Samuels' gubernatorial bid banking on business boost

[ccharles000]

An aggressive fundraising push aided by heavy hitters in Alaska business has Republican gubernatorial hopeful Ralph Samuels with more campaign cash in the bank than his incumbent primary rival, Gov. Sean Parnell. Republican Bill Walker, an Anchorage attorney, isn't far behind, setting up a high-dollar fight among the three for the GOP nomination.

Ethan Berkowitz raised the most money among the candidates running for the Democratic nomination for governor. Berkowitz brought in more than $128,000, including $10,295 from himself, and reported that he had almost $109,000 remaining in the bank as of Jan. 31. Berkowitz's supporters included labor unions and several well-known Alaska attorneys.

Tuesday was the state's deadline for candidates to report how much they've raised and spent through Jan. 31, in advance of the August primary election.

Parnell brought in the most campaign cash of any of the candidates -- more than $215,000 -- while Samuels raised $178,584. But Parnell has had about twice as long to collect contributions as Samuels, who didn't get in the race until Dec. 8. Parnell also spent more on his campaign, and his $125,175 remaining in the bank is a few thousand less than the Samuels campaign is expected to report in its accounts.

http://www.adn.com/news/politics/story/1142742.html

[Blue_In_AK]

1. Ralph Samuels is a creep.

He recently got all up in arms because Governor Sean Parnell (who is running for re-election) did a televised PSA against domestic violence, an extremely serious problem in Alaska.

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/ap_alaska/story/1129183.html

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The campaign manager for GOP gubernatorial hopeful Ralph Samuels says a nonprofit organization's advertisements featuring Gov. Sean Parnell are helping the incumbent's election campaign and should be stopped.

A spokeswoman for the governor said Monday he's just doing his job.

Parnell is featured in ads aired by the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.

Parnell in December announced he would take steps to address Alaska's high rates of domestic violence and sexual assault.

He also said he would tell his own family's story as part of a public education campaign encouraging Alaska men to "Choose Respect" for women and children.

Suzanne Armstrong of the Samuels campaign says Parnell's television ads unfairly aid his election campaign and the value of the ads could be viewed as an illegal campaign donation.

Parnell spokeswoman Sharon Leighow says Parnell has committed to do everything in his power to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault.

"It is the job of governor to protect public safety," she said.

and excellent commentary here: http://www.adn.com/opinion/comment/patkotak/story/1142486.html