A former Fairbanks North Star Borough assembly member filed to create a new state political party inspired by the apparent strategy of billionaire Elon Musk.
Aaron Lojewski applied for state recognition of the Alaska America Party in early July, and he now chairs the newly-formed group. It was added to Alaska’s voter registration system on July 18, Alaska Division of Elections Election Program Manager Brian Jackson said by email Tuesday.
Lojewski spent two terms on the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly, including a stint as presiding officer. While in office, he had a reputation as an advocate for shrinking the footprint of the municipal government and searching for new, though sometimes rejected, money-saving tactics. Lojewski also ran a truncated campaign for borough mayor in 2024, withdrawing early because he felt there was no viable path to victory.
Lojewski said Tuesday he wants to court Musk’s attention – and money – to an Alaska congressional race, specifically for the seat currently held by Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
“It’s really an ask for Elon Musk to look at Alaska for the 2028 Senate race,” he said. “I think it would fit in perfect for his strategy.”
Musk was a major financial backer for President Donald Trump’s campaign. Under Trump, Musk led the controversial Department of Government Efficiency, which looked to cut spending through rapid and sometimes disruptive means.
But Musk said this month he plans to start the America Party, possibly rivaling Republicans for spots in Congress. That was after a fissure formed between the tech billionaire and Trump over the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, which Musk opposed.
In a July post on X, Musk suggested the party could target a handful of House and Senate seats to help overcome “razor-thin legislative margins” on contentious laws.
Lojewski said he thinks Alaska’s history of electing independents and write-in candidates makes the state a good place for Musk to channel resources.
“We have a strong sense of independence,” he said of Alaska voters. “There are so many voters who will not vote party line – which is a good thing, in my opinion – who will look at the individual, look at the issues that they support or don’t support … and they’ll make up their mind,” he said.
For now, the Alaska America Party has the status of a “political group,” allowing it to field candidates in elections, except for president and vice president. That requires party status.
To become a recognized political party, the group will need 5,000 registered voters. As of Tuesday, one person was registered as a member of the Alaska America Party, according to the division of elections. That’s Lojewski himself, he confirmed Tuesday.
But he says the practical differences between “political group” and “political party” are fairly insignificant for the Alaska America Party, since running a presidential candidate isn’t a near-term goal.