From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage --

Tea Party Express chairwoman Amy Kremer, in Anchorage today to support Joe Miller’s Senate campaign, would not condemn her group's spokesman, Mark Williams, for his controversial blog post satirizing what he called “Colored People.”

Kremer said at a press conference that Williams, a California talk radio host who wrote the post on his own blog, was not speaking on behalf of the Tea Party Express when he wrote it.

Asked if the Tea Party Express condemns Williams, Kremer had this to say:

“Mark Williams is a former chairman (of the Tea Party Express), he resigned over a month ago to go focus on his own things. I am the chairman of Tea Party Express and we are here to focus on the good work that we do both on our tours and in these campaigns, and getting Joe Miller elected,” Kremer said.

Will he continue as spokesman for the Tea Party Express?

“While Mark Williams may speak on behalf of us in some circumstances and in some situations, and we may agree on some things, this is not one of the things that we agree upon and Mark Williams is speaking on his own behalf and his own behalf only,” she said.

I asked Kremer after the press conference why the group doesn’t disassociate itself from Williams.

“I’m not going to throw a fellow conservative under the bus. I don’t agree with what he wrote, I wish he hadn’t wrote it, but that’s not what we are here to focus on,” Kremer said.

From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage--

Tea Party Express chairwoman Amy Kremer is in Anchorage today to support Joe Miller's Senate campaign, as the group put out a statement attacking its expulsion from the National Tea Party Federation over a blog post about "Colored People."

Tea Party Express Coordinator Joe Wierzbicki put out a statement this morning saying his group is far larger than the federation, which he called "arrogant and preposterous."

"The "Federation" has enabled and empowered the NAACP's racist attacks on the tea party movement, and they should be ashamed of themselves," he said.

The NAACP passed a resolution saying Tea Party leaders needed to crack down on what it said were racist elements in the movement.

That prompted the blog post by talk radio host Mark Williams, spokesman for the Tea Party Express, and the group's chairman until last month.

Williams posted on his own blog a fictional letter from what he called "Colored People" to President Abraham Lincoln.

It began "Dear Mr. Lincoln."

"We Coloreds have taken a vote and decided that we don't cotton to that whole emancipation thing. Freedom means having to work for real, think for ourselves, and take consequences along with the rewards," the letter said. "That is just far too much to ask of us Colored People and we demand that it stop!"

The Miller campaign put out a statement saying Miller "disavows racism of any kind" and that Williams posted on his private blog "not directly linked with the Tea Party Express. We trust that organization in no way shares those views."

More on the controversy from the Chicago Tribune and the AP.

From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage --

The Tea Party Express, the group backing Joe Miller's campaign for the the U.S. Senate, was kicked out of the National Tea Party Federation this weekend after its spokesman wrote an offensive blog post about what he called "Colored People."

This comes as the California-based Tea Party Express plans a press conference in Anchorage tomorrow to talk about its new ads supporting Miller's Republican primary race against Sen. Lisa Murkowski. The Tea Party Express last week started what it said were $100,000 worth of radio ads supporting Miller, and promised to spend as much as a million dollars on the race.

A representative of the National Tea Party Federation, a group that seeks to represent the various Tea Party Groups, went on "Face the Nation" today to announce that the Tea Party Express was being expelled.

Conservative commentator Mark Williams, until last month chairman of the Tea Party Express and currently listed as spokesman for the group, wrote the blog post in response to an NAACP resolution saying Tea Party leaders needed to crack down on what it said were racist elements in the movement.

Williams' response was posting a fictional letter from what he called "Colored People" to President Abraham Lincoln. It began "Dear Mr. Lincoln."

"We Coloreds have taken a vote and decided that we don't cotton to that whole emancipation thing. Freedom means having to work for real, think for ourselves, and take consequences along with the rewards," the letter said. "That is just far too much to ask of us Colored People and we demand that it stop!"

Williams has taken down the blog post.

The Tea Party Express has said that electing Joe Miller over Lisa Murkowski is its top priority nationwide going into the Aug. 24 primary. Miller has welcomed the group's support, but stressed it is independent of his campaign.

The Tea Party Express has been an effective force in Republican primary races in the Lower 48 and has held bus rallies to generate support for the movement, some featuring Sarah Palin, Anne Coulter and other well known figures.

Update -- The Joe Miller campaign just put out a statement. Here's its entirety:

Joe disavows racism of any kind. He agrees with Dr. Martin Luther King's admonition not to judge anyone by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Mark Williams stepped down as a chairman of the Tea Party Express last month, in the wake criticism caused by earlier controversial remarks that he had made. His satire, "Letter to Lincoln," appeared on his private blog, not anything directly linked with the Tea Party Express. We trust that organization in no way shares those views.

From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage --

Bob Poe, who dropped out of the Democratic primary for governor last month, hasn’t been convinced any candidate from either party is worth endorsing at this point.

“What I’m watching for is somebody who can really speak to what I think the real challenge for Alaska is going to be, and that’s our economy,” he said.

He was critical of fellow Democrat Ethan Berkowitz’ plan to overhaul oil taxes, as I reported earlier.“I think it’s just something to kind of say, ‘I have a plan, and I have sort of a unique vision on things,”’ Poe said.

Here’s Poe's take at the end of last week on the other main candidates for governor:

Hollis French (D) – “I don’t know what Hollis is running for…I don’t hear him expressing a vision for where we ought to be going.”

Bill Walker (R) – “Bill Walker is talking about the economy but he’s only talking about one solution, but fervently, intelligently, passionately and I think a lot of people like that.”

Ralph Samuels (R) - “Ralph talks about the economy but he just complains about it, he’s just sort of angry and he doesn’t seem to have any real solution for what we ought to be doing. Just that AGIA was stupid and ACES is stupid and we’re spending too much money.”

Sean Parnell (R) --“Sean, he’s not saying a word, just being as careful as possible. And I think because (voters) are disengaged it’s definitely Sean Parnell’s to lose…unless somebody dislodges him and the only thing I think can do that is the economy, because people do care about that.”

From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage --

Republican challenger Ralph Samuels wants Gov. Sean Parnell to fire former state Sen. Gene Therriault, saying it’s not clear if Parnell ever got any legal advice on hiring legislators.

“Apparently the process of hiring legislators was handled in a slipshod manner, and the legality of doing so was not viewed seriously enough to even warrant a real legal opinion,” Samuels said in a statement emailed out this afternoon.

Samuels was referring to the Department of Law’s statement this week that there was nothing in writing to document its original advice Parnell that it was Ok to give a state job to former Rep. Nancy Dahlstrom. The department indicated it was verbal advice.

Dahlstrom resigned her job earlier this month after the Department of Law did what it said was a more thorough review. Attorney General Dan Sullivan said that second review found an “appreciable risk” a court would find the hire illegal.

The Alaska Constitution doesn’t allow legislators to take jobs created while they were in office.

Both Dahlstrom and Therriault resigned the Legislature to accept new positions with Parnell. Dahlstrom became a military affairs adviser, Therriault an energy adviser.

The Parnell administration maintained the hirings were legal because the jobs were not technically created until after the legislators resigned from office. Previous administrations hired state legislators in a similar way, the attorney general said.

After the Dahlstrom hire was criticized, Parnell wrote on his Facebook page that “before I took action and to do everything correctly, my staff sought the Department of Law’s advice on how to hire properly, my office relied on that advice and we followed that advice. Andree McLeod put in a public records request for copy of the advice.

Assistant Attorney General Alan Birnbaum responded that “we understand that the referenced advice was provided orally…accordingly, because no records are known to exist, this response represents a denial of your request.”

The Samuels campaign said that conflicts with the attorney general saying earlier on the radio that “some of it was oral, some of it ah, you know wasn’t oral, and I said I would like to see it and so I took a look…and it wasn’t super in depth.” That's when Sullivan promised to do the more thorough review.

Parnell has said he didn’t ask Dahlstrom to resign and that he wants Therriault to stay. They had relied on the position of the department of law, Parnell said, and were not at fault.

Parnell campaign manager Michelle Toohey said the attorney general has been clear that Parnell sought the advice of the Department of Law. She pointed to Sullivan’s conclusion that the governor’s office acted in good faith and consistently with the law as it was interpreted by the department.

From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage –

Eddie Burke is hopping mad that the Conservative Patriots Group, Alaska’s most visible Tea Party outfit, endorsed his opponent Mead Treadwell in the Republican primary for lieutenant governor.

Burke considers himself the Tea Party guy in the race. He put out a statement last night saying Treadwell has indicated humans cause climate change, has been a supporter of Lisa Murkowski, and made donations in the past to Matt Claman and Sheila Selkregg, Democrats who were on the Anchorage Assembly.

“Alaskans have the right to know to whom their candidates are donating and Alaskans have the right to know why the Conservative Patriots Group chose to endorse a candidate who goes against everything their organization stands for,” Burke said.

The Wasilla-based Conservative Patriots Group did put an explanation on its website. The group said that, while Burke is a conservative, Treadwell is “the more electable of the two conservative candidates in the general election.”

“Mr. Burke has made uncomplimentary remarks on his radio talk show about individuals on several different occasions. CPG believes these remarks will be used by his Democrat opponent and the liberal news media in an attempt to discredit Mr. Burke should he win the primary,” the group said.

The Conservative Patriots Group said Treadwell’s position on global warming came up during the vetting process but he eased the concerns.

Click below for more.

From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage –

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner did a story today discussing public records requests made to the Fairbanks borough by several media outlets, including the Daily News, for information about Joe Miller’s time working for the borough as an attorney.

Andrew Halcro, who supports Sen. Lisa Murkowski in her primary race against Miller, wrote on his blog that Miller was fired.

Miller’s campaign manager, former Anchorage Assemblyman Paul Bauer, then produced a resignation letter written by Miller last August, in which Miller said he was resigning because of differences with the borough, including what he said was an attempt to make him work on a case that represented a conflicted of interest with work he was doing for another client.

The Daily News asked the borough for more information about Miller’s departure, as well as his time working for the borough. The borough responded to me this week that it will provide “any disclosable documents” by the close of business Monday.

Below is the Associated Press pickup of the Chris Freiberg story from today’s News-Miner:

From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage –

The Alaska Department of Law’s original advice to Gov. Sean Parnell that it was legal for him to give a state job to former Rep. Nancy Dahlstrom was apparently verbal, with nothing in writing.

That’s the result of a public records request filed by Andree McLeod, who asked for a copy of the Department of Law advice Parnell wrote about on his Facebook page on June 14. He wrote “before I took action and to do everything correctly, my staff sought the Department of Law’s advice on how to hire properly, my office relied on that advice and we followed that advice.”

McLeod asked for a copy of the advice. She heard back today from Assistant Attorney General Alan Birnbaum. Birnbaum wrote “we understand that the referenced advice was provided orally…accordingly, because no records are known to exist, this response represents a denial of your request.”

Dahlstrom resigned the job earlier this month after the Department of Law did what it said was a more thorough review.

It found an “appreciable risk” that a court would find the hire illegal because of the Alaska Constitution’s prohibition on legislators accepting jobs created while they were in office. Gene Therriault, who similarly left the Legislature for a new job in the Parnell administration technically created after he resigned from office, remains in his position as an energy advisor.

From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage –

Lisa Murkowski brought in over a half million dollars in campaign contributions between April 1 and June 30, according to filings she’s making with the Federal Election Commission.

She reports a total of $2.37 million in the bank going into the Aug. 24 primary election.

Deadline to file quarterly reports with the FEC isn’t until tomorrow and I don’t have a full list of Murkowski contributors yet or numbers for her Republican primary opponent, Joe Miller.

But Murkowski’s summary page said she raised $501,419 in the three month period and spent nearly half as much over the same time.

Don Young is reporting $221,077 total cash in the bank. For the period between April 1 and June 30, he raised $151,284 but spent more than that.

The bulk of his spending was $150,000 to Hackney and Hackney for television ad buys.

Young didn’t report using any campaign cash for legal fees, and hasn’t this year, after spending over $1 million on a federal investigation that’s produced no charges.

Fundraising numbers for Young’s Republican primary opponent, Sheldon Fisher, aren’t in yet.

From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage --

The Tea Party Express is starting what it says will be $100,000 in radio ads for Joe Miller, saying it expects to "spend a sizeable amount that could approach $1 million" in total support for Miller's primary run against Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

The Tea Party Express has bashed Murkowski but didn't mention her by name in the first radio ad. It touts Miller's background, including his West Point degree and bronze star from the first Gulf War, and says the country is in crisis with deficits, bailouts, government run health care and more.

(Update -- As a commenter points out, the Tea Party Express ad says Miller was a "federal judge." Miller was a federal magistrate in Fairbanks. In the federal system magistrates are called "U.S. magistrate judge." It is different from federal district court and appeals court judges, who are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

Here's how the Federal Magistrate Judges Association describes it:

A United States Magistrate Judge is a federal trial judge appointed to serve in a United States district court for a term of eight years. He or she is appointed by the life-tenured federal judges of a district court, District Judges, who supervise the activities of the Magistrate Judges by assigning civil cases for jury or non-jury trial upon consent of the parties and for pre-trial matters. Similarly criminal cases are assigned to Magistrate Judges on the consent of the parties, except for the trial of felony cases.

From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage ---

The Joe Miller campaign is accusing Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski of ducking debates, saying the three events she's committed to don't give voters a real chance to judge the candidates.

The Murkowski campaign last week announced she'd participate in three events, an Aug. 10 Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce debate, an Aug. 11 Kenai/Soldotna Chamber of Commerce debate, as well as the Aug. 18 "Running" debate that's put on by KAKM public television and shown statewide.

“The Senate will be in session until August 7th,” Murkowski said in a press release at the time. “Alaskans elected me to defend our interests in the United State Senate, and that is where I will have to spend the bulk of my time until the August recess period begins.”

The Miller campaign today responded by saying she's agreed to "soft" debates, without real interchange between the candidates, and that Miller wants both town hall and formal debates. Miller is calling for four debates, at least one in Anchorage, and one before absentee voting starts on Aug. 9.

The Miller campaign said:

From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage –

Republicans running against each other for governor, lieutenant governor and Congress are co-hosting a fundraiser tonight at Bill Walker’s house for the ballot initiative to make doctors tell a teenage girl's parents before she could get an abortion.

The co-hosts include Gov. Sean Parnell and Ralph Samuels, both of Walker’s main opponents in the Aug. 24 Republican primary for governor.

Others signed up for the fundraiser are Don Young and Sheldon Fisher, running against each other in the Republican primary for Congress. GOP lieutenant governor candidates Jay Ramras, Mead Treadwell and Eddie Burke are also on board.

So is Joe Miller, who is running against Lisa Murkowski in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage –

Sealaska and the timber group Alaska Forest Association are taking swipes at Joe Miller, after the Republican Senate candidate said Lisa Murkowski should withdraw her bill giving Sealaska prime lands in the Tongass National Forest.

Miller told the Associated Press this week that Murkowski lacked transparency in drafting the bill and favored some constituent groups at the expense of others. "Clearly, citizens in Southeast Alaska feel they are not being heard," he said.

Sealaska and the Alaska Forest Association have issued a statement in response, in which Sealaska President Chris McNeil called Miller's statement "unfair, unfounded and uninformed.” McNeil said Sealaska had over 200 community meetings, and that Murkowski’s staff recently traveled to a dozen remote town meetings on the issue. Alaska Forest Association President Brian Brown added in the statement that “any Republican candidate in Alaska who opposes putting land to a productive use, should not count on the support of the Alaska Forest Association or Southeast industry.”

Miller told the AP he favors the transfer of federal land to Alaskans but believes all parties need a seat at the negotiating table. He said Murkowski failed to adequately make the bill available for review, just last week posting a revision on her website when faced with increased pressure to do so.

Murkowski says she's not rushing the bill and is committed to having an open process.

The Sealaska lands bill, which would give as much as 85,000 acres in the Tongass to the Native Corporation, is hugely controversial in Southeast Alaska. Opponents say it allows Sealaska to cherry pick lands that the communities depend on. Eight communities sent Murkowski a letter recently opposing the bill and suggesting she’s been less than forthright about revisions (Edna Bay, Port Protection, Point Baker, Thorne Bay, Naukati, Cape Pole, Hollis and Whale Pass signed the letter.)

Sealaska says that it was shorted the amount of land given to other regional Native corporations under the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and has been working with the communities and compromising on the lands it would select.

From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage --

Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced this morning she'll participate in three debates with Joe Miller, her challenger in the Republican primary.

The Miller campaign has been pushing Murkowski for debates, with his supporters saying she's ducking him. (Update -- The Murkowski campaign said it never received any formal request from the Miller campaign to schedule debates and has been working around Murkowski's Senate schedule to figure out when they can happen.)

Murkowski said she'll participate in an Aug. 10 Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce debate, an Aug. 11 Kenai/Soldotna Chamber of Commerce debate, as well as the Aug. 18 "Running" debate put on by KAKM public television and shown statewide.

The schedule means Murkowski won't be participating in any debates until just two weeks before the Aug. 24 Republican primary election.

“The Senate will be in session until August 7th,” Murkowski said in a written statement. “Alaskans elected me to defend our interests in the United State Senate, and that is where I will have to spend the bulk of my time until the August recess period begins.”

From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage –

Lisa Murkowski is expressing regret for her 2008 vote in favor of the Bush administration’s Wall Street bailout plan. That's one of the votes her Tea Party opponent Joe Miller has been criticizing.

The economic bailout plan was proposed near the end of the Bush term. Murkowski said at the time she had reservations but felt it was necessary to avoid a sharper economic downturn.

Murkowski says now that, while the plan was broadly favored by Senate Republicans and Democrats, she doesn’t think that it helped the economy and opposed further bailouts.

“If you look back and say, given what we know in hindsight would I have voted the same way, I probably would not,” Murkowski told me. “But you don’t have that clarity of the future at the time and so in subsequent votes I’ve exercised my concern.”

Murkowski and Miller meet in the Aug. 24 Republican primary.

SarahPAC has its first video out, and it’s getting lots of attention today.

Politico says it has the "feel of an early campaign spot." Marc Ambinder, writing at the Atlantic, is among those suggesting it’s a test for a potential 2012 run for president.

From Ambinder:

"As a rule, this column does not generally notice web videos, but this one is special. It's ... well, an advertisement, if you will, for brand Sarah, and the variant of brand Sarah that's gaining currency in the Tea Party heartlands..."

From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage –

Emil Notti is retiring tomorrow as commissioner of the state Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development.

The governor said today that he’ll be replaced in the job by Susan Bell, who has been a special assistant working with the department.

Notti, in his 70s, was first president of the Alaska Federation of Natives and a force behind passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1971.

He was nearly a Congressman after being nominated by the Democrats for the seat that came open with the death of Nick Begich. Notti lost to Don Young by only about 2,000 votes in that 1973 special election.

Bell, originally from Nome, is a shareholder of Bering Straits Native Corporation and Sitnasuak Native Corporation. She’s a former vice president for Goldbelt Inc., according to the governor’s office.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — U.S. Rep. Don Young has agreed to his first debate of the Republican primary.

It will be Aug. 10, in Fairbanks.Campaign officials say U.S. Rep. Don Young and Sheldon Fisher have both agreed to that debate, which would be the first of the Republican primary.

Young campaign manager Sara Schwan said additional dates are being looked at. Fisher's campaign had requested six debates leading to the Aug. 24 election.

The Division of Elections also lists Republican John R. Cox as a candidate. He didn't immediately respond to a message Wednesday.

From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage –

Gov. Sean Parnell wants to stay out of the Senate race between Lisa Murkowski and Joe Miller, and “visibly squirmed” when asked which he was favoring at a forum yesterday in Fairbanks.

That’s according to a report by Jeff Richardson in the
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Miller has the endorsement of Sarah Palin, who has been Parnell’s close political ally.

Here’s how the News-Miner described yesterday’s gubernatorial candidate forum, which included Parnell, Ralph Samuels, Bill Walker, Sam Little, Merica Hlatcu, Gerald Heikes and Hollis French:

One of the lighter moments came, amid audience chuckling, when Parnell visibly squirmed after being asked whether he supported Fairbanks attorney Joe Miller or Sen. Lisa Murkowski in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

Parnell eventually said he would give his support to whomever wins the primary, which was the same response that Walker and Little later gave. Samuels and Hlatcu said they support Murkowski, while Heikes endorsed Miller. French said he backs Democratic candidate Scott McAdams, the mayor of Sitka.

Ethan Berkowitz wasn’t there. He was speaking yesterday at a rally protesting the Sheraton Anchorage’s attempt to declare itself a non-union hotel as part of an ongoing labor dispute with workers.

From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage –

Lisa Murkowski says she has the endorsement of 20 Republican legislators, but Joe Miller says that just shows the Republican “old guard” is out of touch.

Murkowski’s endorsements include House Speaker Mike Chenault and Senate President Gary Stevens.

The others endorsing Murkowski are Charlie Huggins, Bert Stedman, Mike Hawker, Jay Ramras, Bill Stoltze, Alan Austerman, Lesil McGuire, Tom Wagoner, Kyle Johansen, Craig Johnson, Peggy Wilson, Cathy Munoz, Bill Thomas, John Harris, Kevin Meyer, Anna Fairclough, Charisse Millett and Paul Seaton.

“They are symptomatic of the pervasive problems facing our Republican Party,” Miller said after Murkowski released her list.

There are four Republican legislators endorsing Miller over Murkowski in the Aug. 24 primary -- John Coghill, Tammie Wilson, Fred Dyson and Wes Keller.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Levi Johnston has acknowledged telling lies about Sarah Palin and her family after splitting with the former Alaska governor’s daughter last year.

The 20-year-old tells People magazine in an online story posted Tuesday that since his untrue statements were made in public, “I owe it to the Palins to publicly apologize.”

It’s unclear which statements he was referring to, and Johnston couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Johnston tells People he was “a little angry” after breaking up with his former fiance, 19-year-old Bristol Palin, after their son’s birth in December 2008. He says that against his better judgment, he said things about the Palins that “were not completely true.”

Johnston says he has also privately apologized to Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, and her husband, Todd.