The candidates for two Interior Senate seats have raised more than half a million dollars during their respective campaigns.
Senate District P candidates Republican Leslie Hajdukovich and Democrat Incumbent Scott Kawasaki raised a combined $361,402.13 while Senate District R candidates Republican Mike Cronk, undeclared Savannah Fletcher and Alaska Independence candidate Robert Williams have raised $215,930.52 combined, according to data from the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC).
Republican Mike Cronk, who represents House District 36 in the Alaska Legislature, has raised $95,575.28. Cronk has raised more than a third, or $34,205, of his income in Anchorage and about 23%, or $21,796.52, of his income in the Fairbanks area. People from his home town of Tok have donated just under $6,000. About $1,950 of Cronk’s donations have come from Outside.
Cronk’s donors give $427 on average, while 26 donors have given at least $1,000. His biggest supporters have been Capital City Republicans donating $4,565 and Alaska Republicans Inc. donating $5,000.
Cronk has taken in $6,750 from PACs, including the Republican Women of Fairbanks, Anchorage Republican Women’s Club, Mat-Su Republican Women’s Club, Alaska Trucking Association, ABC Alaska, Alaska Sea Pilot PAC, Alaska Hospital and Healthcare Association and ConocoPhillips employees.
Sen. Shelley Hughes and Reps. Dan Saddler, Tom McKay and Mike Prax have also donated to Cronk.
Cronk has spent $43,807.73. His campaign spending reports show that he has been hitting the road more than other candidates. Cronk has spent $1,825.20 in gas and travel expenses. He also spent $7,061.96 on Imperial Independent Media for website construction, social media channels, campaign consulting, campaign signs and office supplies.
Cronk had to forfeit $2,614.17 to APOC in September.
Undeclared candidate Savannah Fletcher, an outgoing Fairbanks North Star Borough assemblymember, raised $120,355.24. Approximately 35% of her income, or $42,350, has come from Fairbanks and 34% of her income, or $41,455, has come from donors with Anchorage addresses. Approximately 7%, or $9,300, of donations have come from Outside. Twenty-six people or organizations have donated at least $1,000 to Fletcher’s campaign. Her biggest supporters have been $7,000 from Justin Weaver, a private wealth manager in Anchorage, $11,500 from the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, $10,000 from Anchorage attorney Robin Brena. Current legislators such as Senators Scott Kawasaki and Matt Claman and Representatives CJ McCormick, Rebecca Himschoot, Sara Hannan and Ashley Carrick donated to Fletcher.
Fletcher has received $7,500 in support from PACs and unions, including the AFL-CIO, Alaska Hospital & Healthcare Association, NEA-Alaska PACE, IUOE Local #302, Golden Heart PAC, Alaska Laborers PAC Local #341, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union #1547 PAC, Alaska Laborers Political & Education Committee Local 942. She also returned $1,000 to the Public Employees Local #71 Supporting League PAC.
She has spent $42,883.92. Her top expenses have included $5,885.40 to Last Frontier Media for radio airtime, $5,696.20 to Anchorage-based Color Art Printing for postcard mailers and thank you notes, $5,338.47 to Advance Printing in Fairbanks for highway signs and yard signs, $3,500 to Ship Creek Group for campaign media, strategy, fundraising and management, $2,000 to Adam Wurster in North Pole for design services and $1,050.79 to Meta Platforms for online advertising.
Alaska Independence candidate Robert “Bert” Williams has raised nothing for his campaign. He spent $30 to file with APOC in May.
