According to recently announced Congressional candidate Ethan Berkowitz, Alaska has an opportunity to lead the country, not follow it, in developing alternative energy that would free up the “energy insecurity” most are feeling these days.
Berkowitz met with Homer people at an informal gathering Thursday at Captain’s Coffee to talk about a range of his ideas from energy to resource development.

Rep. Don Young has said he never allowed convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff to be an influential force over him in Congress. But now a trove of old billing records from two of Abramoff’s firms show that his team of lobbyists had more than 120 contacts with Young’s personal and committee staffs over 25 months, including at least 10 with Young himself.

With the 2008 elections approaching, US Congressional incumbents and their challengers put Nome as an early checkpoint on their campaign trail map, beginning their pre-campaign visits to the bush. Ethan Berkowitz, Anchorage Democratic challenger, spent two days in Nome last week, and sat in on the joint Kawerak Inc. and Norton Sound Health Corporation board meeting at the Mini Convention Center on April 9.

The Coconut Road controversy involving Alaska Congressman Don Young was front and center Thursday on Capitol Hill when the Senate voted for a Justice Department investigation. While Young’s office claims “there was an error in the bill and so it was corrected,” Ethan said there were no “conceivable circumstances” in which changing an appropriation after it’s signed into law would be OK: “When you have that kind of change in language, what you’ve done is undercut the rule of law and you’ve undercut the integrity of the legislative process.”

Tuesday may have been Tax Day for most Americans but it also provided another deadline for Congressional candidates. Former Anchorage Rep. Ethan Berkowitz leads all other Democratic contenders with more than $276,000.

From The Hill: “On the House side, Tuesday’s reports were punctuated by some big performances and some lackluster numbers for the GOP… Former lieutenant governor candidate Ethan Berkowitz (D) outraised Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), $280,000 to $160,000. Meanwhile, Young’s primary opponent, Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, raised just $30,000 after entering the race in mid-March.”

Democrats are writing big checks for what they see as their best chance in a generation to topple Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens and Congressman Don Young in the fall elections. Most of their money is going to Ethan Berkowitz, one of three Democrats competing to take on Young, and Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, who has not formally become a candidate but is expected to run against Stevens.

U.S. Rep. Don Young has spent more than $1.1 million on lawyers who have helped fend off Justice Department investigations, according to a campaign spending report filed Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission. If Young prevails in the primary, he’ll face one of three Democrats in the race. The leading fundraiser, former state House Minority Leader Ethan Berkowitz, raised twice as much money as Young. With $287,306 in the bank, Berkowitz continues to gain on Young.

Rep. Don Young on Tuesday released revised fundraising totals for the first quarter of 2008, showing he raised $134,000 — some $30,000 less than his campaign estimated earlier this month. Meanwhile, Democratic challenger

…

Democrat Ethan Berkowitz raised $277,000. Berkowitz, who has raised more than $400,000 since entering the race, has more than $280,000 cash on hand.

KTUU reports on the FEC reporting in Alaska’s hotly-contested U.S. House race, saying “at least one candidate is getting a jump on things.” Ethan announced his FEC 1st quarter totals — more than $277,000 — which was the largest amount brought in by any of the three Democrats running for Congress: “We rank first and it shows how strong a campaign this is and the strength of the campaign that we’ll be able to roll out over the next couple of months,” Berkowitz said.