Beth with one of Iditarod Champion Martin Buser's sled dog puppies

Serving Juneau is a great honor. From working to save the capital and local jobs, to getting an independent gasline, I love representing Juneau.

One of the most exciting moments of 2008 came when over a thousand people crowded into Centennial Hall to participate in our local Democratic Caucus. I saw people who had never voted Democrat, or who had never voted at all there. I was standing at the very back of the room when Senator Elton asked me to say a few words at the podium. Three minutes later, by the time I had worked my way through the crowd, I could hardly talk I was so overcome by the hope and enthusiasm of my friends and neighbors.

Because of the local caucus, I agreed to Chair the State Democratic Convention. There, I felt the same energy from Alaskans from every district joining together to build a better state.

I want to continue that same hope and enthusiasm throughout my campaign. From the national to the local, we are on the verge of accomplishing great things.

In the State House of Representatives, I lead 16 Democrats in a very cohesive Minority Caucus. Because of our hard work, determination and great trust in one another, we have swung vote after vote to the good of Alaskans - convincing others to join us in good decisions such as ethics reform and education funding. Just as we led the effort to get Alaska a fair oil tax in last year's oil session, we think we can lead the effort for an independent gasline. Without our work, there would be no revenue surplus. With it, we are going to be able to solve our energy crisis, get our education system back on track, and expand health care for all Alaskans.

My goal is to see this caucus, the caucus that backed Juneau as the capital, grow and use its energy and enthusiasm for all Alaskans.

I hope you will join us on the campaign. It's a lot of work, but it's fun and it's part of our great democratic system. Whether it's the 4th of July parade, going door-to-door, stuffing envelopes, or helping with policy research, I can use your help.

But the most important thing you can do is turn out to vote on August 26th and again on November 4th. And when you do, I would ask for your vote to continue the work I've started.

Thanks, and if you have any questions please call or email me. I'm there for you.