PFD fight splits Alaska GOP, leaving some aligned with Democrats

Labor leader Vince Beltrami ran for state Senate as an independent in 2016 against incumbent Republican Cathy Giessel. He lost, but he now finds himself agreeing with her on key fiscal issues. (Photo by Wesley Early/Alaska Public Media)
Typically, some of the most intense fights at the Alaska State Capitol are between factions of Democratic and Republican lawmakers.
But one of the biggest ideological fractures complicating this year’s legislative session is within the GOP. And that’s