Galvin races to snap Young’s long win streak as Alaska congressional campaign nears end

With election day closing in, Alyse Galvin is sprinting to accomplish what no one ever has: Ousting Don Young from his 45-year perch as Alaska's lone U.S. representative.

She has record funding, encouraging polling and a national wave of voter anger she hopes favors her. Young's camp says their own polling shows a solid lead for a congressman with proven support and accomplishments over decades. Voters are being bombarded with commercials on TV, radio and social media.

Urgent efforts were underway to protect Young's seat, with the Congressional Leadership Fund on Saturday announcing the launch of a six-figure, "hyper-targeted" phone effort to reach more than 100,000 voters on Young's behalf.

Galvin's spokeswoman, Kati Ward, pointed to the last-minute attempt as a sign of Galvin's momentum, fueled by her person-to-person outreach.

"It's based on the fieldwork we've done compared to Young," Ward said.

Galvin, 53, was in full force over the weekend as part of her "40 districts in 4 days" blitz, a plan to reach out to every district in Alaska before Tuesday's vote.

[Photos: On the road with congressional challenger Alyse Galvin in her campaign's final days]

But Young, 85, was working voters, too.

On Sunday, freshly back from campaigning in Bethel in Southwest Alaska, he energized an Anchorage rally of some 200 Republicans. He hammered on excessive federal regulations and "the stupidity of Washington bureaucrats," generating loud applause.

"I'm the best person for the job," Young said, adding that he feels like a 35-year-old.

He gave a long line of fans time for photos and hugs.

Sharon Kay, with an "I'm a Young woman" button on her scarf, embraced him twice.

"I love that he cares for Alaskans, and Alaska" Kay said. "He's a man's man, and he gets the job done."

Young, working his way through the crowd, told a reporter Galvin is no threat.

"You got an outside campaign, but that's the way it goes," Young said, referring to donations to Galvin from outside Alaska. "We think we're ahead and we're doing well."

Ward, reached later, shot back: "That's rich to be coming from Don Young, who has received almost 50 percent of donations from corporate PACs, and we have less than 3 percent from PACs."

"His in-state contribution is 21 percent," Ward said. Galvin's is 44 percent, according to federal reports from mid-October.

Over the weekend, Galvin jet-hopped to big cities, made virtual appearances in smaller ones, and piloted the well-used family RV, a sign-adorned "roving town hall," across parts of Southcentral Alaska.

At midnight Saturday, after returning from campaigning in Fairbanks, Galvin  stumped at Tudor Bingo Center in Anchorage, chatting with players during a break in the action.

"We need a new voice," said Tilomai Atiifale, after looking up from her scorecard.

"Thank you," Galvin said, giving Atiifale and other nearby women high fives.

"He's expired. Old school. We need a younger version," said Atiifale, complaining that health care costs are soaring, a key theme for Galvin.

Problem is, Galvin is fighting a Republican legend in a red state. With 23 straight wins, Young's been in office longer than most Alaskans  —  median age 34 — have been alive.

The House of Representatives' longest current-serving member, Young generally crushes his opponents on Election Day, often by 15 percent or more.

"That's an uphill battle," laughed Bill Tinney, 81, who stepped outside his garage and into sub-freezing temperatures Friday evening, after Galvin tapped on his door.

Tinney, wearing an "Air Force One presidential crew" ball cap, told Galvin he's a "super conservative," angered over the migrant caravan in Mexico streaming toward the U.S. border.

Tinney nodded as Galvin promised to change Washington for the better, and fight for lower health care costs to improve the economy.

He called Galvin nice as she walked away down the icy Oceanview neighborhood road.

But his support for Young didn't waver.

"Don, he's just never done any harm to Alaska," he said.

"He's like Ted Stevens," he said of Young's longtime U.S. Senate counterpart, another Alaska franchise who died in 2010. "He's always been there for Alaska."

Galvin, a former hotel manager who led the advocacy group Great Alaska Schools in recent years, fighting for education funding from the state Legislature, wasn't dissuaded.

She campaigned nonstop on Friday, chatting up strangers wherever the RV stopped, conducting interviews with radio stations in remote corners of Alaska, knocking on doors in neighborhoods.

"Part of me might be exhausted, but part of me is exhilarated," she said.

"Every day I hear stories that make me think I've got to work harder."

Galvin promises to fight for better health care and education, more jobs, and fighting climate change.

She stresses her unique role as the first independent candidate to appear on the general election ballot as the Democratic party nominee.

She has an army of more than 1,000 volunteers, and has raised $1.8 million, 97 percent from individual donors, her staff says.

That's a record fundraising amount for a Young challenger — and outpaces the $1 million reported by Young in mid-October.

"This is the largest grass-roots campaign our state has ever seen," Galvin, said last week, pumping her fists after announcing a new poll showed her one point ahead of Young.

Many Alaskans know of Young's long record shepherding important Alaska legislation through the House, and supplying the state's outsized take of the federal coffers. At 85, Young says he's passed more bills than any other House member, and has been labeled one of the most effective legislators in Washington.

Jerry Hood, Young's campaign manager, said polls have shown Young losing before. He said this latest one, by pollster Ivan Moore of Alaska Survey Research, will be wrong, too.

"I think on Wednesday, I'd rather wake up and be Don Young than Alyse Galvin," Hood said.

Young's longtime pollster, Bob Moore of Moore Information (no relation to Ivan Moore), shows Young leading solidly once again, Hood said.

In fact, Young's lead has grown in the latest poll completed this week, he said. That's because Young's recently been campaigning in Alaska, on break from duties in Washington, D.C.

That included visiting Bethel Friday and Saturday to meet with voters, and trips to Kotzebue, Nome and Soldotna.

"He works for a living unlike some folks, so he can't be here as often," Hood said.

Hood declined to release Moore Information's numbers. But he pointed out that political analysis site FiveThirtyEight gives Young an edge. On Saturday, it showed Young with a 2 in 3 chance of winning, to Galvin's 35 percent. The site Real Clear Politics rated the race a toss-up. Cook Political Report rated in "leans Republican."

But Galvin finds hope in Young's share of the overall vote in recent elections. It's steadily dropped from 69 percent in 2010 to 50 percent in 2016, though Young's victory margins remain strong.

Galvin says Alaskans are ready for new ideas.

"We thank him for his service of half a century. We need new leadership," she said.

It's a common refrain from Young's opponents, but he keeps winning, despite brash behavior.

He's made insensitive remarks about suicide and had to apologize for a crude description of gay sex in front of a group of high school students. He's called California farm workers "wetbacks," allegedly threatened a congressional opponent before a debate, and was caught on video twisting the arm of a congressional staffer.

Galvin avoids talking about the handshake Young gave her, one that made headlines when she recoiled in pain after a debate at the Alaska Federation of Natives convention in October.

She says she's sticking to issues.

She hopes to benefit from people like Anchorage resident Diana Nelson, who said she she's an "independent" voter like Galvin.

Nelson saw Galvin speak at a small town hall at the Mountain View library in late October. She said she voted for Young in the last election in 2016, and before that.

But Nelson said she was turned off by Young's "arrogant, smirking" treatment of Galvin during an Anchorage Chamber of Commerce debate in September, when Young called Galvin "my so-called opponent."

"I liked her demeanor, but I was not convinced until I came," Nelson said after the town hall. "But she's qualified and well-informed. She's got my vote."

— ADN's Marc Lester contributed reporting. 

Related:

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As Galvin leads money race, spokesman for Rep. Young says he wasn't trying to hurt challenger with handshake

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