Welcome to this week’s edition of the Alaska Stalker, a lighthearted roundup of the best and worst of Alaska’s social media landscape and political gossip.
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If you enjoy the Alaska Stalker, please consider supporting working moms like me by sending in hot tips, overheards, and spotted ins. You can reach me at akstalker@alaskalandmine.com. As always, thanks for reading.
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Check out U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski living her best life at the Alaska State Fair this week, hula hooping like a boss with TWO hula hoops. At the time of publication, this video had 16.7K views. Pretty sure I’m responsible for at least 15K. Two scoops, two hoops… Maybe President Trump and Lisa have more in common than they think.
Speaking of dear POTUS, remember this Tweet? Please, nobody remind him.
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Monday was Labor Day and dozens of politicos marked the occasion via social media. I sifted through them to find the best of the best. AFL-CIO Director of Operations, Joelle Hall, posted a photo of herself and former Worker of the World, Ruth Sheridan. Ruth is 101 years old and still attending events in support of worker’s rights. Wow!
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Rep. Sarah Vance kept it in the family by thanking her dad, Santa Claus, for teaching her the value of hard work. ??
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But it was Candidate for U.S. Senate, Dr. Al Gross, who took the cake by announcing his campaign’s plan to unionize. You can check out the video here. Is this the start of a new trend for political campaigns in Alaska?
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Monday marked the last day of the Alaska State Fair. We hope everyone had a “crazy good time.” And to Sarah Erkmann Ward, I respectfully disagree. Emojis are here to stay. They should be celebrated and used with wild abandon. ???
Rookie social media mistake, Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer. Pics or it didn’t happen.
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Thank you Rep. Geran Tarr for the record setting pumpkin post we deserve. Oh my gourd, it’s YUUUGE!
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While countless local politicians made it to our State Fair, one Anchorage Assemblymember cheated on us with the Minnesota State Fair. Austin, how could you?!
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Former candidate for Senate District E, (Yup, he ran against Mike Dunleavy in 2014) Warren Keogh, won 5th place at the State Fair’s “Giant Cabbage Weigh Off.” His 57.65 pound cabbage is hysterically named “Total Recall.” Warren donated the prize money ($75) to the Recall Dunleavy campaign. It’s what the cabbage wanted.
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While the recall petition has tens of thousands of signatures, the Stand Tall Alaska folks are also gaining momentum. 200 shirts and counting. ?
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Alaska Public Media reporter, Nat Herz, Tweeted a pic of Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s strong showing in the Democrat’s State Fair straw poll. Former Vice President Joe Biden is currently the front-runner in national polls. However, to the pleasure of many Alaska progressives, it seems like he’s underperforming in the Last Frontier.
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Rep. Andy Josephson isn’t letting the straw poll get to him and, for now, seems to be “Ridin’ with Biden.”
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If you follow Sen. Scott Kawasaki on Instagram, you may have seen a nice, G-rated post about his fall harvest. In the comments, he noted while he blanched some to freeze, his excess zucchini was lovingly given to the local food bank. What a role model.
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Over on Twitter Sen. Kawasaki posted the same pic, just with a different, spicier, caption. OMG. ?
***ease excuse my Type O.
Don’t let that smile fool you, Rep. Kelly Merrick is out for blood. In the midst of so much negative it’s good to see Kelly B positive and call attention to this life saving cause. I hope her post isn’t in vein. Please excuse my Type O.
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Speaking of Kelly, kudos to her staffer, Sorcha Hazelton, for fixing Rep. Andi Story’s flat tire on the spot. ? If you ever get a flat in Juneau, give Sorcha a call.
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I was out of town during the Anchorage Fire Department’s “Fill the Boot” drive for MDA and I’m still getting over it. ? Perhaps Rep. Sara Rasmussen, Alaska State Chamber President, Kati Capozzi, and I can make a personal firehouse call. ? ?
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Facebooking at 3:54AM?!!! If Rep. Sharon Jackson needs help falling asleep maybe she should do what I do and count recall signatures.
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After a long hiatus, Rep. DeLena Johnson has once again returned to Twitter. Let’s all enjoy another round of “Deep Tweets” by DeLena. Thank you, Rep. Johnson for being such a good sport. Viva la Deep Tweets!
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It’s time for another round of “Guess the Politician!” For those who need a hint, be sure to read last week’s Alaska Stalker. Readers may remember our “Stalker Scoop” about Anchorage politicians traveling to Chitose, Japan. Scroll to the end to find out the identity of this trio.
While we aren’t totally surprised it took him this long, Anchorage Assemblymember Felix Rivera has finally noticed that homelessness in Anchorage is “a huge issue.” ? We’re just going to leave this here.
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Public art is visual story telling; it provides a sense of place, time, and identity. And nothing says 2019 in Alaska more than a rouge PFD defender vandalizing a municipal art installation to complain about politicians stealing their dividend.
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Even though it’s beyond his district, we’re glad Assemblymember John Weddleton got the order of Lake Otis & Tudor right in the last post. We agree 100% with local comedian and radio personality, @ImMattMan.
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While Matt was getting super Anchorage, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski was getting super Alaska. Raise your hand if you’ve run into family at a local airport. ?
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A friendly Stalker reminder to think before you Facebook, especially if you’re a public figure. Alaska Support Industry Alliance CEO and former candidate for Anchorage Mayor, Rebecca Logan, pulled one out of the Suzanne Downing playbook and went after someone’s job.
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As you can imagine, the post didn’t go over well. Usually people just delete the offending post, refuse to acknowledge it, and move on. We have to hand it to Rebecca for giving Ross a very public apology. Since the brouhaha I’ve noticed a sponsored ad for Accelerate Alaska on my feed. Either the algorithm is getting REALLY good, or Ross is turning lemons into online engagement.
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Stalker Scoop: We’re hearing DPS Commissioner Amanda Price’s days may be numbered. In fact, the days she has left might match the days she’s actually shown up for work!
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Overheard at an Anchorage Dinner Party: “If Alaska had its own currency Sarah Palin would be on the half dollar for serving half a term.”
“Fine, but does that mean Don Young gets to be on the Forever Stamp?”
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Spotted at the Alaska State Fair: Nancy Meade, General Counsel for the Alaska State Court System, in a WaterWorks Forever Pool doing a 30 minute demo. OMG!
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Spotted at Steam Dot: Anchorage Assemblymember Fred Dyson.
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Spotted leaving Willawa in a hurry: Assemblymember Forrest Dunbar. Our tipster couldn’t help but add, “Run Forrest, run!”
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Guess the politician answer (from left to right): Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, Assemblymember Forrest Dunbar and Assemblymember Christopher Constant touring a facility in Chitose, Japan.
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The Alaska Stalker was born and raised in Alaska, and lives in South Anchorage with her husband, daughter, and son. She is not Jeff Landfield.
