AK At-Large: Meet Democratic Candidate Forrest Dunbar - April 2nd in Juneau, AK

Our group has previously reported on one of the Democratic Candidates running in AK At-Large Congressional District, Matt Moore.  Incumbent representative is the long-term veteran Rep. Don Young who has been in the district since 1973.  Alaska is rated by the Cook Political Report with a PVI of R+12 so obviously the concept of unseating Rep. Young is without question a big, uphill battle.

But like Matt Moore, fellow Democratic Candidate Forrest Dunbar is continuing on with his campaign for the Democratic Nomination to represent the AK At-Large Congressional District amid the odds.

In case any of you are looking to meet Dunbar at an upcoming event, we received an e-mail from the Dunbar for Congress campaign on an upcoming April 2nd Meet & Greet event.  Details on the event are as follows:

Juneau Meet-and-Greet April 2nd

When: Wednesday, April 2nd, 5:30-7:30 PM Where: AK Victory 2014 Office, 209 Seward Street, Juneau, Alaska 99801

Come join Forrest on his first trip to Juneau this year! No minimum contribution to attend, and refreshments provided.

Here's some insight on Forrest Dunbar's background:

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/...

A homegrown candidate, Dunbar plans to emphasize his rural Alaskan experience: lessons learned from summers on a seiner, in a cannery and in the Interior fighting wildfires. He complements his local upbringing with an education background outside the state, including a law degree from Yale, a master's in public policy from Harvard and time in the military and on Capitol Hill. Despite his age, Dunbar considers his experience an asset in his run for Congress, which will focus on gay rights, campaign finance reform, education cost and resource development.

Alaska gubernatorial candidates call on Parnell to attend debates Senate candidates Sullivan, Treadwell face off at Anchorage Chamber meeting "I think people in Alaska are looking for a genuine alternative to Don Young," he said. "Given my age, background and policy positions, I'm a genuine alternative to Don Young."

Dunbar has dreamed of working in government since he was a young boy living with his parents and younger sister in a small house in Eagle without running water. They traveled for supplies sometimes in their pickup truck but mostly by snowmobile, and ate caribou that Dunbar's father, Roger, hunted. Dunbar's father, who at the time was an official with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, moved the family to Cordova after the Exxon Valdez spill to study the effects. They lived in a camper shell behind the pickup before renting an apartment, and then bought a house on 1st Street. Dunbar worked as a paperboy for The Cordova Times, loved sports and J.R.R. Tolkien, and devoured news even in elementary school.

"At a young age we were both into politics and social issues," said Zach Kopchak, an old friend. "We would discuss the news even as elementary school kids."

In addition, Dunbar is running along side with fellow Democratic Candidate Matt Moore for the Democratic nomination not as opponents but to basically aim for the goal of unseating Rep. Don Young.  Dunbar's background and goals in running for Congress also include involving young people in Alaska, who he believes are not that involved in the political discourage, as well as addressing the economic and jobs need for Alaska:

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/...

Although his Alaska upbringing and values shaped his worldview, he said, his time on the East Coast allowed him to build a network outside the state that he can leverage. Without his experience outside Alaska, he said he would not have been able to make these friendships. Dunbar, at 29, is only two years younger than Don Young was when elected mayor of Fort Yukon in 1964.

"I have more federal experience than Don Young when he was first elected," he said.

Dunbar said that he and the other Democratic contender, Matt Moore, agreed to run against Young, not against each other.

With a burgeoning campaign that will rely on social media, Dunbar must pick issues to define his effort. He expressed frustration at the lack of opportunity for young people to join the political discourse in Alaska, and said his campaign will seek to remedy that. He plans to champion marriage equality and resource development, and fight student loan debt.

"The central issue Alaska has to grapple with at the state and federal level is: What will our economic future look like?" he said. "How do we keep good, high paying jobs in Alaska, and our best and brightest here as well?"

If you live in Alaska, desire a change from Rep. Don Young and want to look into learning more and supporting Forrest Dunbar for Congress, links are below, as well as where Dunbar stands on the issues: Forrest Dunbar for Congress: http://www.forrestforalaska.com/

Dunbar on the Issues: http://www.forrestforalaska.com/

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