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The Associated Press

The Associated Press

FAIRBANKS -- Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor Jim Whitaker’s mid-August decision to endorse Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama and subsequent trip to speak at that party’s national convention has caused a stir among his fellow Republicans from Interior Alaska.

Reactions early this week indicate many were disappointed. A few said they weren’t surprised; some called him a closet liberal in Grand Old Party clothes. Others noted that their party’s members, even its elected officials, are free to vote for or endorse anyone they want.

Either way, the Aug. 12 endorsement — one seized upon by national Democratic leaders, who invited Whitaker to speak on a national stage Tuesday — has been a hot topic. Many involved in the Republican Party consider Whitaker a Republican-in-name-only, or RINO, said Ralph Seekins, a former state senator. But they were still surprised Whitaker would be “this bold,” he said.

“You hate to see someone who claims to be a Republican take that kind of step,” Seekins said Monday.

Whitaker’s post as borough mayor is nonpartisan, as are all elected positions at the borough and city of Fairbanks. Yet the Democratic Party took efforts to promote his longtime registration with the Republican Party. Outgoing Republican Alaska Sen. Gary Wilken questioned whether the endorsement “moves our borough forward.”

“Frankly, I don’t think it’s the borough mayor’s job to endorse anyone, whether a local candidate or a candidate for president,” Wilken said.

Whitaker has been directly involved in politics for more than a decade. He joined the Fairbanks City Council in 1995 before moving to the Alaska Legislature, where, as a member of the House of Representatives, he focused on energy issues, often proving a burr in the side of Big Oil.

Occasionally outspoken, Whitaker has often acted independently of his party. In 2006, he publicly supported Sen. Joe Thomas, a political newcomer running for office as a Democrat against Seekins, the incumbent.

Todd Larkin, an active Republican who challenged Whitaker for mayor the same year, recalled telling people the sitting mayor “just wasn’t very conservative.” Yet, he said he’s mildly surprised Whitaker passed over John McCain, who Larkin described as a moderate, to endorse a Democrat. Larkin noted Whitaker looked to cut the budget at the borough recently and holds good relationships with many fellow Republicans, but said his actions have slowly included a more liberal tone.

“I just knew he wasn’t conservative. It’s kind of glaring now,” he said.

Whitaker told Democratic delegates Tuesday that he was not there “to speak against Senator McCain” but to support Obama, who he said has “keen intellect, a pragmatic idealism and a resulting wisdom” the country needs.

The state Republican Party distanced itself from any sign of disappointment, saying the party — one consisting of individuals free to vote for whomever they want — would only have an issue if Whitaker was a Republican convention delegate, in which case he would possess an obvious conflict.

“It doesn’t really matter who he wants to endorse,” party spokesman McHugh Pierre said Monday. “It’s his choice, and anyone can make his choice. We’re happy that he’s decided to endorse a presidential candidate.”

Nick Stepovich, who Whitaker chose as his replacement in the House of Representatives after being elected mayor in 2003, said he’s always liked Whitaker’s convictions and “forthrightness.” But while he said Whitaker never shies away from taking a stand for his ideals, Stepovich said he now wonders how closely those ideals fall from those of the Democratic Party.

“I’ve always admired Jim’s convictions,” said Stepovich, who said he will attend the national Republican Party convention. “But in this case, it’s coming with contradictions.”

Whitaker, who will leave office next year because of term limits, has said his decision to endorse Obama is not an effort to further his political career. But his move won’t hurt that option if national leaders look to Whitaker — who closely studied oil and gas issues as a state lawmaker — as a potential ambassador, said Kathleen “Mike” Dalton, a longtime Republican leader.

“He has proven his independence from parties ever since he was in the Legislature,” Dalton said.

Connie Miller, who chairs a Fairbanks-area district for the Alaska Republican Party, said she feels Whitaker has been a “good” mayor. Like Larkin, however, she said she was surprised at the endorsement.

“Personally, I was a little disappointed,” she said, speaking prior to Whitaker’s Tuesday evening address. “But we’ll see how all this pans out.”