On Tuesday night, Alaska political reporter Casey Reynolds gathered a handful of the state\u2019s political experts for a live blog on the results of the statewide primary.<\/p>\n
As the results began to come in, former U.S. Senator Mark Begich asked a rhetorical question: \u201cThe outcome of tonight\u2019s election will tell us where we are going as state. So the question is, what direction will we go?\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer to that question may not come until November.<\/p>\n
Tuesday\u2019s vote offered voters a referendum on the Alaska Legislature\u2019s failure to balance the state\u2019s multibillion-dollar budget.<\/p>\n
While the purpose of a primary election is to pick candidates for a general election, the winners of 16 primary races will face no opposition in November \u2014 the other party hasn\u2019t bothered to field a candidate.<\/p>\n
Many of the others face only independent opposition or are in districts that tilt toward one party or another, making them largely uncompetitive in a general election.<\/p>\n
\u201cForty percent of the elections this year will be determined by the primary race,\u201d said Rep. Sam Kito III, D-Juneau, who faces no opposition in either the primary or general elections.<\/p>\n
For that reason, Kito and his Juneau co-worker, Rep. Cathy Mu\u00f1oz, R-Juneau, said they planned to keep a close eye on a handful of House and Senate races.<\/p>\n
On the North Slope, initial indications were that Democratic challenger Dean Westlake was leading incumbent Democratic Rep. Benny Nageak.<\/p>\n
Nageak is a member of the Republican-led House Majority and has consistently opposed higher taxes and lower subsidies on oil companies.<\/p>\n
Precincts on the North Slope are small and isolated, with results not typically published until the following day.<\/p>\n
In Southwest Alaska, incumbent Democratic Rep. Bob Herron faced a big challenge challenger Zach Fansler for a seat representing Bethel. As on the North Slope, Herron was a member of the Republican-led House Majority, and as on the North Slope, results were not expected until later Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Mu\u00f1oz and Kito said they\u2019re also watching a handful of Republican races in Southcentral. Those races concern members of the \u201cMusk Ox Caucus,\u201d a group of moderate Republicans who have been willing to defect from the House Majority on some budget issues.<\/p>\n
Most members of that caucus are facing stiff primary election challenges. If they stay in office and Democrats win seats in November, there could be a joint Republican-Democratic majority in the House.<\/p>\n
With nine of 11 precincts reporting results by 10 p.m., Rep. Jim Colver of Palmer (a member of the caucus) was losing 45-55 to George Rauscher, a more traditional Republican.<\/p>\n
Conversely, incumbent Rep. Paul Season (another Musk Ox) was leading his three-way race in Homer, 55-22-23, with four of nine districts reporting results.<\/p>\n
Any attempt to create a theme from Tuesday\u2019s election will run into a significant problem: turnout.<\/p>\n
In 2000, just 17.2 percent of Alaska\u2019s registered voters participated in the state primary. In 1982, the high-water mark, that figure was 57.6 percent. Initial indications are that this year\u2019s turnout will approach the 2000 figure as the lowest ever.<\/p>\n
With fewer than 1 in 5 Alaska voters participating Tuesday, it will be difficult for anyone to say they have a referendum based on the results.<\/p>\n
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Read more election news:<\/p>\n
Tuesday’s election results promise at least seven new faces in Legislature<\/a><\/p>\n Polls bare: Few turn out for primary in Juneau<\/a><\/p>\n