Stop telling us what to think

By Larry Persily

A U.S. Senate seat in Alaska is worth the same as one from any other state when Democrats and Republicans try counting to 51, the number needed to control the chamber. All 100 senators get an equal vote, regardless of whether they represent states of far less than 1 million residents, such as Alaska and Wyoming, or more than 30 million, such as California and Texas.

The men who drafted the U.S. Constitution almost 239 years ago — yes, it was all men, 133 years before women finally won the right to vote — had to find a compromise between the larger and smaller states. They settled on the plan that treated all states the same in the Senate — even Delaware, with about 10% of the population of the biggest state, Virginia, in 1787 — whereas the larger states would get more representation in the House.

Little did the Founding Fathers know that generations later, that compromise would make it a bargain to campaign for a Senate seat in Alaska compared to the more populous states. Alaska, literally, wasn’t even on their map.

Total spending between incumbent Alaska Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democrat challenger Mary Peltola as of last week exceeded $123 million, with more to come before the Nov. 3 election. That works out to almost enough for every two-person household of voters to buy a new set of snow tires, not that anyone could afford to buy gas to use the new tires.

As outrageously costly as that sounds, it’s a steal compared to spending on the Senate races in Texas, at $533 million, and Ohio, at $435 million. State pride aside, an Alaska senator counts the same toward 51 as those other, more expensive races.

Which is why there is so much national attention, and national millions, directed at mailboxes, streaming services, social media feeds and radio and TV commercials in Alaska, pounding our brains in the hope that we will vote for the candidate supported by the loudest, most abusive and frequently dishonest messages. A campaign win here is just as valuable as a win in a big state, only more affordable. 

The Founding Fathers likely never anticipated how obscenely expensive, intrusive, insulting and painfully long political campaigns could be, especially for important Senate races. It took less than four months for the group to debate, draft and approve the U.S. Constitution, while U.S. Senate campaigns stretch out for years.

Alaska, in particular, has attracted an outsized rush of Outside money in this election, telling us how to think and how to vote, in hopes of getting to 51 senators to run the country. We resent being treated like a cheap date, or at least cheaper than Texas.

But if we were on a date, the appropriate response would be to throw a glass of cold water into the face of Outside interests and leave the table, telling them we will find our own way home. We don’t need or want their advice, and we don’t appreciate their messages, which are as offensive as ordering farmed salmon for dinner. It proves that they have no place giving us advice.

• Larry Persily is the publisher of the Wrangell Sentinel, which first published this column.