Obama endorses two Alaskans, including Andi Story, for statehouse

When former President Barack Obama announced via Twitter that he was endorsing a slew of Democratic candidates around the country, his 102 million Twitter followers found out immediately.

It wasn’t until a little while later that Andi Story, a Juneau resident and Democratic candidate for House District 34, found out that she had earned one of those endorsements.

“I haven’t been following it, so one of my supporters texted me and told me,” Story said in a brief phone interview Monday.

0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%

00:00

Story earned the Democratic nomination in this year’s primary election, besting independent candidate Rob Edwardson. She’ll face Republican Jerry Nankervis in the Nov. 6 general election. Story is a longtime member of the Juneau Board of Education.

She didn’t have much to say about the endorsement, but said she’s a hardworking candidate who’s ready to serve.

“I thought it was great,” Story said. “I think that hopefully he takes these endorsements seriously.”

Obama has sent out a couple waves of endorsements for Democratic candidates in state legislatures and Congress across the country this election season. According to a report from NPR, Obama has endorsed more than 300 candidates for November’s midterms.

“Today, I’m proud to endorse even more Democratic candidates who aren’t just running against something, but for something — to expand opportunity for all of us and to restore dignity, honor and compassion to public service,” Obama’s tweet read. “They deserve your vote.”

Today, I’m proud to endorse even more Democratic candidates who aren’t just running against something, but for something—to expand opportunity for all of us and to restore dignity, honor, and compassion to public service. They deserve your vote: pic.twitter.com/NO5jnhX3XD
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 1, 2018

Rep. John Lincoln, D-Kotzebue, who replaced former Rep. Dean Westlake this January, was the only other Alaska candidate to receive an endorsement from Obama in this wave. Lincoln is running for the House District 40 seat. There were no Alaska candidates included in Obama’s first round of endorsements in August.

• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or amccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.