Edgmon defeats Bowers for District 37 seat

VICTORIA BARBER

November 13, 2008 at 10:07AM AKST

State Rep. Bryce Edgmon soundly defeated Republican candidate Ron Bowers for the House District 37 seat, winning about 63 percent of the votes in a region that includes Bristol Bay, the Aleutians and Pribilof Islands.

“My philosophy is that if you work hard, keep in touch with constituents and build good relationships along the way in a way that you can be effective, then the voters ultimately recognize that and allow you to continue on as a legislator,” said Edgmon, who said he felt “confident” heading into election night on Nov. 4.

This will be the Dillingham legislator’s second two-year term in the state House of Representatives. It’s also the second time that Edgmon and Bowers have faced off – Edgmon won the office in the 2006 general election, a run that is remembered for his historic win against long-standing incumbent Carl Moses in the Democratic primaries. That year, Moses and Edgmon tied with 767 votes in the primary and Edgmon was determined the winner by a coin toss (Moses called heads).

Though Edgmon won this election, both he and Bowers said that it was a tough campaign. Bowers said that while he gained more votes this year than last, he had to scale back his campaigning efforts, in part because a death in the family drew him to the East Coast.

“Some things are more important than politics and one of those is family,” said Bowers.

Edgmon also said he was disappointed not to have reached the smaller communities in his district, saying the legislative commitments limited his time and “money is always an issue.” Weather also prevented him from making it to some communities, including Akutan.

The two candidates both said that they had expected to do better in the Unalaska election, where Bowers won 338 votes and Edgmon won 448. In Dillingham, Edgmon won 608 to 177 over Bowers.

“I was a little surprised that I didn’t do better in Unalaska, but then again every election cycle is different,” said Edgmon, who watched the election results come in at a Democratic gathering in the Egan Center in Anchorage. “Every legislative session reminds me of each fishing season, the dynamics can be very different from one year to the next.”

Edgmon said that in the coming legislative session he expects to see declining oil prices have a big impact on discussions, putting more emphasis on how the operating and capital budgets are shaped. Energy, he said, will be the biggest issue.

“We need to look at it both in terms of developing long term energy sources and also making sure that our communities have short term energy sources that are affordable and allow people to stay in our communities,” Edgmon said.

Bowers said that he hasn’t decided whether he will run for the office again. While and Edgmon agreed on many issues, including their support for fisheries and the importance of developing alternative energy projects, he said a difference is that he is “unabashedly, unashamedly,” in support of North Aleutian Basin lease sale.

“We’ve got to have economic opportunity, we can’t continue going the way we are,” said Edgmon. “I love this region. I think there’s great potential. We are at a crossroads, we have got to make some changes or we’ll continue seeing doors closing in schools and familes moving away.

“I wish Bryce well. He’s a hard worker and has some experience. He’s gung-ho and I wish him well,” Bowers said.

Victoria Barber can be reached at 907-348-2424 or 800-770-9830, ext. 424.