

This Week’s Loose Unit 

There was a lot of competition this week, but one stood out. And it’s about as loose as it gets. This week’s Loose Unit is the lunatic and grifter Dorene Lorenz. After enjoying a nice state paid trip to Switzerland as chair of the Human Rights Commission (how or why Dunleavy put her on there is anyone’s guess but what an absolute joke), Lorenz threated to sue the Landmine for mentioning the scam she ran on blowing millions in state funds on the Jesse Lee Home, some that enriched herself. Lorenz threatened to sue me if I did not take this post down. I told her nope! 

She then filed a lawsuit for defamation, slander, and libel. She is representing herself, like a true idiot. She is suing me, the Landmine, Scott Jensen, and Paxson Woelber, co-owners of the Landmine. True psycho. No one has been served but she posted the complaint and her bullshit affidavit on Facebook, like an idiot. Note, anyone can sue anyone even for stupid and frivolous reasons. Just filing a lawsuit means nothing. If the actually ever serves me and this becomes real, I cannot wait to depose her and a lot of others who were involved in the Jesse Lee Home scam. 

There will be a lot more to come on this absolute Loose Unit Dorene Lorenz. But to get a complete picture of how looney she is, you can watch the following Landmine Live streams. This one starts at 12:12, “Another Republican Vacancy in the Senate and Dorene Lorenz Threatens to Sue the Landmine.” And this one is the whole thing, “Dorene Lorenz is a Lunatic with a Tenuous Grip on Reality.” This level of loose is rarely reached. 

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.