Ethan Berkowitz, an Anchorage Democrat running for the seat held by longtime House Republican Don Young, said he would work to open ANWR despite his own party’s long history of resistance. Young has been a vocal supporter of opening the refuge for years. “Opening ANWR is going to require a bipartisan approach,” Berkowitz said. “These guys will be in the minority, but I will be able to speak inside the majority to help make ANWR part of a comprehensive national energy policy.”

Friends, kindred spirits, fellow dreamers, the American dream is also an American promise and an American responsibility. It’s a dream of prosperity and justice, a simple dream that our children will lead better lives than we do today — safer, healthier, materially more secure, intellectually more enriching and spiritually more fulfilling. It’s Dr. King’s dream that one day we’ll judge people by the content of their character, not the color of their skin.