Update at 1:24 p.m.: Representative Gary Knopp has responded with the following letter to Randy Daly and the District 30 Republicans:
Dear Mr. Daly,
I am a Republican but perhaps I’m a different brand of Republican than you and your team. I’m a Republican who believes in conservative values and one of those values is being honest. Your open letter to me fails to meet that standard. You misrepresented the facts. I was, in truth, never censured by District 30 Republicans, which requires a motion and an affirmative vote.
That never occurred.
I represent all of my constituents, not just a handful of short-sighted individuals. Many people in our party have divergent views on many issues that will face the Legislature next session. It’s important that all Republican voices are heard. The reality is that it is you and your team that are out of step with the majority of Republicans. Most of us are hardworking, compassionate people who know that it is working together not rancor and extreme viewpoints that bring results. The way to promote conservative values is to be the party of inclusion, not division.
That is how things get better.
If you are paying attention, you know that our economy has taken a double hit with a steep decline in the price of oil and a worldwide, job-destroying pandemic. Petulant and petty politics, as displayed in your letter, is not going to save our businesses and jobs. This is a time for all of us, as Republicans and Alaskans, to come together to solve serious problems. Of all the candidates running in District 30, I’m best positioned to save those jobs and businesses. I have the skills, experience and relationships in the Legislature to do just that. I don’t know why you would fight against someone as qualified as I am unless you simply don’t have our community’s best interest in mind.
In addition, I’m not sure who you are going to support since you have criticized or objected to the views of all three candidates running in the District 30 Republican primary. Your team objects to taxes, yet Kelly Wolf has said he will consider broad-based taxes to pay for state government. The District 30 Republican Party called Ron Gillham a liar and a lawbreaker. In radio ads sponsored and paid for by the District 30 Republican Party, your team asserted: “In court, Ron Gillham was convicted of taking big game while claiming to be an Alaska resident.” Then your team insinuated that Mr. Gillham got an Alaska Permanent Fund dividend check illegally. It seems to me that if you want good people running in the Republican Party, you might spend more time working with all of us candidates rather than criticizing us.
Representing everyone, even those who didn’t vote for me, is what it means to be part of a republic. If the good people of the Republican Party re-elect me to this position and I win the general election, you can rest assured that all their views and input will play a part in the work I accomplish on their behalf. This includes you and your team, with or without your support.
So, in conclusion, I decline your invitation to withdraw from the Republican primary, however, I do look forward to debating with the other Republican candidates about the important issues and policies that will have have a profound effect on the constituents of District 30.
Best Regards,
Representative Gary Knopp – Republican
Original Article:
The Chairman of the Republican Party in District 30, the district served by Representative Gary Knopp, is asking that Knopp not run for re-election as a Republican.
Randy Daly, in an open letter to Representative Knopp on behalf of the District 30 Republicans, says that Knopp “misrepresents” himself as a Republican. The statement goes on to say: “Since your election, the team is disappointed in your performance and no longer supports your candidacy. The representation provided is not what our team voted to receive. This dissatisfaction has been communicated and formalized by the censure vote of both District 30 and the SCC. To date these measures have been ignored.”
Daly told KSRM that Knopp did not uphold his obligations to Republican voters: “He failed to caucus with the Republicans. The voters in the state of Alaska made it very clear what their wishes were at the ballot box last time. They wanted conservative leadership in the administrative office, in the Senate, and in the House of Representatives. Mr. Knopp decided not to listen to the will of the voters and did his own thing. That was the biggest thing that put everybody off to him, and he continued it.”
He added that plans are still being discussed about which candidates the District 30 Republicans will endorse: “We’ve actually set up a vetting committee. So, the vetting committee will go through – we have the three candidates that will go through the vetting process, and at that point, we’ll make a decision about whether we endorse one or all of the standing candidates.”
Representative Knopp has two challengers in this year’s election: Kelly Wolf and Ron Gillham. All three are running as Republicans, according to the Alaska Division of Elections.