Les Gara Explained

Les Gara
State House:Alaska
District:23rd
Term Start:January 20, 2003
Term End:January 15, 2019
Predecessor:Eldon Mulder
Successor:Zack Fields
Birth Date:6 February 1963
Birth Place:New York City, New York, U.S.
Party:Democratic
Spouse:Kelly Gara
Education:Boston University (BA)
Harvard University (JD)

Leslie S. Gara (born February 6, 1963) is a Democratic former member of the Alaska House of Representatives, having represented the 23rd District from 2003 to 2019. Gara is also a former assistant attorney general and part owner of a local restaurant in Anchorage, Snow City Cafe.[1]

Gara graduated from Boston University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts in history. He then earned his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1988.[2] He is of Iraqi-Jewish descent.[3]

In June 2018, Gara announced he would not be running for re-election.[4]

On September 21, 2021, Gara announced that he would run for governor in 2022. He has criticized incumbent governor Mike Dunleavy for cutting funding for public education at the University of Alaska system. He supports "responsible development" of oil and has vowed to improve energy efficiency standards and address climate change,[1] while opposing construction of Pebble Mine to protect fisheries.[5] He also has pledged to protect access to Abortion in Alaska.

He supports ranking former governor Bill Walker second in the governor's election under Ranked-choice voting.[5]

References

  1. Web site: Juneau . Andrew Kitchenman, Alaska Public Media & KTOO- . 2021-08-20 . Former state Rep. Les Gara becomes fourth candidate for Alaska's governor . 2022-11-08 . Alaska Public Media . en-US.
  2. Web site: Les Gara's Biography. Vote Smart. September 27, 2022.
  3. News: Alaska's Jewish community predates US settlement . Anchorage Daily News . 12 February 2012.
  4. News: Mauer . Richard . Les Gara says he's quitting the Alaska Legislature . 31 December 2019 . KTUU . June 5, 2018.
  5. Web site: admin . Issues . 2022-11-08 . Les Gara . en-US.

External links

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