Alaska Politics Blog

This is the place to talk about Alaska politics -- state, local, national. Public life in the Last Frontier has probably never been more interesting -- the governor is a national figure in the wake of her 2008 run for vice president, Anchorage faces a heated mayoral race, we have a new U.S. senator, and the usual hardball Alaska politics. Come here for news, tidbits and information, and join the discussion. We encourage lively debate, but please keep it civil and stay on point. Don't use profanity, make crude comments or attack other posters. Posts that violate the Terms of Use will be deleted. Repeat offenders will lose their ability to post comments.


Erika Bolstad

Erika Bolstad covers Alaska issues, including the congressional delegation, from Washington, D.C., for McClatchy Newspapers. Before joining the bureau in 2007, she spent seven years as a reporter at the Miami Herald, where she covered politics, government and the state legislature. E-mail Erika at ebolstad@adn.com.

Sean Cockerham

Sean Cockerham writes about Alaska state politics and is covering the 2009 legislative session. He's worked for the ADN in Anchorage and Juneau, covered the legislature for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, and covered Washington state politics for the Tacoma News Tribune. E-mail Sean at scockerham@adn.com

Kyle Hopkins

Kyle Hopkins covers rural affairs, general assignments and politics for the ADN. He covered the 2006 campaign for governor, has blogged extensively about Alaska politics, covered Anchorage city government and was a reporter based in the Mat-Su. He grew up in Southeast Alaska and previously wrote for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and Anchorage Press. E-mail Kyle at khopkins@adn.com and also find him on our rural Alaska blog, The Village.

Don Hunter

Don Hunter covers Anchorage city government and politics. He is a longtime ADN reporter and editor and wrote for the Anchorage Times. E-mail Don at dhunter@adn.com

David Hulen

David Hulen, the ADN's assistant managing editor for news, is responsible for state and local news coverage in the ADN, including politics. He has been an editor and reporter at the ADN for more than 20 years. E-mail David at dhulen@adn.com

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Alaska political corruption

The FBI raided state legislature offices in Aug. 2006, and the fallout since has been epic in Alaska's political world.

Gov. Sarah Palin coverage

Complete coverage, video and photo galleries of Gov. Sarah Palin as she commands and navigates the world of Alaska politics.

An only-in-Alaska tale: how Murkowski heard Palin's news - 7/6/2009 4:51 pm

Palin gone fishing. Next: Kotzebue? - 7/6/2009 12:32 pm

Does Palin have the VP Jinx? - 7/6/2009 10:20 am

UPDATE: Palin to resign as governor - 7/3/2009 10:04 am

Palin gets Sitting Duck Award - 7/2/2009 12:47 pm

French files intent to run for governor, says it doesn't mean he's running - 7/1/2009 6:00 pm

Troopergate looks to have dominated state costs for ethics complaints - 7/1/2009 8:43 am

Palin sparks internal GOP warfare. Again. - 7/1/2009 8:03 am

Sullivan names spokesperson, city attorney - 6/30/2009 3:30 pm

Sean Parnell questions Young's candidacy - 6/30/2009 3:02 pm

Cabinet secretaries to visit Alaska on rural tour - 6/30/2009 2:17 pm

Judge in Stevens' trial: Do federal prosecutors have a pattern of mishandling evidence? - 6/30/2009 2:05 pm

Vanity Fair: Palin’s life has sometimes played out like an unholy amalgam of Desperate Housewives and Northern Exposure - 6/30/2009 7:52 am

Palin's PAC: "Please also encourage your friends and family to give" (Updated) - 6/29/2009 12:40 pm

Weyhrauch case to be heard in front of Supreme Court - 6/29/2009 9:26 am

Do you know where your governor is? A state-by-state rundown - 6/27/2009 5:21 pm

Palin in Kosovo: videos - 6/26/2009 6:55 pm

Palin in Kosovo - 6/25/2009 3:47 pm

Murkowski elected to Senate GOP leadership role - 6/25/2009 12:09 pm

Pew poll: Palin popular among Republicans but polarizing - 6/24/2009 12:29 pm

Palin leaves country for troop visit - 6/24/2009 10:52 am

Begich, like Murkowski, asked Sotomayor about guns - 6/24/2009 9:11 am

Tuesday audio from the Stevens trial

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From David Hulen in Anchorage --

More phone calls were played for the jury in the Stevens trial today. The calls were FBI wiretaps of Bill Allen.

2/2/06

Phone call from Bob Persons to Bill Allen. Stevens’ longtime Girdwood friend, Persons, calls the Veco chief. Allen explains plumbing work Vecoo has had done on Stevens’ house. Referring to the billing, Allen says: “With Ted, we’ve got to be real careful.” Persons replies: “Absolutely. I mean, t hey’re raking him over the coals about anything they can.”

2/2/06

Another portion of the same call between Persons to Allen. They talk about the race horse partnership they’re involved in with Stevens and other Alaska businessmen. Persons says: “As Catherine says, ‘Ted gets hysterical when he has to spend his own money.’ … The flip side of that is he can’t really afford to pay a bunch of money, I don’t think.”

2/16/06

Call to Bill Allen from his secretary, Linda Croft. She says there’s “an e-mail from Ted...Basically he wants to know about that plumbing bill on his place.“ He’d gotten a bill from the plumber, it said “Labor paid by Bill,” and Stevens is asking for an invoice so he could pay that, she says.

2/16/06

Later that day, call from Bill Allen to Bob Persons. Allen explains that Stevens had been sent a bill for the plumbing and it said Allen paid for the labor. Persons is alarmed and Allen’s not pleased. “I didn’t want everybody to know,” says Allen. “We don’t need this thing floating around,” says Persons. “No!” says Allen. "We need to get the guy at Chugach Sewer & Drain to make that disappear from his records," Persons says. Then they work out a plan to get Stevens to write Allen a check for the exact amount but not cash it. “And then if it ever did come up," Persons says, "you can say, 'I didn't deposit that? Hell, I know I did. I don't know where it went.' "


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