Everywhere I go in Alaska, I hear from people that they feel unsafe in their homes, in their businesses and their communities. Anchorage is battling violent crime and property crime like never before. Rural Alaska is struggling to keep our communities safe without adequate law enforcement officers. 

One-in-three Alaska villages have no local police. More than 70 Alaska communities — places with some of the highest rates of sexual assault in the U.S. — have no local police protection. That means, unlike most anywhere else in the United States, emergency help is hours or even days away. This is wrong. We need a fighter in Washington getting Alaskans the support we need. 

The ravaging effects of opioid addiction are tearing through our families and communities. Alaska has the country’s highest percentage of teen drug users and the second highest percentage of adult users. In Congress, I will fight to put an end to this epidemic and get support for Alaskans whose lives have been devastated. 

I will also protect Alaska’s right to bear arms. As an Alaskan who grew up in a family of responsible gun owners who taught me how to hunt, I understand the importance of preserving our second amendment and protecting Alaskans’ way of life.

+ Protecting our Second Amendment Rights

As an Alaskan, growing up in a family of responsible gun owners taught me to hunt and understand the importance of preserving our second amendment rights and protecting Alaskans’ way of life. We must protect Alaskans' right to bear arms, whether that be for hunting or for our safety.

+ PUBLIC SAFETY

One in three Alaska villages have no local police. Our State Troopers and Village Public Safety Officers are understaffed and underfunded. More than 70 Alaska communities — places with some of the highest rates of sexual assault in the U.S. — have no local police protection. That means, unlike most anywhere else in the United States, emergency help is hours or even days away.

There are ways that the federal government can support Alaska as we work to improve law enforcement in our communities. I support federal community policing grants that help cities and villages hire officers who can not only respond to crime as it happens but prevent crime with strong youth mentoring and local partnerships.

We need a strong re-entry program from prison and from drug treatment programs so people have the support they need to stay in recovery, find meaningful work, go back to school, reunite with their families and live full lives.

+ ATTACKING THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC

The ravaging effects of opioid addiction are tearing through our families and communities. Alaska has the country’s highest percentage of teen drug users and the second highest percentage of adult users.

In Congress, I will advocate for solutions that put an end to this epidemic and get support for Alaskans whose lives have been devastated, including:

  • Better funding for treatment and recovery programs
  • Strengthening re-entry support for people who have completed treatment, are returning to their communities, and need help to stay employed, sober and stable
  • Expanding access to mental health services to help people before they turn to self-medication as a way to deal with their suffering
  • Supporting solutions like Project Hope and recommendations of the Alaska Opioid Task Force to provide these folks with the attention and support they need to help everyone who needs it
  • Improving research and treatment of intergenerational trauma, which too often leads to drug abuse, violence, and suicide unless the cycle is broken