The snow has been coming down in Anchorage! Luckily, temperatures are finally forecast to go up later this week. The legislative session begins in nine days. I was in D.C. this week for some meetings and to say hi to the delegation. Two of three went really well! There’s been a lot of chatter that Democrat Mary Peltola is close to announcing a run to challenge Senator Dan Sullivan (R – Alaska). The filing period to run for the six Anchorage Assembly seats and two Anchorage School Board seats opens on January 16. And Republican gubernatorial candidate Dave Bronson says he is announcing his running mate on Wednesday (1/14/2026) in Fairbanks.  

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 will be heading back soon for my eighth session. 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. 

Landmine in D.C. 

I spent three days in D.C. this week for some meetings. Shout out to my friend Luke Miller and his family for letting me crash. I was there trying to sell subscriptions to the Alaska Political Report and to say hello to some friends. 

Larry Burton, Senator Sullivan’s chief of staff, was extremely welcoming. I got to see Amanda Coyne and Joe Byrnes, who I have known for a long time, and also got to meet several of the other staff in the office. Sullivan is temporarily in a basement office that has a real Soviet vibe to it. His current office is undergoing some work. 

Larry took me to lunch in the Senate Dining Room. To dine there you have to be either with a senator or chief of staff. We got sat right next to Senator Bernie Sanders (I – Vermont)! There were several other senators there as well. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D – New York) came by to say hi to Larry and shook my hand. It was a surreal experience. Thanks to Larry for giving me the red carpet treatment! 

The next day I stopped by Senator Lisa Murkowski’s (R – Alaska) office to say hi. Unfortunately, I did not get the same kind of of welcoming I received from Sullivan’s office. I have some friends who work in her office that include Grace Kubitz, Joe Plesha, and Logan Basner, some great people I was hoping to see.

When I walked in the office an older boomer couple was in front of me. They told the girl at the front desk how happy they were with Murkowski’s vote against President Donald Trump on his war powers in Venezuela. The woman told her to tell Murkowski, “Hands off Venezuela! Hands off Cuba! Hands off Colombia! And hands off Greenland!” She then identified herself as part of some “nonpartisan” civic action group, right before saying how bad the MAGA Republicans are. 

Anyhoo, when they were done ranting I asked if Joe Plesha was available. A few minutes later he came out. I wanted to say hello and check in with him about a dinner I had planned for some Alaskans that night. Plesha, her communications director, informed me about a recent Truth Social post from President Trump that went after Murkowski and four other senators for the Venezuela vote. He said they were dealing with that. 

Plesha then invited to show me around the office. It’s been six years since I was last in D.C. so I was happy to take him up on that. When he opened the door to the office, he told Kristen Daimler-Nothdurft (KD), Murkowski’s executive assistant and scheduler, that he was going to show me around. She immediately said, “Absolutely not! This is not a good time!” It was very loose.

I have since spoken with several other Alaskans, many way more important that me, who described similar experiences with KD. What a welcoming person! If you are planning on going to D.C. to see Murkowski, may I suggest doing it when this KD is on vacation. 

Plesha did an immediate 180 and showed me back to the waiting area. Plesha was cool but basically signaled it was time to go. I later found out that Murkowski was on the phone with other senators about the Trump post. They were also mad about this Landmine tweet from the day before. It describes a meeting with Tlingit & Haida President Richard Peterson who was looking for even more federal handouts. Maybe my next visit will be a better experience. Assuming KD is not around…

After the Murkowski experience, I walked half a mile to Representative Nick Begich’s (R – Alaska) office. Begich was just starting a meeting when I walked in. I asked to see Michael Horanburg, Begich’s chief of staff. We hadn’t met in person yet but we had spoken on the phone. Like me, Horanburg is from New Mexico. We have a few common connections in New Mexico. As I was waiting to meet with Horanburg, some of Begich’s staff came by to introduce themselves to me. Silver Prout, his communications director, was especially friendly and welcoming. 

I then met with Horanburg for twenty minutes. We talked about New Mexico, his experience in D.C., and how he got the job with Begich. He’s an extremely smart and professional person. During our meeting these kind of sirens were going off. I thought it was an alarm, but Horanburg told me it’s to signal members for an upcoming vote. 

When Begich was done with his meeting, he invited me into his office to meet. We had a great talk and I was very appreciative of the time he gave me. He even showed me a huge commemorative coin from the White House that Trump gave him! 

Maybe Mary?

There’s been a lot of chatter that Mary Peltola may soon be making an announcement about what she plans to do. Peltola and her former chief of staff Anton McParland have not answered calls or texts inquiring about her plans. 

So what is Peltola planning on doing? Everything points to her challenging Senator Sullivan. Here are some facts.  

Peltola and McParland have been enjoying lucrative salaries from the lobbying firm Holland & Hart since they started working there in March. But they have brought in little to no business, so that can’t last too much longer. 

Peltola is not a hard worker. Running for governor in a huge field would be a lot of work. She would also need to choose a running mate. But winning would be even more work. Having to appoint more than a dozen commissioners, deal with the Legislature, and navigate all the issues the state is facing (fiscal, dividend, energy, education, infrastructure, and more) will be incredibly hard for the next governor.

By comparison, running for U.S. Senate would be much easier. It would be her vs. Sullivan. She would be praised by Democrats and progressives and would raise a ton of money. Winning would not be likely but if she pulled off the upset, being a senator would be less work and a lot more fun than being governor. And if she loses she will easily get another cushy gig with some lobbying or consulting firm as a reward for challenging Sullivan. 

Other Happenings 

President Trump hosted the heads of several oil companies at the White House this week to talk about Venezuela. Jeff Hildebrand, owner of Hilcorp, and Bill Armstrong, owner of Armstrong Oil & Gas, attended. Both have done extensive business in Alaska. Nat Herz has a great piece in his Northern Journal about the meeting. The best part came from Armstrong’s lobbyist, Ashley Reed: 

“If Hildebrand takes his money down there, and Bill, we don’t have much left, except ConocoPhillips,” Reed said.

In his own correspondence with Armstrong this week, Reed added, the oil executive said some of the arguments against investing in Venezuela could also be made about Alaska.

“Enormous, resource-rich areas. Erratic fiscal policy. Government seemingly unwilling to initiate meaningful reforms,” Reed said. “How is that different from Maduro’s policies — where he wants it, and he just takes it?”

Armstrong goes from meeting with Trump to appearing on a sports podcast giving advice to a fellow billionaire. I wish he could run for Alaska governor!  

This is interesting. Representative Elexie Moore (R – Wasilla) is replacing Representative DeLena Johnson (R – Palmer) on the House Finance Committee. Johnson, who was recently chosen as minority leader, is giving up her spot on the finance committee. This is the opposite of the Senate minority. Senator Mike Cronk (R – Tok) was also recently chosen as minority leader, but he is keeping his seat on the Senate Finance Committee.

I guess Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance did not think it was worth mentioning that her new communications director is married to Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case.  

Dave Bronson says he is announcing his running mate in Fairbanks later this week. Whoever it is, it will definitely be someone with nothing to lose and who is unaware the odds of winning are very low.  

This Week’s Loose Unit 

There were several good candidates this week. But one really stood out. This week’s Loose Unit is the Department of Natural Resources Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation. 

In a recent public notice for an RFP, they are asking for bids for an online reservation system for the Alaska State Parks “for no cost to the State of Alaska.” Yes, you read that right. They actually say, “The state has NO funding available for this project.” Maximum loose.

They go on to say all costs, with the exception of credit card transaction fees, will be charged directly to the customer. It’s not clear if that means the vendor can recover costs from that. But what is clear is this is a perfect example of the Alaska mentality: make someone else pay for it! Classic Loose Unit behavior.  

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.