Carolyn "Care" Clift
Carolyn Clift
Elections and appointments
Contact
Carolyn Clift (independent) (also known as Care) ran for election to the Alaska State Senate to represent District N. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Clift completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Clift ran on a joint ticket with the gubernatorial nominee, William Toien (L) in 2018.
Biography
Clift is a retired public school teacher.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: Alaska State Senate elections, 2020
General election
Republican primary election
Alaska Democratic and Independence parties primary election
2018
See also: Alaska gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018
General election
Democratic primary election
Republican primary election
2014
- See also: Alaska Gubernatorial election, 2014
Clift ran for Governor of Alaska. She was uncontested for the Libertarian nomination in the ADL primary on August 19, 2014.[2] Clift faced incumbent Sean Parnell (Republican), Bill Walker (Alaska First Unity) and J.R. Myers (Alaska Constitution Party) in the general election. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.
Results
Primary election
| Governor of Alaska Democratic-Libertarian-Independence Primary, 2014 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Byron Mallott (Democratic) |
66.9% | 42,327 |
| Phil Stoddard (Democratic) | 16.6% | 10,514 |
| Carolyn "Care" Clift (Libertarian) |
16.5% | 10,436 |
| Total Votes | 63,277 | |
| Election results via Alaska Division of Elections. |
General election
| Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Alaska, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Independent | Bill Walker/Byron Mallott |
48.1% | 134,658 | |
| Republican | Sean Parnell/Dan Sullivan Incumbent | 45.9% | 128,435 | |
| Libertarian | Carolyn "Care" Clift/Andrew C. Lee | 3.2% | 8,985 | |
| Constitution | J.R. Myers/Maria Rensel | 2.5% | 6,987 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.3% | 893 | |
| Total Votes | 279,958 | |||
| Election results via Alaska Division of Elections |
Race background
| Timeline |
|---|
|
Republican incumbent Gov. Sean Parnell was first elected in 2010 and sought a second term in 2014. Parnell considered a bid for Congress in the 2014 electoral cycle, but ultimately settled on running for re-election as governor, announcing his decision in May 2013.[3] By the following May, Parnell appeared to be in strong standing for re-election. A Public Policy Poll showed the incumbent leading three potential general election opponents by at least 10 points, while The Cook Political Report released another round of 2014 governors race ratings and labeled the Alaska Governor seat as "Solid Republican" under Parnell.[4] Parnell ultimately lost the November 4 general election to Republican-turned-Independent Bill Walker. The outcome of the close gubernatorial race remained unknown 10 days after the polls closed as additional ballots were counted.[5]
Parnell defeated three challengers - Gerald L. "Tap" Heikes, Russ Millette and Brad Snowden - to secure the Republican Party's re-nomination in the August 19 primary. The Democratic-Libertarian-Independence (or "ADL") primary ballot included Democrats Byron Mallott and Phil Stoddard, as well as uncontested Libertarian nominee Carolyn "Care" Clift. Mallott received the highest number of votes in the ADL primary, and was set to advance as the Democratic nominee to the general election along with Parnell, Clift, Bill Walker (independent) and J.R. Myers (Alaska Constitution Party), until a ticket merger with Walker placed him in the lieutenant governor spot.[6][7]
Republican, Democratic, Alaskan Independence and Libertarian Party candidates do not need to petition to appear on the ballot in Alaska.[8] Alaska Constitution Party Chairman J.R. Myers succeeded in submitting the required 3,017 valid petition signatures by August 19 for a place on the November ballot. If he earned a minimum of 3 percent of the 2014 general election vote, the Constitution Party would have been reclassified from a political group to a political party and shared the same ballot access privileges as the existing four qualified parties. The Alaska Constitution Party was previously affiliated with the Alaskan Independence Party, of which Myers served two years as vice chairman. Myers garnered 2.5 percent of the vote by the end of the vote count, falling short of the minimum threshold.[9][10]
Fusion ticket
Weeks after the primary, the state Democratic Party's central committee voted 89-2 to reject the Mallott-led Democratic gubernatorial ticket and instead supported an alternative fusion ticket pairing Mallott with independent gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker.[11] The spontaneous formation of the Walker/Mallott "Alaska First Unity Ticket" necessitated the withdrawal of two candidates, Democratic lieutenant gubernatorial nominee Hollis French and Walker's original running mate Craig Fleener, who resigned from his post as state deputy fish and game commissioner to run with Walker.[12] Walker and Mallott won the general election by a 2 percent margin.
Almost one year prior to the shuffle, the Alaska Democratic Party voted unanimously to back Mallott for governor. The party stated that Mallott's was their earliest ever gubernatorial endorsement vote, citing the members' approval of the candidate's "public service, business experience and 'progressive' values."[13]
One of the driving forces behind the ticket merger was the Alaska AFL-CIO's decision to boycott the three-way governor's race, echoing a complaint among Parnell opponents that the three-way election favored the incumbent.[11] The AFL-CIO, a leading contributor to campaigns in Alaska and nationwide, went on to support the newly formed ticket.
Lawsuit
Soon after state election chief Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell and the Alaska Division of Elections granted permission for the campaigns to join forces on September 2, Steven Strait, a district chair for the Alaska Republican Party, filed a lawsuit challenging the order and requesting the ballot be restored to its pre-merger state. The original lineup gave Parnell a distinct advantage, but Strait and other lawsuit proponents insisted the challenge was not politically motivated. "French and Fleener did not resign as candidates for lieutenant governor out of any emergency, but instead resigned solely because they were asked and pressured to do so," Strait asserted, in contrast with the precedent-setting 2006 case wherein an independent lieutenant gubernatorial candidate quit the race at the eleventh hour and the State Division of Elections issued an emergency regulation to give his running mate, Andrew Halcro, the chance to name a replacement.[14] As thousands of overseas ballots had already been mailed for the 2014 election, an expedited ruling was scheduled for September 26, whereupon Alaska Superior Court Judge John Suddock decided in favor of the elections authorities. To back up his ruling, Suddock cited a different precedent than the one Strait put forth, involving a similar ballot reconfiguration during the 1990 gubernatorial race which was challenged and ultimately upheld by the Alaska Supreme Court. In that case, the Alaskan Independence Party ticket bowed out and the new Independence Party nominee selected the Republican lieutenant gubernatorial nominee as his running mate, requiring his withdrawal from the Republican ticket.[15]
Endorsements
Bill Walker received the endorsement of former Gov. Sarah Palin (R) prior to the general election.[16]
Polls
General election
All candidates
| Governor of Alaska: All candidates | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Sean Parnell* (R) | Bill Walker (I) | Carolyn "Care" Clift (L) | J.R. Myers (C) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size |
| Public Policy Polling November 1-2, 2014 | 45% | 46% | 2% | 2% | 5% | +/-3 | 1,052 |
| Hellenthal & Associates October 15-21, 2014 | 44.3% | 42.5% | 3.8% | 0.8% | 8.6% | +/-4.88 | 403 |
| HAI September 26-October 2, 2014 | 46% | 38% | 4% | 2% | 10% | +/-4.9 | 400 |
| Public Policy Polling September 18-21, 2014 | 41% | 42% | 3% | 2% | 13% | +/-- | 880 |
| AVERAGES | 44.08% | 42.13% | 3.2% | 1.7% | 9.15% | +/-0.75 | 683.75 |
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. |
**Incumbency is denoted by asterisk (*)
Parnell vs. Walker
| Governor of Alaska: Parnell vs. Walker | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Sean Parnell* (R) | Bill Walker (I) | Undecided/Other | Margin of error | Sample size |
| New York Times/CBS News/YouGov October 16-23, 2014 | 42% | 39% | 20% | +/-9 | 561 |
| Rasmussen Reports October 8-12, 2014 | 41% | 50% | 9% | +/-4 | 700 |
| CNN/ORC October 1-6, 2014 | 45% | 51% | 4% | +/-3 | 1,015 |
| New York Times/CBS News/YouGov September 20-October 1, 2014 | 40% | 45% | 15% | +/-5 | 593 |
| Hays Research (D-Alaska AFL-CIO/Walker) September 13-14, 2014 | 30% | 37% | 31% | +/-4.38 | 500 |
| Hays Research/Walker (I) August 20-22, 2014 | 40% | 43% | 15% | +/-4.5 | 474 |
| Public Policy Poll July 31-August 3, 2014 | 41% | 40% | 19% | +/-3.8 | 673 |
| Ivan Moore Research Poll (Internal) June 19-23, 2014 | 46.3% | 45.1% | 8.6% | +/-4.05 | 584 |
| AVERAGES | 40.66% | 43.76% | 15.2% | +/-4.72 | 637.5 |
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. |
**Incumbency is denoted by asterisk (*)
Hypothetical match-ups
Hypothetical match-up: Parnell vs. Mallott
| Governor of Alaska | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Sean Parnell* (R) | Byron Mallott (D) | Not sure | Margin of error | Sample size |
| Public Policy Poll July 31-August 3, 2014 | 48% | 37% | 14% | +/-3.8 | 673 |
| Ivan Moore Research Poll (Internal) June 19-23, 2014 | 34.0% | 54.9% | 11.1% | +/-4.05 | 584 |
| AVERAGES | 41% | 45.95% | 12.55% | +/-3.93 | 628.5 |
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. |
**Incumbency is denoted by asterisk (*)
Hypothetical match-up: Parnell vs. Mallott vs. Walker
| Governor of Alaska | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Sean Parnell* (R) | Byron Mallott (D) | Bill Walker (I) | Not sure | Margin of error | Sample size |
| Ivan Moore Research Poll (Internal) June 19-23, 2014 | 42% | 16% | 29% | 13% | +/-4.05 | 584 |
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. |
**Incumbency is denoted by asterisk (*)
Hypothetical match-up: Five-way race
| Governor of Alaska | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Sean Parnell* (R) | Care Clift (L) | Byron Mallott (D) | J.R. Myers (C) | Bill Walker (I) | Not sure | Margin of error | Sample size |
| Public Policy Polling July 31-August 3, 2014 | 37% | 3% | 22% | 2% | 20% | 16% | +/-3.8 | 673 |
| Public Policy Pollingl May 8-11, 2014 | 37% | 0% | 27% | 4% | 17% | 15% | +/-4.1 | 582 |
| Public Policy Polling January 30-February 1, 2014 | 41% | 0% | 25% | 3% | 16% | 15% | +/-3.4 | 850 |
| AVERAGES | 38.33% | 1% | 24.67% | 3% | 17.67% | 15.33% | +/-3.77 | 701.67 |
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. |
**Incumbency is denoted by asterisk (*)
**Due to the nature of the comparison, a placeholder figure of 0% is assigned to candidates not included in any given match-up round
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Carolyn Clift completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Clift's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Expand all | Collapse all
I am a teacher, mother, and grandmother. I have lived in Alaska for 41 years. I have a Masters of Education in reading and I have taught in both bush Alaska and Anchorage. I know why education is in a shambles and I know how to fix it.
I have lived in my current home in District N for 23 years. My oldest son completed high school in rural Aniak, Alaska, while my younger two children attended schools here in Anchorage. Amongst the three of them, they have one associate's degree, five bachelor's degrees, one master's degree, and two doctorates. All of us, including my husband and myself, attended classes in the University of Alaska system. We believe in public education and a strong university system.
I will sponsor legislation for restoring the PFD, more public school choices, sustainable resource development, more choice in elections, protection of all rights for all people, and due process in family court. I am pro-business and want to get everyone back to work. I will fight against further cuts to state programs that discriminate against persons and agencies in partisan decisions. My goal is even-handed reductions in spending and discovery of ways to consolidate expenses to find more money.
My first real job was teaching sixth grade in a small mining town called Morenci, Arizona. The town was owned by the Phelps Dodge Corporation, who had a large open pit copper mine. I lived in a studio apartment with maid service that was rented from the company, and I taught in a brand new school building The first thing that I learned was that there were no remedial services available for some of my students and nobody cared. My class was quite diverse, with Navaho, Apache, Hispanic, and other people of color, along with mostly Caucasian students. I arranged to teach my own remedial classes. Unfortunately, I had some medical problems left over from a surgery that I had the summer before, and I felt that I needed to move back to Tucson after only six months of the school year. I took some part-time work, got married, and worked in retail sales and/or substitute teaching for the next few years . I earned a Reading Specialist certificate in 1977 and restarted my teaching career doing the remedial work that I felt was so lacking . We moved to Alaska in 1979.
More benefiicial than government or political experience, for state legislators, would be experience in the private sector, handling accounts and budgets.
The greatest challenge to Alaska is to develop revenue streams that can support a sustainable level of state governement.
Alaskans pay no income tax, nor should they, because the amount of revenue that could be generated by income tax is much too small to sustain services in a state as geographically huge and population poor as Alaska. Our main revenue stream, to the State coffers, has been from extraction industries, primarily oil and gas. This has also funded, through the years, an enormous investment fund, called the Permanent Fund , which could fund services for the next ten years, if the investments were sold. That rainy day has come. Now is the time to begin restucturing our business relationship with the various extraction industries, and treating them as partners. It is also time to diversify our sources of revenue, by treating our tourism industries, film industry, and fishing industries as business partners instead of tax slaves.
I do not know what process was used for districting in my Senate N District, but the two house districts that I serve are not even connected by a road. I literally have to drive through other house districts to get back to my senate district, and it takes almost an hour to drive to the southern end of my Senate District. I suspect that two Republican senators lived very close to one another, and they were both on the redistricting committee. So first of all, when combining two House districts to make a Senate District, there needs to be a common boundary and a transportation option that connects those two districts, WITHOUT going through another house district. For this reason, looking at postal routes and zip codes would also be beneficial. There are five distinct zipcodes within my Senate District, and three of them are shared with other Senate Districts. The other issue that needs attention is to look at the local community councils. There are, arguably, at least ten community councils that are contained in all or part of my district. Most meet on Thursdays and some on Wednesdays, so it is inevitable that the legislators/candidates cannot attend all of the meetings every month. The redistricting board should not be composed of sitting legislators and should not be gerrymandered against all geographic sensibility. I favor a process in which the redistricting committee is selected from citizens-at-large from every House District, and approved by the legislature without regard to party affiliation.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ CareClift for Alaska Facebook page, "Homepage," accessed May 19, 2014
- ↑ The Miami Herald, "AK-Uncontested," August 20, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Juneau Empire, "Treadwell: 'No interest' in primary against Parnell," December 4, 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2014 Governors Race Ratings," May 16, 2014
- ↑ Alaska Division of Elections, "2014 General Election Results," accessed November 17, 2014
- ↑ Ballot Access News, "Constitution Party Has Enough Valid Signatures in Alaska," August 25, 2014
- ↑ State of Alaska Division of Elections, "August 19, 2014 Primary Candidate List," accessed August 19, 2014
- ↑ Ballot Access News, "Alaska Gubernatorial Poll Suggests Constitution Party May Win Qualified Status for First Time," May 20, 2014
- ↑ Independent Political Report, "Constitution Party Candidate for Alaska," October 1, 2013
- ↑ J.R. Myers for Governor 2014 Official Campaign Website, "A Brief History of the Alaska Constitution Party (ACP)," accessed May 22, 2014
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Alaska Dispatch News, "Walker, Mallott to join forces in governor's race," September 1, 2014
- ↑ The Anchorage Daily-News, "Walker chooses Fleener as running mate in Independent bid for governor," October 14, 2013
- ↑ Your Alaska Link, "Democrats endorse Mallott for governor," October 21, 2013
- ↑ The Daily Record, "Judge approves merged candidates in Alaska race," September 26, 2014
- ↑ Alaska Dispatch News, "Judge rules Walker-Mallott ticket can stand," September 26, 2014
- ↑ National Journal, "Palin Endorses Independent-Democratic Ticket for Alaska Governor Against GOP Successor," October 24, 2014
Leadership
Senate President:Gary Stevens
Majority Leader:Catherine Giessel
Senators
Republican Party (11)
Democratic Party (9)
