Alaska candidates scramble to raise the money to pay for their last month of campaigning

The vice presidential debate was on television Tuesday, but in Anchorage, a big slice of the city's political class wasn't watching. Their evening entertainment came inside Jamie Kenworthy's home in South Anchorage, where people crowded into the living room at the foot of a crimson-carpeted staircase.

One by one, three independent candidates for the state Legislature delivered a shortened stump speech, touting their willingness to work across the aisle in Juneau. And then, everyone went back to their hors d'oeuvres and drinks.

Welcome to the political fundraiser — gatherings that are somewhere between a cocktail party, country club social and book group, all in service of raising cash to keep candidates' campaigns chugging toward Election Day Nov. 8.

With a month left before the election, last week was packed with events, from Wasilla to South Anchorage all the way to Juneau.

A single dedicated donor, despite Alaska's $500 contribution limit, could have written $2,500 in checks Thursday evening alone, starting at Republican Rep. Lora Reinbold's gathering at the Eagle River Ale House, moving on to former Gov. Bill Sheffield's West Anchorage home for a fundraiser for two Democratic House candidates, and finishing up at CampoBello Bistro in a Midtown strip mall, where a pair of Republican Senate candidates from the Mat-Su were mingling with incumbents and lobbyists over glasses of red wine.

"'Tis the season," said Kevin Meyer, the Alaska Senate President.

Fundraisers arise from a basic fact of campaigning: It costs money to run for office. Candidates need to meet payroll and pay for signs and mailers, and Anchorage television stations can charge more than $1,000 for a single 30-second commercial.

Politicians also solicit cash by phone or online, but the in-person fundraiser is an election-season staple.

Each has a different twist. Some have memorable food, like the hors d'oeuvres that some of Kenworthy's friends made — sausage and cheese biscuit balls, Mexican stuffed peppers, and meatballs in molé sauce. Economist Scott Goldsmith and his wife, Yvonne, brought dumplings.

Other candidates put on themed events in recent weeks. East Anchorage Democratic House hopeful Harry Crawford held a fundraiser that doubled as a Cajun dance party, while two other Anchorage Democrats, Rep. Chris Tuck and Sen. Bill Wielechowski, had a "fiesta fundraiser" at a Mexican restaurant.

Nonetheless, said Bob Lester, a radio host: "They're all exactly the same."

"Every single one I've been to," said Lester, who was sitting with Jason Alward, a labor union official, in a corner of Kenworthy's house next to a plate of cheese and grapes.

How it works

The basic fundraiser formula is like this: You drive to a home, a restaurant or a club, often guided to the driveway by candidates' campaign signs.

By the door is a table with name tags, envelopes and a basket. Put on a name tag, write a check, stick it in the envelope and walk inside, where you can nosh on a spread of food or sip wine and beer of varying quality.

Candidates, or the host, will sometimes give a speech or pitch for donations partway through.

The whole thing takes some getting used to, said Joe Hackenmueller, one of the beneficiaries of Kenworthy's fundraiser. He's a first-time candidate, running as an independent against Reinbold for her Eagle River House seat.

"I grew up in the Midwest, and in that culture asking people for money is a very difficult thing to do," he said.

The events bring out a mix that varies depending on the venue, the hosts — and co-hosts — and candidates' political affiliations. Democrats favor houses, while Republicans favor restaurants — a GOP staple is the Petroleum Club in Midtown, said Casey Reynolds, a former Alaska Republican Party spokesman who now runs a political blog, the Midnight Sun.

The event hosted by Kenworthy, an investor, drew a boisterous crowd, with his friends mingling with members of the state's political class. Several members of Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz's administration showed up, as did officials with labor and environmental advocacy groups, and a lobbyist, Jeffrey Logan.

Later in the week, Sheffield's fundraiser for the two House candidates brought out former U.S. Sen. Mark Begich and Kay Brown, the director of the Alaska Democratic Party, along with attorneys and small business owners. The GOP candidates' event at the bistro, meanwhile, was mostly senators and lobbyists.

The events can sometimes signal candidates' alliances with or support from groups, industries or other politicians, Reynolds said.

But fundraisers are more often organized by civic-minded Alaskans, Reynolds said. Lobbyists can attend, but state law bars them from donating to legislative candidates who live outside of their own House or Senate district.

"I think we get a little cynical, of maybe looking into the politics of something where a lot of times these are just citizens wanting to be part of the solution," Reynolds said. Hosts, he added, see their favored politicians as "somebody they really think deserves to be helped."

The events can still provide a window into the sometimes-transactional nature of politics.

At Kenworthy's house, Alward, the union official, said he showed up with a $1,000 political action committee check for Hackenmueller. The union, Alward said, wants to elect moderate candidates who support development.

"Our local survives off construction and infrastructure," said Alward, who works with the International Union of Operating Engineers.

Another attendee, former Lt. Gov. Stephen McAlpine, described how he went to as many as 20 fundraisers for the current governor, Bill Walker, and recruited other donors.

"Did I max out? Yes. Did my wife max out? Yes," McAlpine said, referring to giving the $500 maximum. He quipped: "Did I have friends who maxed out? Some of them did willingly. Others had broken arms."

After he was elected, Walker appointed McAlpine to the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, a $130,000-a-year job.

Kenworthy, who manages a small private equity fund, had only hosted one fundraiser before this week, for Anchorage Assemblyman John Weddleton.

Kenworthy said his interest was solely in electing candidates who would help get the state out of its massive budget deficit. And he said had no specific personal or financial interest in electing the three independent candidates his fundraiser would benefit — Beltrami, Hackenmueller, and Jason Grenn, who's running for a Southwest Anchorage House seat against Republican Rep. Liz Vazquez.

Asked if he'd look to the candidates for any favors if they're elected, Kenworthy said: "Not just no — hell no, and six other words."

"The only thing I would do is if they're in tumult, trying to put together a package that gets 21 votes in the House, is call them up and say, 'You promised to solve the problem,' " Kenworthy said, referring to the number of votes needed to pass legislation. "I would not say, 'My version of the problem.' We're wearing an Alaska hat."