Benson For Congress Campaign Press Releases

(Anchorage, AK) I am greatly saddened to hear that Senator Ted Stevens has been indicted on criminal charges by the FBI. In the 40 years Senator Stevens has been in office, he has achieved so much for Alaska. As our troops return from Iraq he has demonstrated his concern for the wounded, a fact of which I am personally grateful. However, in a nation of law and order it is imperative that when there is wrongdoing, every wrongdoer be held accountable. No one is above the law, not even a member of Congress. Today is a sad day for the state, but we believe in the process of justice, and we will endure.

But today's indictments represent a larger issue than the scandal surrounding a senator. Today's indictments serve as further proof that the sacred trust between voters and their representatives has been shattered. America is dissatisfied with Congress and the seemingly endless ethical violations around campaign contributions and behavior.

Clearly, we cannot do the same things over and over again and expect different results. We can hardly expect a representative government that's for the people when it's paid for by special interests. No candidate, let alone a standing Senator or Congressional Representative, should ever compromise the pubic trust or their duty by taking gifts or contributions from any powerful special interests.

Alaska has an opportunity to begin anew. May we do so on behalf of our children's grand-children."

Sincerely,

Diane Benson

(Anchorage, AK) Diane Benson, candidate for U.S. Congress in Alaska (AK-AL), will hold a press conference on Monday, May 5 at 12:00pm to discuss her plans to strengthen federal programs that support survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

Benson has been an advocate and voice of support for many women who have also survived assault. “For ten years I have been speaking to women who have been through situations like or similar to mine, giving them hope that they can get through this. There are many strong state, federal and nonprofit programs out there. I think by acting on the national level, working with schools and law enforcement agencies to implement preventative measures, we can curb the number of incidents that happen in Alaska and across the country.”

The press conference will be held at the Benson for Congress headquarters, 545 East Northern Lights Blvd, Suite 500, Anchorage, AK 99504. For more information, please call (907) 274-0808 or email press@bensonforcongress.com.

(Anchorage, AK) Diane Benson, candidate for U.S. Congress in Alaska (AK-AL), informed the Alaska Democratic Party today in a conference call that she condemns the recent use of websites and other tactics to smear the image of another congressional candidate, Ethan Berkowitz.
Benson says: “Our campaign is about change; about transforming our government to serve the needs of the people of Alaska, and that should be the focus of any campaign. I am disappointed to see that these dirty tactics are being used. We have been embarrassed enough by the poor representation and scandal that surrounds our current congressional representative. Alaskans deserve better from their elected officials and candidates for office.”

Recent articles by the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and the Anchorage Press state that these websites may be linked to a campaign seeking Don Young’s seat in the US House of Representatives.

“I hope that there are no connections to another campaign. If there is, that candidate must take the necessary actions to disassociate themselves from those individuals and publicly condemn their actions. This is too historic a race for us to be distracted by petty old-style smear campaign tactics. We need to focus on the issues important to voters.”

Benson’s campaign Manager, Riche Zamor reports that Benson’s campaign has also been victim to similar attacks. In 2006 and in 2008, anonymous individuals edited the Wikipedia and Congresspedia pages for Benson with misleading and erroneous remarks. Early last fall, there were also a series of anonymous bloggers leaving negative blog posts with similar comments. “Rather than make an issue of it, we simply became more watchful of these sites,” said Benson.

Benson also publically reassured Berkowitz and Alaskan voters on radio that there is no connection between these apparent fake websites and her campaign.

(Anchorage, AK) The Benson for Congress campaign announced adding two seasoned, award-winning political consulting firms to their campaign team to help drive the campaign’s message for bringing about change for all Alaskans.

Benson has hired Lake Research Partners to conduct polling for the campaign and Strother-Duffy-Strother to develop communications and media strategy.

“We’re excited about the team we’ve built. These firms have experience winning competitive elections like this one. They have worked with many women candidates, helping to elect them to all levels of government from local to federal seats. Our campaign is truly a campaign for change, and we have a team that will make sure we get our message of a new direction for Alaska to voters across the state,” Benson said.

Celinda Lake and Daniel Gotoff of Lake Research are nationally recognized for helping elect pro-choice women to office. Clients have included Senators Debby Stabenow and Mary Landrieu, and Representatives Loretta Sanchez, Eddie Bernice Johnson and Jill Long-Thompson among dozens of others. Lake Research also has years of experience working in Alaska, polling for Fran Ulmer’s gubernatorial race in 2002, and for two of Mayor Mark Begich’s mayoral campaigns and currently for his senatorial campaign.

Dane Strother of Strother-Duffy-Strother has specialized in electing Democrats in conservative districts. His current clients include U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, Representative Lloyd Doggett and Mayor Kathy Taylor. Strother-Duffy-Strother has a track record of working with progressive candidates that have worked to bring about true change for America, including Al Gore, Rep. John Lewis, and Bill Clinton.

(Anchorage, AK) Diane Benson, candidate for US Congress (AK-AL), has called for Rep. Don Young to either provide Alaskans with information regarding the federal and Senate investigations into his 2006 earmark for Coconut Road, or resign as Alaska’s sole member of the House of Representatives. On April 17th, the United States Senate announced the launch of an investigation into the 2006 earmark, which was added to a transportation bill a few days after Aronoff held an event raising $40,000 for Young.

“For too long our government has seemingly been for sale. With the Abramoff scandal and members of Congress going to jail it’s time we demanded a new ethical standard from our elected officials.”

Diane Benson has been demanding an investigation into this matter for quite some time. On September 18th, 2007, Diane submitted a letter to Rep. Doc Hastings of Washington and Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio, who head the Committee on Standards and Ethics, requesting an investigation into the earmark, which was illegally changed between the time the legislation passed and it was signed by President Bush.

“This has been a long time coming. It has taken more than two years for this investigation to get underway, and I hope we will finally get to the bottom of this issue. This is a clear violation of the US Constitution, and no one with such disregard for the laws of our country should be allowed to continue to hold elected office.”

Diane pledges to support legislation to increase transparency in government and support public financing of congressional elections once elected. Benson has gone on record taking the Change Congress Pledge, which can be viewed at http://change-congress.org/pledge/candidate/info/56.

On April 9, 2008, Diane Benson sent a letter to the chief executives of BP and ConocoPhillips and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin outlining important policy proposals which must be taken into account in anticipation of construction of the Alaska Gas Pipeline. This letter was in response to BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. and ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc.’s April 8, 2008 announcement regarding the start of construction of the Alaska Gas Pipeline. In keeping her pledge to supporters, Diane Benson urges BP, ConocoPhillips & Gov. Sarah Palin to meet with her to discuss several issues in regards to this project, inter alia:

1. Fiscal certainty, and who will ultimately pay for the pipeline, including Alaska state and federal proposals to provide subsidies and/or loan guarantees for the pipeline construction.
2. TransCanada’s AGIA license application and the impact of the BP/ConocoPhillips announcement on the pending TransCanada pipeline proposal;
3. The possibility of incorporating an Anchorage segment into both the TransCanada and BP/ConocoPhillips proposals (specifically, the construction of a pipeline extension from Tok to the greater Anchorage area, thereby ensuring cost-effective gas delivery for Alaska’s major population and industrial centers);
4. Compliance with all applicable international, federal and state laws and regulations and my proposals to ensure approval of all federal certifications in Congress and federal regulatory agencies;
5. Working with labor unions and Alaska’s small businesses to ensure that a substantial portion of benefits from the pipeline inure to Alaskans.

Diane Benson is open to discussing the Alaska Gas Pipeline with the press. A copy of the letter sent to the chief executives and to Gov. Sarah Palin is available on Diane Benson’s campaign website: www.bensonforcongress.com.

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1. As Alaskans know, Diane Benson has been a staunch advocate of an all-Alaska pipeline throughout her career; nevertheless, in light of recent developments, there is still ample opportunity to achieve the common goal of ensuring that Alaskans benefit from the pipeline by receiving affordable natural gas.

Diane Benson would like to congratulate Lt. Governor Sean Parnell on his decision to enter the race to unseat Don Young. Diane welcomes the challenge from all parties. “I feel any of the candidates in the race right now would be an alternative to Don Young. However, I am the candidate who stood up and challenged Don Young when he wasn’t under investigation. I stood up to fight corruption, give voice to all Alaskans, and clean House!”

Diane Benson looks forward to the possibility of engaging Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell in a positive discourse on the issues affecting all the people of Alaska. For more information on Diane Benson, please visit www.bensonforcongress.com.

Congressional candidate Diane Benson spoke on behalf of Veterans testifying before the legislature at a hearing held by the House Special Committee on Military and Veterans’ Affairs, Tuesday, February 26th. The Senate Joint Resolution No. 11, introduced by Senator Wielechowski, is a resolution similarly passed by 20 other states in support of dedicated funding for the Veteran’s health care in the federal budget.

Diane stated:

“The bottom line is that our wounded warriors and their families must contend with on-going health care needs that we may not anticipate when planning funding for Veterans. Veterans must have assured funding and federal legislation like House Resolution 2514 is a start.”
Benson says that the legislatures’ efforts are very encouraging and she commended the legislature for the Joint Resolution.

Although Diane Benson is running for Congress, and is also a member of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce’s Military Committee, she spoke specifically as a mother of a Wounded Warrior. Her son is an Iraq War Veteran who lost both his legs to an IED and currently requires another surgery as a result of the “Iraq Infection”, a unique condition found in hundreds of wounded Iraq war troops which may causes bone growths and infections. She emphasized that the needs of the wounded warriors and their families are greater because these conditions continue to require specialized treatment and surgery.

Diane has been an advocate for increased health care benefits for veterans living in Alaska and throughout the country and will continue to advocate for passing federal legislation that provides dedicated funding for Veteran’s health care as our next U.S. Representative. This important official statement shows Alaska’s commitment to and support of our veterans and the troops fighting for our safety around the world.