We like James Kaufman’s plain-spoken style, his conservative values, and his political modesty. As he puts it on his website, “I won’t promise you the world, but I will keep my word, and I will work hard to exceed your expectations.”
Speaking of promises, Kaufman leaves no doubt where he stands on the liberal, bi-partisan majority in control of the state house: “If elected, I will caucus with Republican majorities pursuing our stated principles of smaller and more accountable government.”
Unlike many candidates who dodge controversial issues, Kaufman shows a commitment to transparency. We give him high marks for putting his position on abortion right on his website: “…my overarching opinion is that it is not right to kill anyone if you can possibly avoid it, particularly the unborn.”
We’ve interviewed Mr. Kaufman and he’s also completed our candidate issues survey. Kaufman is cautious about taking positions on some of our key issues that he hasn’t fully vetted. But in general, he is a candidate committed to conservative, pro-family values.
For example, Mr. Kaufman is pro-life and supports cutting off funding for Planned Parenthood and other groups that support abortion. He’s in favor of school choice for parents and their children. He’s against the freedom-killing “sexual orientation and gender identity” laws that basically make it a crime to uphold traditional Christian beliefs about marriage and sexuality. He also supports critical reforms in the way we select judges in Alaska.
Mr. Kaufman’s positions on key issues clearly make him the better choice over his Republican primary opponent, incumbent Rep. Jennifer Johnston.
Rep. Johnston is one of the Republican turncoats who joined with liberal Democrats to form a bi-partisan coalition that dooms progress on virtually all conservative issues in the legislature. She voted to elect the liberal and former Democratic legislator Bryce Edgmon as Speaker of the House.
Johnston was one of only a few Republicans who did NOT sign on as a co-sponsor of the bill to ban abortions when a fetal heartbeat can be detected. (HB 302 by Rep. Sarah Vance.) Johnston has never been an ally on the issue of protecting pre-born Alaskans.
We also remember Jennifer Johnston’s most defining vote when she served on the Anchorage Assembly. Johnston voted in favor of a disastrous law (AO 96) that created special protected classes based on “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.” When AO 96 was debated in the Assembly, numerous amendments were offered to protect religious liberty and privacy. But Johnston voted with the liberal extremists on the Assembly and shot down every single one. This outcome guaranteed that the ordinance would be heavy-handed in its enforcement.
It didn’t take long for the tyranny of AO 96 to be felt. Many Anchorage residents will remember when the Downtown Hope Center, a Christian shelter for homeless and abused women, was harassed by the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission when it denied admission to a biological man who claimed to be a woman. The shelter was charged with “gender identity discrimination” under the terms of the ordinance that Johnston supported. Thankfully, the Downtown Hope Center eventually won a court battle, and the charges against the center were dropped. But the entire episode reminds us that Johnston cannot be trusted to protect our most fundamental rights.
It’s time for a big change in Juneau, and it starts with retiring legislators like Jennifer Johnston. James Kaufman stands for life, family, and freedom, and Alaska Family Action is pleased to endorse him in the District 28 Republican primary.
CLICK HERE to share our endorsement on Facebook.
Standing for families… in His name,
Jim Minnery – President
This communication was paid for by Alaska Family Action, Inc., Anchorage, Alaska. I am Jim Minnery, President of Alaska Family Action, Inc., and I approve this message. This NOTICE TO VOTERS is required by Alaska law. We certify that this communication is not authorized, paid for, or approved by any candidate being endorsed. akfamily.org 907.279.2825
