On January 6, Gregg Brelsford, an Alaska Republican candidate for U.S. House in 2022, changed his registration from “Republican” to “independent.” He will continue seeking a seat in the U.S. House. See this op-ed by him in the Anchorage Daily News.
On January 6, Gregg Brelsford, an Alaska Republican candidate for U.S. House in 2022, changed his registration from “Republican” to “independent.” He will continue seeking a seat in the U.S. House. See this op-ed by him in the Anchorage Daily News.
You can run for office as an “independent” in Alaska, but technically, he would have had to register as “undeclared” or “non-partisan”, since you can’t register as an “independent” in Alaska.
You can run for office as “undeclared” or “nonpartisan” under Top 4, even if you are affiliated with a party.
Brelsford is likely trying to position himself to finish in the Top 2. It might harm voter perception to be registered as a Republican but running as “nonpartisan”. While it would not be apparent from the ballot, it would be widely known in Alaska.
This is unlike the case in 2020, when candidates could say they were nonpartisan but nominated by the Democrats.