City Hall Disaster Files for...Something
Earlier this month, Dave Bronson abruptly resigned from his role at the airport, telling the Anchorage Daily News that he decided it was simply time to move along and that it was "hunting season."
Here I was, minding my own business, when up pops the familiar name of Anchorage’s most infamous snow-plow-dodger, Dave Bronson. You might remember Mr. Bronson - Anchorage's former mayor? Fluoride truther? You know, the guy who left City Hall buried in scandals and literal snowdrifts? Ring any bells?
Anyway, after his reelection defeat, Bronson took some time to regroup and plan his next steps. He ultimately landed (he's a pilot, get it?) a pretty well-paying gig this past January as the Airport Manager of Ted Stevens Anchorage Airport. Given that Bronson's former chief of staff, Craig Campbell, held the job on an interim basis in 2022, it's not hard to see the control tower now doubles as a GOP halfway house for washed-up, unpopular Republican politicians...but I digress.
Earlier this month, Bronson abruptly resigned from his role at the airport, telling the Anchorage Daily News that he decided it was simply time to move along and that it was "hunting season." Before departing the blog earlier this month, Spinstress Suzanne Downing explained on Must Read Alaska that Bronson had "bought a lodge." 🙄
After losing reelection, cashing in at the airport, and bailing less than a year later, political observers suspected Bronson was eyeing a bigger prize - the governor’s mansion. This only sounds good to the same people who thought it was an excellent idea for Judy Eledge and former municipal manager Amy Demboski to umm..."run" the Anchorage Public Library system.
Well, Bronson is indeed eyeballing something, because yesterday he filed a Letter of Intent for an unspecified office. It's an odd filing, to be sure—with a dozen Republican gubernatorial candidates already in the field, playing cloak and dagger here doesn't make much sense unless he's trying to whip his willing, drooling COVID MAGA army into a frenzy. Again.
Honestly, it's so boring by now.
It's worth noting that both Bronson and Rep. Calvin Schrage live in HD 12. I point that out only because Schrage is up for reelection next year, AND Bronson has a proven track record of doing the dumbest things as both a candidate and elected official. Schrage won reelection in 2024, capturing 60.8% of the vote against Bronson ally and creator of the now-defunct pro-Bronson Save Anchorage Facebook group, Joseph Lurtsema.
It’s also worth noting that Janice Park outpaced Senator James Kaufman by 8 points in this very district that same year, though she ultimately lost the Senate District F race by 4 points due to heavy turnout in the deeply conservative HD 11 that makes up the other half of Senate District F.
It seems unlikely that Bronson would waste his time and money running against Schrage, a popular independent in a non-presidential year, especially when Republican turnout will almost certainly lag behind 2024 levels. And with Senator James Kaufman not on the ballot in 2026, that leaves Bronson with only two likely plays: governor or lieutenant governor.
Everything is speculation at this point, but while we wait with not-so-baited breath for Dave Bronson to reveal which office he thinks he deserves next, we can all take comfort in knowing that whatever he runs for, it'll be less of a campaign and more of a clown car crash unfolding in slow motion.
