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I launched this campaign on January 12 of this year, less than seven months ago. From day one, my message has been clear: It’s time to put Alaska first.
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We held our first campaign event just a few days later in Anchorage. A few days after that, we traveled to Fairbanks. Then Juneau, then Bethel, then villages across Western Alaska – and we’ve been all over the Last Frontier since!
Today, in honor of kicking off the last two weeks before our open primary election, I wanted to talk through some of my favorite parts of the past year in Alaska – and what they say about our campaign.
In March, we kicked off the Iditarod in downtown Anchorage.
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The Iditarod is one of my favorite Alaska traditions. And there are lessons we learn from dog mushing that apply to this race now.
Just like a dog sled team, as long as we all pull in the same direction, we can overcome any challenge and win this thing. It’s all about the team.
It’s never a smooth course to the finish line. But when a team works together and pulls in the right direction, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish. Jessie Holmes proved that when I saw him in Nome after he crossed the finish line first after racing for more than 9 days across the Alaska tundra!
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And then last month, I traveled home to Bethel to put up fish for my family, on the same waters I’ve fished since I was a child. Decades have passed, but I’m still spending long days putting up fish at fish camp each summer, only now it’s my kids and grandkids beside me.
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This year was different, though: The Alaska I knew growing up – a place of abundance, where there were more than enough fish, game, and migratory birds to fill everyone’s freezers – is slipping away. Now, we have scarcity.
It’s mind-blowing, and heartbreaking. When I started fishing on the Kusko, six salmon returned for every spawning fish. Today, the return rate is less than one. Closed or restricted fisheries are becoming the norm instead of the exception.
Being at fish camp this summer was a stark reminder of why this race is so important – our way of life is slipping away, and it’s up to us to save it.
Then this past weekend, I went down to Ninilchik with two of my sons for Salmonfest – the biggest music festival in Alaska! This year was their fifteenth anniversary, and it was incredible to see so many people come together for good music – and even better causes.
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In addition to showcasing great music, Salmonfest does incredible work to uplift and protect the salmon population in Bristol Bay, which so many fishermen rely on.
Being there and hearing from festival organizers and attendees about their wonderful work was so inspiring – and it reminded me of what I’ve been saying since the start: Alaskans are ready to save ourselves.
The next three months aren’t going to be easy. The billionaires and corporate special interests that run the show in DC are going to mobilize in full force to drown out our movement and stop us from fixing the rigged system. They don’t care if Alaskans get crushed, so long as they can continue lining their own pockets.
I’m sick and tired of watching Dan Sullivan sell us out in DC, and I’m ready to take back our state and fight for our future – which starts with our first face off against him in our open primary on August 18. But if we’re going to pull this off, I’m going to need you with me.
This state is my home. And the Alaska I know doesn’t back down from a tough fight. That’s how I know that we are going to win.
Let’s go! 🐟❤️🇺🇸
- Mary
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