New Dunleavy support group forms to promote Golden Age of Alaska
The “Golden Age of Alaska” ad celebrates Dunleavy walking in golden sunshine as a key leader of the Golden Age.
A new video from a campaign group appears to be aimed at promoting Gov. Mike Dunleavy on the national scene. It claims that the Dunleavy policies that have worked so well in Alaska should be exported to 49 other states.
The video, complete with stirring music, names in all caps and video of Trump and Dunleavy in action, claims “Alaska’s Golden Age is Here.”
Dunleay allies, including Alaska Airlines pilot Bob Griffin, have created the new Dunleavy support group, called “Future 49,” in which Dunleavy and Trump play starring roles.
Griffin was the treasurer of the 2018 Dunleavy support group, while Larkin and Matt Larkin were among its co-treasurers.
The Anchorage mailing address of Future 49 is the same as that of BSI, the commercial real estate business of Brandon Spoerhase and Larry Baker.
The mission of Future 49, the group says, is to promote Alaska development, educate the rest of the nation about Alaska and “Elevate conservative principles and initiatives that have been successfully instituted in Alaska.”
It really sounds like an effort to elevate Dunleavy’s standing with Trump. It may be that this bizarre ad is aimed at an audience of one.
While he was passed over by Trump for Interior Secretary—probably because he is not a billionaire and he is taller than Trump—Dunleavy still clearly has ambitions beyond the governor’s position.
Future 49 Inc. is a 501(c)(4), a tax-exempt organization that can lobby the government and participate in political activity, as long as it is not the main purpose of the entity. Dunleavy and his supporters will say they are all about education.
Educating the nation about Dunleavy is a big part of it.
“Private citizens — right up to the governor himself — are primed to be part of a new Alaskan initiative aimed at promoting policies that have been effective in Juneau at a national level as a new administration signals a willingness to listen and adapt to new strategies,” Fox News claimed in a breathless alleged January 19 exclusive.
“Just as Florida's education policy under Gov. Jeb Bush served as a blueprint for national education reform, the nonprofit Future 49 aims to position Alaska as today's model, focusing primarily on national security and energy,” Fox News prophesied.
The top funders of Future 49 are a “group of Alaskans of all stripes as well as a few Washington, D.C.-based advocates. It is nonpartisan and simply pro-Alaskan, according to one of its proponents,” Fox said.
There is no public disclosure required of the donors to social welfare organizations like Future 49, however, so it is not possible to see who is paying the bills and who the Washington, D.C. advocates might be.
On its X account, Future 49 claims it was created in Alaska by Alaskans. It has 7 followers on X, where it heaps praise on Dunleavy and Trump.
There are no names that I can find on its website, which consists mainly of videos featuring Dunleavy honoring Trump and columns published under his name extolling the virtues of Trump.
Future 49 has a YouTube page with 1 subscriber and five videos.
The idea that this is a Dunleavy support group is supported by the awkward Fox News assertion about what skills Dunleavy can share with the nation.
“Lessons learned from managing a National Guard force so closely tied to top-level national security concerns is another avenue Future 49 will likely seek to aid Washington in,” Fox revealed.
“The group plans to commission a survey of Lower 48 Americans on their view of the Last Frontier and how they perceive Alaska from thousands of miles away, said Alaska pollster Matt Larkin.”
Larkin is a favorite pollster of Dunleavy’s who has gotten contracts from Dunleavy’s campaigns and from the state.
Who will be paying for this poll and other activities of Future 49? Future 49 should reveal where its money is coming from and what groups in Washington, D.C. are providing support.
I have no idea if Future 49 will be in line for any state money. I hope not.
Meanwhile, the state has signed a $3 million marketing contract with Six-7 Strategies, owned by longtime political operative Kevin Sweeney.
The marketing contract starts at up to $3 million until June 2026, and could include renewals that would push the total to $9 million through 2030.
Brilliant Media Strategies, Thompson & Co., and Angry Apples were among the seven companies that sought this contract the first time it was offered in August.
But Six-7 Strategies did not seek the contract in response to the August 15 RFP.
In cancelling that first request for proposals in late October, the state claimed the RFP produced by the state in August was deficient and the process had to start over again. Sweeney’s company applied the second time.
The state failed to mention any specific deficiencies when it said on October 25 that it wanted new applications.
“Specifically, (1) an offeror’s capabilities in identifying and cultivating relevant industry decision makers and influencers outside of Alaska, both domestically and internationally, and (2) an offeror’s capabilities in creating new and leveraging existing opportunities to promote the department’s interests,” the state said.
There was nothing in the evaluation process for the new RFP that directly dealt with those alleged deficiencies.
Sweeney did not reply to emails asking about why his company did not apply for the contract after the first request for proposals.
The scoring sheet from the procurement office listed Six-7 Strategies at 953 points, followed by Brilliant Media Strategies Alaska at 808, Thompson & Co. Public Relations at 768 and Angry Apples Marketing at 310.
The Dunleavy plan is to sell Alaska as imagined on the colorful pages of this 32-page pamphlet titled the “Alaska Standard,” a document created under a previous state contract. The Alaska Standard, created by Bridge House Advisors of Chicago, promotes development of oil, gas, minerals, renewable energy, etc. in Alaska.
Here is the contract. With four one-year renewals possible, the contract could be worth up to $9 million.
The state hired Sweeney to “develop and execute integrated communication campaigns” and various other things:
“Research and develop the most effective way to tell the story of potential for economic growth and diversification in Alaska.”
“Leverage marketing and education materials created by industries to amplify messaging about Alaska’s safe and sustainable approach to development and growth.”
“Dynamically respond to emergent issues to support economic development in Alaska.”
“Establish measurable and transparent criteria and timelines for success and regularly brief key stakeholders on progress and project refinement.”
The list of goals is certainly similar and overlaps in some instances with the Future 49 campaign about the Golden Age of Alaska.
Sweeney will “pursue cooperative promotional opportunities with other government and nongovernment agencies at a state and community level.”
A new website promoting Alaska is supposed to be up and running by March 15.
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