Lynch makes nonpartisan run at House seat

Soldotna resident Daniel Lynch originally had no plans to come out of retirement — or his armchair, as he puts it. But the combination of the Legislature’s work the last few years and this year’s candidates for the House of Representatives seat for District 30 made him change his mind, he said.

“Originally I tried to convince other people around here,” Lynch said, explaining that time conflicts and lack of money were presented as reasons people declined. “So eventually after I saw the list of candidates who were running I thought, ‘I’m going to have to do it myself.’”

Lynch is the self-described underdog of the most contested race in the state, a retired union worker who has not held public office before. He regularly attends public meetings in Soldotna and at the Kenai Peninsula Borough level and weighs in often. He said he felt galvanized to run for the District 30 seat in part to prove that anyone can do it, that it doesn’t take large reserves in order to run a campaign. His campaign has been completely self-funded, which he brought up at the last forum for the District 30 race in comparison to the other three candidates.

“It’s always easy to spend other people’s money,” he said.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Lynch is running as a nonpartisan candidate, which he said he thinks could help him in Juneau when it came to reaching compromises between the two main parties.

“The two-party system is what’s caused gridlock in Washington D.C.,” he said.

He now sees the same thing happening in Juneau. Being independent would allow Lynch to present ideas without offending either of the parties, he said.

The biggest item on every candidate’s mind this year is the state’s budget, with the previous Legislature choosing not to act on Senate Bill 128, the governor’s plan to use Permanent Fund earnings to help fund government, leaving Alaska with a gaping budget deficit. Lynch said he supports a 5 percent sales tax on online purchases statewide, claiming those who shop online would not be disproportionately affected because that would still be 1 percent less than the sales tax paid in stores in areas like Soldotna.

“If I’m not successful, I hope somebody else around … the state picks it up and goes with it because it needs to be accomplished,” he said.

In addition to the online sales tax, Lynch said he would support eliminating state spending on primary elections, something he views as unnecessary. Lynch would also support cutting spending that “leaves the state.”

Another issue Lynch views as necessary to address should he go to Juneau is that of the heroin epidemic in the state, and specifically on the Kenai Peninsula. He cited a lack of resources or places to go for those who want to get clean, which perpetuates a cycle of relapse.

“And we cannot fight it neighborhood by neighborhood or town by town,” Lynch said. “We need to do something on the statewide level to get some rehab and (such) going.”

Protecting the health of the Kenai River is a goal for Lynch, as it helps support District 30 and the surrounding area economically. In Kenai and Soldotna, specifically, Lynch would like to see significantly updated wastewater treatment plants, though he said clean water is something that can be addressed at a statewide level as well. Addressing rising health care costs in the state is also on Lynch’s mind as things he would like to work on should he get elected.

“It needs to be dealt with because it affects every one of us,” he said.

Lynch said he ran for the Distrcit 30 seat to give people more options than have existed in the past. He said he hopes the relative unhappiness he understands people feel for the current party system does not stop people from getting out and exercising their chance to vote and make a choice.

 

Reach Megan Pacer at megan.pacer@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

President Zen Kelly speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, July 7, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
School board finalizes budget with deep cuts to programming, classrooms

Multiple members of the board said they were frustrated by the state’s failure to fund education.

Former KPBSD Finance Director Liz Hayes speaks during a Kenai Peninsula Borough School District budget development meeting at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
School district finance department earns national awards

The two awards are based on comprehensive reviews of the district’s budget and financial reporting.

Children leap forward to grab candy during a Fourth of July parade on South Willow Street in Kenai, Alaska, on July 4, 2025. (Photo courtesy Sarah Every)
Celebrating the 4th in the streets

Kenai comes out for annual Independence Day parade.

Fire crews respond to the Bruce Fire, July 4, 2025, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Alaska Division of Forestry)
Firefighting crews respond to wildfire outside Soldotna

The 8-acre fire and two “spot fires” of less than one acre each are located near Mile 102 and 103 of the Sterling Highway.

Robert Weaver was last seen at the Doroshin Bay public use cabin on June 25, 2025. (Photo provided by the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
Updated: Refuge ends search efforts for missing man

Robert Weaver was last seen near Skilak Lake on June 25.

The Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team conducts a training mission in Seward, Alaska in 2024. Photo courtesy of the Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team
Anchor Point fundraiser to benefit Alaska rescue and recovery group

Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization established in 2016.

Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic staff (left to right) Angie Holland, RN; Jane Rohr, Sonja Martin Young, CNM; Robin Holmes, MD; and Cherie Bole, CMA provide an array of reproductive and sexual health services. (Photo provided by KBFPC)
Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic releases report on STI trends on the Kenai Peninsula

The report pulls from data gathered from 2024 to early 2025.

Pool manager and swim coach Will Hubler leads a treading water exercise at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Swimmers, parents call on Kenai to support Kenai Central pool

The KPBSD Board of Education last week said communities will need to step up and take over administration of pools within the next year.

Most Read