Homer Resident Paul Hannan recently returned from Alabama with a law degree and was previously a Kodiak setnetter. Now he is gearing up for another challenge: campaigning for Alaska’s U.S. House of Representative Seat against incumbent Congressman Don Young in 2016.
Hannan said the recent actions of Alaska’s oldest representative are troubling, citing an incident at Wasilla High School in 2014 where Young reportedly made dismal remarks about student suicides among other things.
Hannan: “This callousness, this insensitivity, it was alleged that he was cursing at students. For a Congressman to go deal with a crisis like this, a very sensitive crisis for Alaska because Alaska has the highest suicide rates in the nation, and make these insensitive comments I just thought was unthinkable, for a statesman.”
The 51-year-old Homer resident said he has no prior government experience but feels Alaskan residents are tired of life-long politicians.
Hannan: “I’ve started six businesses from scratch, I’ve worked on Wall Street, I’ve worked on Main Street, I’ve worked on many streets. So I have an enormous amount of experience to bring to the job, I have like a quarter million dollar law degree and I put a lot of effort into the and learned quite a bit about federal law and the courts and about how federal government structure works and the job of a statesman and I think it’s really essential. A statesman is a lawmaker.”
Two other candidates have registered with the state for the 2016 August primary election: Democrat Lynette Moreno-Hinz ran unsuccessfully for the state House in 2012 and John Cox ran against Young in 2014’s primary, garnering 14% of the vote.
Hannan faces a tough race in his campaign against Rep. Young who has won 21 straight races for his seat since 1973.
If elected, Hannan says his first act will be to put an end to the ridiculous federal overreach that is preventing a life-saving road from being built to Alaska’s southwest Aleutian community of Cold Bay.
He said he’ll also schedule a sit-down with Russian President Vladimir Putin to improve Alaska’s, and the U.S.’, relationship with the country, which he will achieve by the connections he has in the Russian Orthodox Church.
