Английская Википедия:Alaskan Independence Party

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Шаблон:Multiple issues Шаблон:Infobox political party The Alaskan Independence Party (AKIP) is an Alaskan nationalist political party in the United States that advocates for an in-state referendum which would include the option of Alaska becoming an independent country. The party also advocates positions similar to those of the Constitution Party, Republican Party and Libertarian Party, supporting gun rights, anti-abortion policies, privatization, homeschooling, and limited government.[1] Wally Hickel was elected as the Governor of Alaska in 1990 under the Independence Party, making it one of the few third parties to have controlled a governor's seat; however, Hickel transferred to the Republican Party before the 1994 election.

History

The Alaskan Independence Party was founded with the goal of getting Alaskans the right to vote on statehood. Referring to Alaska's 1959 admission to the union, the AKIP charter states that "The Alaskan Independence Party's goal is the vote we were entitled to in 1958, one choice from among the following four choices:

  1. Remain a territory.
  2. Become a separate and independent country.
  3. Accept commonwealth status.
  4. Become a state.

The call for this vote is in furtherance of the dream of the Alaskan Independence Party's founding father, Joe Vogler, which was for Alaskans to achieve independence under a minimal government, fully responsive to the people, promoting a peaceful and lawful means of resolving differences."[2]Шаблон:Better source needed

Since its founding, the AKIP has radically changed its opinion on the issue of secession. At present, it does not support secession, though at its founding, it did.Шаблон:InconsistentШаблон:Citation needed In 1973, Vogler began arguing about the validity of the Alaskan statehood vote. During that year, he began circulating a petition seeking support for secession of Alaska from the United States. The Alaska magazine published a piece at that time in which Vogler claimed to have gathered 25,000 signatures in three weeks.Шаблон:Citation needed

Vogler has been quoted as stating "I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions."[3][4]

In early 1973, Vogler founded Alaskans for Independence, originally to label the petition drive. The organization took on a life of its own in the following years, and actively pursued secession for Alaska from the United States. Vogler also founded the Alaskan Independence Party at around the same time. During the first decade of its existence, the Party was used exclusively by Vogler for his first two campaigns for governor and campaign for lieutenant governor (with Don Wright as his running mate). Largely in response to the lawsuit Vogler v. Miller, the State of Alaska enacted emergency regulations, effective June 14, 1984, which gave official recognition to the party in Alaska. The party has maintained its recognized status since, first by maintaining thresholds in gubernatorial elections, then through same with voter registration.[5] The AKIP, while a home to many secession-minded people, has from the start sought to explore whether the 1958 vote by Alaskans authorizing statehood was legal, as outlined in the excerpt from the party's charter found above.Шаблон:Citation needed

Vogler would serve as the AKIP's standard-bearer for most of the party's first two decades. He ran for governor in 1974, with Wayne Peppler as his running mate.[6] Jay Hammond was elected over incumbent governor William Egan, with Vogler trailing far behind. Typical political discussion of the day included the contention that Vogler was a "spoiler," and that the result would have been different had he not been in the race, however Vogler ran on a conservative platform and perhaps if he hadn't run the margin of victory would have been larger for Republican Hammond.Шаблон:Citation needed

Vogler's running mate in 1986 was Al Rowe, a Fairbanks resident and former Alaska State Trooper. Rowe took out a series of newspaper ads, fashioning himself in the image of Sheriff Buford Pusser. These ads were a major attention getter during the race.Шаблон:Citation needed Between Rowe's ads and the turmoil existing in the Republican Party over the nomination of Arliss Sturgulewski, the AKIP gained 5.2 percent of the vote, becoming a recognized party in Alaska for the first time.Шаблон:Citation needed

Since then, AKIP candidates have disapproved of initiating a statewide vote revisiting the status of Alaskan statehood.Шаблон:ClarifyШаблон:Citation needed In 1990, former Republican governor Walter Joseph Hickel won the election for governor as a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, with Jack Coghill as his running mate. This was the first time since Alaska joined the union that a third-party candidate has been elected governor, until the election of Jesse Ventura in Minnesota in 1998, and then Bill Walker in Alaska in 2014. Hickel refused a vote on secession called on by a fringe group within the AKIP loyal to Vogler's original vision. He rejoined the Republican Party in 1994, with eight months remaining in his term.Шаблон:Citation needed

Carl E. Moses, a businessman from Unalaska who had served in the Alaska House of Representatives from 1965–1973 as both a Republican and Democrat, was elected again to the House in 1992, running under the AKIP banner. He was elected to a district comprising mostly the area between the Aleutian Islands and Bristol Bay. He switched his party affiliation back to Democrat at around the same time that Hickel switched, and continued to serve in the House until 2007.Шаблон:Citation needed

The party did not get involved in presidential elections until 1992, when it endorsed Howard Phillips, the candidate of the U.S. Taxpayers Party (now the Constitution Party).Шаблон:Citation needed

The Alaskan Independence Party sued the state of Alaska in 2020, seeking to overturn the results from a referendum where ranked-choice voting was implemented in Alaska's general elections.[7]

Registered members

In May 2009 the party had 13,119 registered members. As of May 2021, a press release on the AKIP website indicates that the number of registered members has grown to nearly 19,000, making it the state's third largest party and about a quarter the size of the state's Democratic party (Republicans had 124,892 members and the Democrats had 75,047).[8]

On September 2, 2008, the Alaska Division of Elections had records that Todd Palin, husband of Governor Sarah Palin (a Republican and vice-presidential candidate), had registered in 1995 as a member of the Alaskan Independence Party. He remained registered with the party until 2002.[9] David Niewert and Max Blumenthal wrote in Salon about the third party's influence in gaining election of Sarah Palin as mayor of Wasilla in her first political office.[10]

2006 ballot initiative

In 2006, members of the AKIP collected the one hundred signatures needed to place on the fall ballot an initiative calling for Alaska to secede from the union or, if that was found not to be legally possible, directing the state to work to make secession legal. However, in the case of Kohlhaas v. State[11] the Alaska State Supreme Court ruled any attempt at secession to be unconstitutional and the initiative was not approved to appear on the fall ballot.[12]

Electoral history

Presidential elections

Alaskan Independence Party Presidential Tickets
Year Nominee Running Mate # Votes % Votes Place Notes
1992 Howard Phillips Albion Knight 377 Шаблон:Composition bar 8th [13]
2004 Michael Peroutka Chuck Baldwin 2,092 Шаблон:Composition bar 4th
2008 Chuck Baldwin Darrell Castle 1,660 Шаблон:Composition bar 4th

U.S. Senate elections

Alaskan Independence Party U.S. Senate Nominees
Year Nominee # Votes % Votes Place Notes
2002 Jim Dore 6,724 Шаблон:Composition bar 4th [14]
2004 Jerry Sanders 3,785 Шаблон:Composition bar 4th [15]
2008 Bob Bird 13,197 Шаблон:Composition bar 3rd [16]
2020 John Howe 16,806 Шаблон:Composition bar 3rd [17]
2022 Joe Stephens 799 Шаблон:Composition bar 11th [18]
Dustin Darden 646 Шаблон:Composition bar 13th [19]

U.S. House elections

Alaskan Independence Party U.S. House Nominees
Year Nominee # Votes % Votes Place Notes
1992 Michael States 15,049 Шаблон:Composition bar 3rd [20]
1996 William Nemec II 5,017 Шаблон:Composition bar 3rd [21]
2000 Jim Dore 10,085 Шаблон:Composition bar 4th [22]
2008 Don Wright 14,274 Шаблон:Composition bar 3rd [23]
2022 (special) John Howe 380 Шаблон:Composition bar 16th [24]

Gubernatorial elections

Файл:Hickel.gif
Governor Wally Hickel, the only AKIP candidate to win a statewide election.
Alaskan Independence Party Gubernatorial Tickets
Year Nominee Running Mate # Votes % Votes Place Notes
1974 Joe Vogler Wayne Peppler 4,770 Шаблон:Composition bar 3rd [25]
1978 Don Wright Joe Vogler 2,463 Шаблон:Composition bar 5th [26]
1982 Joe Vogler Roger Dee Roberts 3,235 Шаблон:Composition bar 4th [27]
1986 Joe Vogler Al Rowe 10,013 Шаблон:Composition bar 3rd [28]
1990 Wally Hickel Jack Coghill 75,721 Шаблон:Composition bar 1st [29]
1994 Jack Coghill Margaret Ward 45,838 Шаблон:Composition bar 3rd [30]
1998 Sylvia Sullivan None 4,238 Шаблон:Composition bar 6th [31]
2002 Don Wright Daniel DeNardo 2,185 Шаблон:Composition bar 4th [32]
2006 Don Wright Doug Welton 1,285 Шаблон:Composition bar 4th [33]
2010 Don Wright None 4,775 Шаблон:Composition bar 3rd [34]
2022 John Howe Shellie Wyatt 1,696 Шаблон:Composition bar 6th [35]

Notable party officials

Файл:Fairbanks13.JPG
Dexter Clark, shown in May 2002 demonstrating gold panning to tourists at the El Dorado Gold Mine, is a former chairman of the AKIP.

Notable past party officials include:

See also

References

Шаблон:Reflist

External links

Шаблон:AlaskaPoliticalParties Шаблон:United States state and local political parties Шаблон:Alaska history footer