Kookesh is leaving the House seat that represents the towns of Haines, Skagway, Kake, Tenakee Springs, Yakutat, Metlakatla and other small coastal communities. He is running for the Senate District C seat, which is being vacated by veteran lawmaker Georgianna Lincoln of Rampart.

The winner will take on the successful candidate in a four-person Democratic primary race.

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The Republican primary election is Aug. 24.

Gary Graham, 56, of Cordova, made an unsuccessful bid two years ago as a Republican but lost to Kookesh. This also will be the second run for District 5 by Haines resident Bill Thomas, 57. Thomas ran as a Democrat in 1988. He has since changed his party affiliation. It's the first run for state office for Craig High School Principal Doug Rhodes.

As of late July, Rhodes had raised $6,225 in campaign contributions, Thomas had raised $5,800, and Graham reported no fund-raising activity.

Gary Graham

Graham has served on the Cordova City Council for six years and owns a bar and restaurant and a commercial fishing business. He also serves as a director for the Alaska Municipal League, an organization that represents cities and boroughs.

He said the top three priorities for government should be education, transportation and law enforcement.

"Everything else needs to come secondary in terms of funding," he said.

Graham said he would support a provision proposed last legislative session by Gov. Frank Murkowski to institute an endowment method of managing the Alaska Permanent Fund, even if it has to be done by changing statute. He also supports using earnings from the permanent fund to provide funding for education and municipalities.

"I'm not in favor of pulling out permanent fund money and just giving it to the Legislature," Graham said. "But I am in favor of helping schools and communities."

Bill Thomas

Thomas is a commercial fisherman and served on the Haines Borough Assembly and the Haines School Board in the mid-1990s. He also has worked as a lobbyist for the Kensington mine project, the Haines Borough, the North Slope Borough, Kito Inc. and the Native organization Klukwan Inc.

He said he would not support an income tax or a sales tax that would apply to every community across the state.

"If we have to contribute at a local level, it will be very hard," he said.

Thomas also said lawmakers should look to the permanent fund as a last resort to fill the state's fiscal gap. He did say that although he doesn't support any of these proposals individually, he might support a broad plan that includes all of them.

The state should look at restructuring oil taxes and cutting the budget to help eliminate the fiscal gap, he said.

Doug Rhodes

Rhodes served on the Craig City Council for five years in the 1980s and has worked as a teacher and principal for 23 years. He also has served as a representative for the Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals.

Rhodes said he would work with Republicans and Democrats to find a consensus on issues.

Rhodes said lawmakers need to send more funding to education, despite a $90 million increase this year in K-12 and university funding. He said the funding boost helped but doesn't account for school maintenance and other costs.

"Schools are cutting activities programs," he said. "And it's hard to attract teachers. Other states are paying much more to the teachers than we are and it's a tough thing."

He said insurance costs also are rising and communities can't afford to fill the gap.