Adam Wool

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Reproductive Rights

I am pro-choice. I support the Roe v Wade decision and oppose it being overturned. Alaska has a strong privacy clause in its constitution but if it came to a vote I’d support putting in law language that makes it the law of the land. A woman should have access to reproductive healthcare including safe and legal abortion if she chooses, especially if her life is in danger.

Climate Change

I am very concerned of the rate of increase of the temperature of the planet. We are heating up too fast and each prediction puts us closer to the point of no return. Oceans are warming and rising and we’re already seeing the results. In Alaska we’re seeing declining fish populations and migration of certain fish species to places we’ve never seen them before. Permafrost is melting and infrastructure is failing. Nationally, storms are getting bigger and wetter and more destructive. Fires are burning more frequently and bigger and droughts are more severe. The southwest of the U.S. had its driest and hottest season of the past 1000 years. We must do something. We need to burn less fossil fuels. Alaska is a producer of fossil fuels and we can’t stop production that’s for sure. We need to keep that in mind and start our transition to other means. We shouldn’t shut down production on the north slope and we should continue to explore where it’s economically and environmentally feasible but we shouldn’t think we can drill ourselves out of this problem. It’s getting harder to get financing for certain drilling projects and needs to be taken into account. We need to look into other technologies and that means looking for other minerals that can be used for alternative energy. Alaska has some of those resources and we need to take advantage of that and help in the needed transition.

Gun Safety

Like many others, I was deeply affected by the recent school shooting in Texas. This situation is so appalling and unthinkable. It’s something that should never happen, yet it continues. I remember the Sandy Hook massacre that took place in Newtown, Connecticut back in 2013. I had a daughter in 1st grade at the time, and putting her on the bus the next day was very painful. No parent should feel that, yet many today are feeling just that. Congress had a bi-partisan bill in front of them that would’ve helped but it failed. Our Democratic senator at the time voted against it. We need to put an end to this kind of extreme violence. Last session I introduced a very minimal gun safety bill that would require people to keep their guns locked up when they weren’t in the control of a responsible adult. This measure is supported by a majority of gun owners. This is similar in approach to a seatbelt law. The fine is minimal and in the case of the safe storage bill, a fine would only be applied if the gun was used in a crime or if someone was injured or killed. Too many kids die accidentally from playing with guns that are left out and our suicide rate is #2 in the nation. The bill never passed, but it was a small start. People say I’m crazy to introduce a “gun bill” in Alaska but we need to start somewhere. We need to stop kids killing kids. The recent shootings in the country have been carried out by 18 year old kids. In states like Alaska, they can’t legally buy a handgun until they’re 21. However even though we just raised the age for cigarettes and vapes to 21 from 19 in Alaska, it’s still 18 to buy an assault rifle.

Healthcare

Our healthcare system doesn’t work for many Americans. It is too expensive and too complicated and it’s tied to ones job in many cases. Our system is on the verge of collapse. Many people with employer provided healthcare may not have many problems and feel like everything is OK. This may be the case and that’s fine but the costs are rising very quickly and even more so in Alaska. That’s why many Alaskans fly out of state for certain procedures because it’s cheaper. This shouldn’t be the case. We have the most expensive healthcare system in the world and our results aren’t great. For those uninsured or underinsured a major medical catastrophe can mean bankruptcy. End of life care can be very expensive and even people with medical insurance may need to have lots of money in reserve to afford a comfortable retirement. This shouldn’t be the case, the system needs fixing. A public option may be a good start, it may bring down costs and be a good template for future systems.^[11]

Supporting our Local Schools

• As a parent of two girls in neighborhood schools, education is personal to me. As a business owner I know that investing in education is the best way to grow our economy. Alaskan businesses cannot succeed without educated Alaskan to work at them. I will continue to be a strong voice for Fairbanks schools.

Fighting Runaway Health Insurance Costs

• Individual health insurance costs are out of control in Alaska. They have skyrocketed 40% each of the last two years. I was proud to help pass a bill that will lower the rate increases, and I voted for an amendment to improve your ability to know about proposed rate increases and have a meaningful ability to comment to the Division of Insurance before these rates are approved. More work needs to be done, and I introduced legislation to reform Alaska’s insurance rate review process. I will continue to work to push this bill into law and fight for lower health insurance rates.

Balancing the Budget

• Low oil prices and fiscal mismanagement have plunged Alaska into the worst budget crisis in our history. I am committed to working on bipartisan basis to craft a comprehensive solution to this crisis that eliminates waste without drastic cuts that would destroy our economy.

Lower Energy Costs

• On the House Energy Committee I worked on important legislation to lower energy costs across Alaska. We passed legislation to make it easier for businesses to switch to natural gas and worked with utilities across the state to explore ways to lower transmission costs on the Railbelt Grid from Homer to Fairbanks. I voted to kill several bills that were designed to let politicians micro-manage the gas pipeline project. We face enough challenges building the gasline- we don’t need more politicians mucking it up!^[11]