In Republican primary, Alaska abortion opponents split amid a battle over legislative strategy

A debate over tactics has split two prominent Alaska anti-abortion groups, and each is backing different candidates in Tuesday’s Republican primary.

The clash may tilt the results of several close Republican races in conservative Southcentral Alaska districts and could divide abortion opponents well after the election.

“If Chris Kurka and David Eastman get into Juneau, there’s going to be even more divisiveness over this issue,” said Jim Minnery of Alaska Family Action, one of the groups.

Pat Martin, head of Alaska Right to Life, is in charge of the other group.

“This is a growing thing. It kind of comes to a head right now. This is a proxy war between Jim Minnery and Alaska Family Action and me and Alaska Right to Life,” he said.

Alaska Right to Life and Alaska Family Action have clashed for years over legislative decisions, but most of their disagreements have happened quietly. In this year’s primaries, each is running attack ads questioning the choices of the opposite group’s favored candidate.

Alaska Right to Life has formally endorsed only incumbent Rep. David Eastman, but its former director, Christopher Kurka, is running for statehouse in another district. Alaska Family Action is supporting Eastman’s opponent, Jesse Sumner, Kurka’s opponent, Lynn Gattis, and has run ads in a handful of other candidates.

“Alaska Right to Life’s been pretty savage. I expected that. Pat Martin, basically Day 1, said he was coming after me because Eastman is his choice,” Sumner said.

Minnery says the dispute is over strategy, that Eastman has been ineffective and should be replaced.

“This isn’t a matter of strategy. It’s about principle,” Martin said.

Both groups believe life begins at conception, that abortion amounts to murder and should be banned. With that in mind, Martin said actions, not statements, are the defining criteria of “pro-life,” and he has called Eastman the Legislature’s only “pro-life legislator.”

Two years ago, Eastman sponsored legislation that would make abortion illegal in Alaska. Restrictions on abortion rights have repeatedly been struck down by the Alaska Supreme Court, and his bill picked up only one cosponsor. It never received a hearing, and a vote to advance it failed on the House floor.

Earlier this year, most Republicans in the House co-sponsored an anti-abortion bill that forbids medically unnecessary abortions in cases where a fetal heartbeat has been detected. That bill likewise never received a hearing, but many incumbent lawmakers have mentioned that bill in campaign advertising and some have claimed Eastman is to blame for its failure.

Martin says that claim — and the bill — is “garbage” because it “preserves the choice to kill a baby in two significant ways.”

“It would be more effectively named the heartstrings bill because it’s tugging on your heartstrings. That’s the only real effect it has,” he said.

With that thought in mind, he’s sent emails proclaiming Eastman the only pro-life legislator in Alaska.

“I would say that’s unhinged,” Minnery said.

Minnery said his end goal is to eliminate abortion through a series of incremental steps ending with a constitutional amendment that would disallow the practice. An all-or-nothing approach won’t work, he said.

“With Eastman and Kurka, two folks we’re actively opposing now, it’s very clear to us that in order to make any progress, we have to have people in the Legislature that actually have relationships with other people. I would say that’s not one of the skillsets that they have,” he said.

Campaign finance documents show Alaska Family Action has spent more than $9,000 on advertising this year in favor of Sumner and against some incumbents.

Alaska Right to Life, registered as “The Alaska Pro-Life Accountability Project,” has spent less than $500, according to campaign finance records. Ad tracking by Facebook shows the group advertising heavily.

Election Day is Tuesday, Aug. 18.