Kelly-Kassel race still undecided
Candidates cope with the tension of waiting
Published Monday, November 24, 2008
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Stumble It!FAIRBANKS — In a race to the finish, both runners are showing their cool.
Incumbent Rep. Mike Kelly isn’t focusing on the single vote separating him from challenger Karl Kassel. He said he’s looking less at politics and more toward Thanksgiving — the 31st consecutive Thanksgiving his family will spend together at its cabin outside of town.
“I’m more worried about making sure the snowmachines are starting and getting them on the trailer and making sure everyone’s got their food assignments,” Kelly said Sunday. “I’m a pretty practiced guy, and (I’m) not being too concerned at things that I don’t have control over.”
For Kassel, a former parks director and Democratic challenger to Kelly, it’s simply a waiting game. But he’s not waiting from a frozen perch, and will likely be traveling to a family member’s hockey tournament when the next round of returns is announced early this week.
“I’m doing better than a lot of people around me,” said Kassel, a political newcomer, of the anxiety of waiting for a decision in the House District 7 race. “I mean, it’s all done and I’m relaxed with it. We’ll just wait and see how it comes out.”
Both candidates, and their respective supporters, have been left guessing after the early November general election failed to produce a clear winner.
Subsequent counts of absentee and questioned ballots narrowed Kelly’s lead to a single vote, leaving the split 49.83 percent for Kelly to 49.82 percent for Kassel.
State election officials will count the final batch — 49 votes from ballots that trickled in from overseas — on Tuesday. Regardless of the result, a recount is expected.
If things wind up being a tie, the election would be determined with a coin toss. The most recent example of this happening was two years ago, when Unalaska incumbent Rep. Carl Moses incorrectly chose heads and lost to challenger Bryce Edgmon from Dillingham during the Democratic primary for Alaska House District 37.
Edgmon, who won re-election this month, said the weeks leading to that dramatic day were extremely anxious.
He said that while Kassel and Kelly both know the vote is now out of their respective hands, they also may be on pins and needles awaiting a result.
“I’m really glad it’s not me this time around,” said Edgmon, one of 17 Democrats in the 40-seat House of Representatives. He said he remembers “almost getting physically sick” at one point during the see-sawing vote counts that preceded the coin toss. “But at the same time, it’s just day-by-day because you really don’t know what the outcome’s going to be.”
The Legislature is set to return to work Jan. 20, making this the time of year when experienced lawmakers and political newcomers meet with interest groups, education leaders and other constituents to prepare.
But both Kassel and Kelly suggested they’re not letting the uncertainty get to them. Kelly said he recently went through the same post-election routine as last year — taking down campaign signs and thanking supporters.
“It’s been going on since Nov. 4 and really we ran a hard, clean race and so how this turns out now is just up to the people,” he said. “I don’t really have to worry about that much, so consequently I don’t.”
Kassel contrasted his attitude now with election night, when returns from the first few precincts showed Kelly with a significant lead. He recalled brushing away the initial “shock” and staying patient — and of growing easier as the night moved along and Kelly’s lead slowly shrank to a couple of percentage points.
“(That) was what I was expecting,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting one vote, however. I did think it would be close, but I didn’t think one vote.”
Kassel said he recently traveled to Anchorage for a Democratic party organizational meeting and learned much of that organization will depend on his race. Aside from that, he said he organized relatively late for his campaign and is now living life day-to-day without looking too far ahead.
“I adapt to environments pretty easily, and I enjoy doing new things,” he said. “I can’t make plans to go to Juneau, and I can’t make plans to spend any of my newly found retired time doing something either. ... There really isn’t anything I can do other than be patient. So I’m practicing to be patient.”
Kelly, who has served two consecutive two-year terms in the House, said he’s cautiously anticipating a win but is prepared for a loss. He said he’s gone through a few of the usual routines and met with secondary and university education officials to discuss their priorities, noting that typically those groups know by now who is going to Juneau.
“Here, my approach is ... to be totally prepared and up to speed should I go back for a third term. So that’s what I’m doing,” Kelly said.
“I’ve got my bases covered,” he said. “I always figure I’m going to win, but naturally I know it’s up to the people, that’s why it makes it sort of easy to sit back and chuckle a little bit and see where she goes.”
Contact staff writer Christopher Eshleman at 459-7582.
Community Discussion
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Go Karl Kassel!
After hearing Kelly defend the refineries ripping us off at the pump I sure hope Kassel prevails. It is OK for the refineries to have an unregulated monopoly, but the hospital need the government to step in and ensure competition cannot exist? Way to support your campaign sponsors Kelly!
As usual, democratic campaigning continues long after the election in question. Get your lawyers to challenge some military absentee votes and the election is yours.
Another Republican for Karl Kassel here...
pretty cynical roadtrip.
whoever gets the most votes will win. you think that mike doesn't have reps at the vote count too?
Send them both...we could call it K&K recycling.
I voted for Kassel and hope like heck he wins! However, regardless of the outcome both candidates need to keep in mind that every time they meet two people one will be ready to shake his hand while the other kicks him in the butt!!!
just so long as Mike doesn't leave his underwear laying around
Mike "monopoly" Kelly. You summed him up well Fairbanksgas however you left out his part in riding another monopoly until retirement... GVEA. This guy has made a living off of being an attack dog for both unregulated and regulated monopolies yet he views himself as some sort of a captain of unfettered free-enterprise.
Odd how we delude ourselves.
dog
I hope the count ends in a perfect tie. Then everyone gets to take a bite. To quote Two-Face "The random toss. The only true justice."
Maybe we should introduce a new bill for more frequent elections for offices- perhaps one year only terms and after that year they have to take one year off. That way the oil companies have to spend more to buy their politicians. The more frequent elections would increase the election spending turmoil thereby benefitting the economy.
I see only one downside with this plan: a major overload of campaign ads.
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