Contributed by Jessica Wright, Wasilla, AK
I remember once when we were in a large building, and one man came along and asked rather loudly, “Who is Stephen Wright?” I guess he was demanding someone to give him an answer. I thought it was kind of funny that this man had such an urgent want to know who my husband was.
Most Alaskans don’t know who Stephen Wright is, so I would like to tell you a little bit about him, since he’s going to enter the politics arena for the second time. Last time, he lost to Don Young in the Primary and this time around, he’s running for lieutenant governor teaming up with Alaskan Native candidate, Michael Sheldon, who’s running for governor.
Stephen Wright was born on Elmendorf AFB when his father was station in Anchorage during the Vietnam War. Then his family moved to Washington State. He grew up in a small farming town located in central Washington, outside Moses Lake. I was told that this town was called Ephrata because it reminded the settlers of Bethlehem. The town was a close-knit community with around 3,000 people. Most people there are honest, hardworking and God-fearing country folks. Stephen attended elementary school all the way to high school in Ephrata. After graduating from high school, he served for two years in mission. Then he attended Ricks College for two semesters while he was delayed, enlisted or waiting for his deferment to enter the United States Air Force. Then he met me. We had a 3-month courtship and then we got married. He was stationed in Grand Folks, North Dakota working on the B-1B aircraft. We have five sons: three are in college and two are still in high school.
Stephen Wright served in the military for 22 years, and then he retired here in Alaska. He enjoys fixing things, so he is getting involved in the politics. The military career prepared him to be a public servant. Not only has he earned his bachelor degrees in accounting and accounting Management from Parks College while in the military, but also earned a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Wayland Baptist University. The military experience and the positions he has held have trained him to be an efficient public servant. For example, while stationed overseas, he had to work with civilian contractors, military personnel from other entities and report to two generals in two different commands and a two-star general when required. He also worked as a resource advisor for three years. He learned to be inventive in finding new resources and efficient by cutting wasteful spending.
Stephen Wright likes sports. He played baseball and football in high school. He played softball on and off base. When our kids were growing up, he coached for the little leagues and flag football. His true passion however, is in politics. He likes to go to meetings to meet people and talk about the current affairs in our local community. He also likes to have his voice be heard by bearing his testimonies in the hearing for SB26 and SB15. He likes to jump in the middle of action, instead of watching from the sideline. That’s why he has decided to run for the lieutenant governor position opposing the often ill-fated governor’s approach to taking, cutting and limiting our PFD, refusing to balance the public and private sector. He is hoping to fix the problems we are facing today within our state.
Stephen Wright is a true conservative unlike some candidates who claim they are. He believes in pro-life, 2nd Amendment right to carry arms, limited government and most importantly, he believes the PFD rightfully belongs to the people of Alaska and that government should not take it from the people. He calls himself the PFD Protector. He also wants to fix our state government, which he believes is inefficient and wasteful. Ultimately, he wants to make Alaska a better place to live: more jobs, more money and more freedom by using our natural resources, claiming our land back, building up infrastructure, etc.
So there you have it, Alaska. This is Stephen Wright.
