In late October, Forrest McDonald filed a complaint to the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC) against the Alaska Democratic Party. McDonald alleged that the party was providing access to their Votebuilder system to candidates through Ship Creek Group without the candidates properly disclosing it.
According to APOC, “The crux of the Complaint is that the Party used Ship Creek as a third-party conduit to provide non-monetary contributions of Votebuilder access to Ship Creek clients.”
Ship Creek Group is a political consulting firm based in Anchorage that has run political campaigns statewide.
The recommendation from APOC staff says, “But the evidence shows that no contributions were made. In the case of the Republican and Independent candidates, access was never granted. In the case of the Democratic and Municipal candidates, the evidence shows that access was paid for at fair market value. Accordingly, staff recommends that the Complaint be dismissed.”
A Democratic operative said about the complaint, “It was all just a waste of everyone’s time, the one area in his life that Forrest McDonald seems to excel at.”
The final decision will be made by the commission. Their next meeting is on February 21, 2018.
McDonald unsuccessfully ran for the state senate last year as a Democrat against Natasha von Imhof. He later switched parties and is now run running for the state house as a Republican against Chris Tuck. He currently faces one other Republican in the primary, Connie Dougherty.
Below are links to: McDonald’s original complaint, the response from the Alaska Democratic Party, and the final staff report.
Original Complaint from McDonaldÂ
Alaska Democratic Party Response