Republican Moderate Party of Alaska
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The Republican Moderate Party of Alaska is a political party in Alaska formed by Ray Metcalfe in 1986 as an alternative to what Metcalfe perceived to be a Republican Party dominated by the Religious Right. Only one candidate has ever won an election, a 2002 race for the state senate, but that candidate re-affiliated with the Republican Party the day after the election. The Republican Moderate Party has extensive litigation-related history, due in no small part to its minor party status. Previous cases have included ballot access rights and an early challenge to its name by the Republican Party of Alaska. After a record of success in the 1990s, its support has slowly dwindled, ending with just 0.63% of the 2002 gubernatorial election [1]. State law requires that 3% of registered voters vote for a party or be registered to it for recognition. A court challenge initially overturned this law, holding that it was more restrictive than what the state required of independent candidates, but resulted in the original law being upheld by the Alaska Supreme Court on the grounds that a party candidate has more impact than an independent candidate. [2]. The party has since been recognized by the state again. As of November 2006 there were 4,752 members statewide. [3]
[edit] Actions towards Ben Stevens
The party and its founder have been one of the major voices of criticism toward Ben Stevens, former state senate president and son of US Senator Ted Stevens. Allegations of collusion with oil companies and bribery ran for years[4], culminating with an FBI raid on the state senator's office[5] and his retirement from public life.
[edit] References
- ^ [1] Juneau Empire election results
- ^ [2] Ballot-Access report on court opinion
- ^ [3] Ballot-Access article on reinstatement
- ^ [4] Alaska Report story on allegations
- ^ [5] Anchorage Daily News reporting the FBI raid
[edit] External links
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