Polls open at 7:00 a.m. and remain open until 8:00 p.m. for Alaska's primary election. On the ballot are nominations for the offices of U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, Governor, and Lt. Governor. Voters will also decide whether to keep the oil tax structure the Legislature passed in 2013. A yes vote would repeal the law, which supporters of the repeal call a giveaway to oil companies. A no vote would uphold the law, which supporters say make Alaska an attractive place for oil company investments. Several state Legislative seats are also on the ballot.
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is questioning how Alaskans have benefited from having a Democratic Senator in recent years, taking a shot at incumbent Senator Mark Begich, who is running for re-election. She says she will work hard after the primary to help ensure a Republican wins the seat held by Begich. While Murkowski has not publicly stated who has her vote in the primary, she said she has two good friends running: Dan Sullivan and Mead Treadwell. She did not mention the third candidate in the Republican primary, Joe Miller. He beat Murkowski in the 2010 Republican primary, but she won the general election with a write-in campaign.
Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz is in Alaska this week. He says the Obama Administration wants to spur a project to export North Slope natural gas. He says the Administration has already decided to exempt Alaska from requirements to show the impact of exporting natural gas on domestic gas markets.