Andrew Halcro stood in front of Barnes & Noble in Anchorage last night, maybe about 9 p.m., collecting signatures to help put him on the ballot. There was a little rain but plenty of leftover sunlight. People seemed to recognize him – tall man, dark suit – from his television spots.

Halcro has said all along that his race really begins after the primary, once people start thinking about the general election. (As an independent, he skips the Aug. 22 ballot, but has to have enough signatures to get in the Nov. 7 match-up.)

So how’s it going so far? Halcro said he has over 2,000 of the more than 3,000 signatures he needs. He has less than two weeks to get the rest but says he’ll get it done.

For Halcro, the winner of the Republican primary is important. He’s a candidate who talks about breaking away from politics as usual, meaning he might match up better against an incumbent like Murkowski than a challenger like Palin.

Also, three items:

-- Murkowski’s campaign announced an endorsement by the National Rifle Association. Here’s the letter from the association, as it appears on Murkowski’s Web site:

(LETTER BEGINS)
August 3,2006
The Honorable Frank Murkowski
P. 0. Box 1195
Anchorage, AK 99501

Dear Governor Murkowski:

On behalf of the tens of thousands of National Rifle Association Members in Alaska, I am pleased to announce your National Rifle Association - Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) endorsement for the August 22, 2006 Republican Gubernatorial Primary Election.

Your exemplary record of service as U.S. Senator and Governor of Alaska clearly illustrates your commitment to protecting the rights of law-abiding firearm owners and sportsmen. You have proven time and again to be a close ally and friend of Alaska's freedom-loving firearm owners.
Based on your years of service in the defense and support of the Second Amendment, and your firm pledge to continue to protect the Right to Keep and Bears Arms, you have earned an 'A' rating from the NRA-PVF. This rating and endorsement information will be accessible by all NRA members through our website, www.NRAPVF.org, prior to the August 22 Primary Election. Please feel free to communicate your Primary Election rating and endorsement as you deem appropriate.

I wish you the best of luck in your campaign for Governor.

Sincerely,
Chris W. Cox
Chairman, NRA-PVF
(LETTER ENDS)

-- The National Education Association – Alaska asked each candidate detailed questions about things like school funding, public employee retirement benefits and teacher recruitment. Click here to see the answers.

(Incidentally, the AARP won’t be sending out candidate surveys until the general election.)

-- A reader sent this link to the Washington Post, where under Binkley’s credentials the newspaper lists a B.A. from Western Michigan University. Oops. Binkley attended classes there but didn’t graduate. His Web site doesn’t specifically say he graduated from the school, though a visitor might make that assumption.

“Murkowski isn't the only one to incorrectly interpret John Binkley's resume,