Alaska Independent Tries Again to Topple House Dean Don Young

Emily Wilkins- January 28 2020

Defeating the longest-serving Republican in the House is a tall order for a Democrat — so the party is banking on an independent, again.

In a state where more than half of voters in 2018 were unaffiliated or nonpartisan, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee this month added the race, as well as five others, to its targeted districts list. That followed the Alaska Democratic Party’s endorsement of independent Alyse Galvin to take on the dean of the House, Rep. Don Young (R), who has held the state’s sole congressional seat for 47 years.

The state party amended its rules in 2016 to allow nonpartisan candidates to run in Democratic primaries and win the nomination. Two years later, Galvin became the first independent to do so, then lost to Young by 7 percentage points. The difference this year, supporters say, is that Democrats and independents are more united, citing Galvin’s lack of a primary challenger and the full support of the party.