By Duncan Baumgarten Aqua blue chairs hugged against the black round tables. Purple and white napkins sat folded neatly inside of glasses. Posters of “partners”, or corporate sponsors, hung behind the front table. Cameras and photographers lined the back wall, eyes and lenses trained at the front. Long tables with black tablecloths, microphones, and pitchers of water were textbook political discussion fare. On October 16, the Carlson Center in Fairbanks hosted the US House of Representatives Candidate forum. Congressman Don Young was the first to enter the room, fifteen minutes before the event officially began. He talked with a few constituents who had already arrived, and were seated at the round tables costing $300 each. With a checkered shirt, Alaska state seal pin, and a well-trimmed beard, he listened intently to the majority elderly population in attendance. Alyse Galvin, his opponent, hadn’t even taken her plum purple jacket off before walking over to speak to the constituents in the back row. She shook hands, had short conversations, and even shared the occasional hug with her possible constituents. Young did not visit the back row. As opening statements began, Galvin thanked the audience for coming, and made it clear that the state “needs new leadership in Congress”. She was running to “serve the people of Alaska”. She mentioned Young’s tendency towards partisan issues. Young declared himself a “big believer in individual rights”, and assured that he knew how to “get things done”. The first question posed to the candidates concerned national military spending. “Whoever controls Alaska, controls the world,” said Young. “We need a strong military. If we don’t, we can’t protect the rights of Alaska, or the world.” The Master of Ceremonies, Vice President of Shannon and Wilson, Christopher Darrah, asked Young about improvements to the congressional delegation. “Elect me,” Young replied, with a smile. He was met with sparse applause. “We need the right people in the right places,” said Galvin. “We must have readiness facing Russia.” The candidate to candidate question, posed to the congressman by Ms. Galvin, pertained to the elephant in the room: Young’s affiliations with PACs, special interest groups, and his tendency to “take meals from lobbyists”.
“If I didn’t take money, I couldn’t run a campaign,” said Young, and returned to his audience, promising that as long as they asked, he would deliver. He implied that Galvin also took money from “outside”, meaning outside the state, and special interest groups. His opponent prides herself on her independence from corporations and big business. Galvin rebutted, bringing up a statistic of “2%” of her campaign funds came from PACs, with Young’s at “47%”. Additionally, Young totalled “67% out of state donations”. Galvin did not disclose her sources for said statistics. She proudly stated that she received her money from people, not big business. “It’s not about Don Young,” he admitted, “Who can do the best job?” Galvin said that “Alaskans are ready for a new voice.” Young attempted to rebut again, but was denied. Another highlight of the afternoon came from Don Young’s question to Galvin. Young has been a Congressman and Alaska’s US representative since 1973. For perspective, this means Richard Nixon was president when he first was elected, and had not yet resigned. Young asked Galvin to identify out of the “81” laws that he helped pass, which ones she took issue with. Galvin commended him on “half a century” of service. She returned to the issue of Young’s corporate affiliations, and questioned if he was passing laws in the state’s best interest. The panel moved to audience questions. The first concerned access to affordable healthcare. Don Young came out aggressively in favor of eliminating the Affordable Care act, calling it the “wrong thing to do to America”. He decisively said that it should be “scrapped”, and that legislators should return to the drawing board. Galvin went on the offensive, calling out Young for having two years to fund a response to Obamacare. “You can’t get rid of something if you have nothing to replace it with,” she said. At this point, both candidates had used their “yellow cards”, or rebuttal cards, the alloted two times. However, Young repeatedly attempted to bypass the limitation. Following a question about Alaska’s navigable waters, he tried to once again evoke his yellow card privilege, which was met to thunderous opposition by the audience. Galvin capitalized on Young’s irreverence. “It’s time for a leader who’s calm, collected, listens, and learns,” she said, promising that she would “listen to the experts”. Closing statements began. “It’s never been about Don Young,” repeated the congressman. “I’ve never let you down.” Young promised that he was standing up for Alaska. “This is about rights,” he reiterated, “We are a state of the Union, not a state of the federal government.” “I am who I am,” he concluded, “and I always will be.” Galvin asked the audience if, after electing Don Young, “are you getting your end of the bargain?” She cited a deficit rise, cuts of programs, and special interest issues. “I am not taking a dime from special interest groups,” she promised, and declared that “we cannot address new challenges the old way.” “I’m running because it’s time for a change,” said Galvin. The Midterm Elections will be held on November 6. If you are 18, register to vote with Ms. Gallaway.
1 Comment
Gallaway
10/25/2018 01:53:20 pm
Powerful writing! I felt as if I were there. Candidate forums in the afternoon that you pay to go... glad you made it.
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