Frank J. Vondersaar
Frank J. Vondersaar (October 4, 1950-September 12, 2014[1][2]) was an American perennial candidate for federal office in Alaska.[3] A 2016 article stated that he held the record for most failed attempts (six) to be elected to a United States Senate seat from Alaska.[4] Though he gained the Democratic nomination for US Senate in 2002, he did not have the support of the Alaska Democratic Party.[5] During that run he earned only 10.5% of the vote in the general election, the second worst showing in Alaska state history.[4] He claimed to be "tortured and terrorized as a political prisoner" for over 30 years.[6][7][5] CNN called him Ted Stevens's "whacky Democratic challenger" during the 2002 campaign.[8]
Early life and education[edit]
Born in Kokomo, Indiana, to John and Susanna Vondersaar, he attended Kokomo High School from 1965 to 1968.[6][7] He then attended Purdue University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in engineering in 1972, the Air Force Institute of Technology where he received a master of science in nuclear engineering in 1974, and the Air Command and Staff College where he received a certificate in 1986.[6][7] Vondersaar received an MBA from Troy University in 1986 and a law degree from the University of Dayton in 1989.[6][7]
Adult life[edit]
Vondersaar moved to Homer, Alaska in 1978.[6] In 1981 he became a professional engineer in Alaska, and in 1989 was admitted to the Alaska Bar Association.[6][7] His career as a commercial pilot and flight instructor ended in 1986.[6] He had one daughter, Sarah.[7]
As a volunteer, Vondersaar served on the board of National Public Radio member radio station KBBI, with Cook Inletkeeper, the Salvation Army, the Friends of the Homer Library, the Pratt Museum, the Seaplane Pilots Association, and on the Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management's Community Emergency Response Team.[6][7][7]
Vondersaar served for 13 years in the United States Air Force, reaching the rank of major.[6][7] At the end of his military career, he complained to superiors that he was under surveillance.[6] He was placed for six months in a psychiatric ward in Eglin Air Force Base before going on 18 months of medical leave.[9] He was then discharged.[9] After that, he claimed to being harassed by secret police, but could never offer any proof of their existence.[7][9]
Electoral career[edit]
Vondersaar ran for the United States Senate in 1992, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2008, and 2010. He also ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives in 2006, 2012, and 2014. The Washington Post singled his out as one of the worst campaign websites of 2014;[10] Slate called in "cryptic" in 2002.[11]
1992[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tony Smith | 33,162 | 44.81% | |
| Democratic | William L. Hensley | 29,586 | 39.98% | |
| Green | Mary Jordan | 5,989 | 8.09% | |
| Democratic | Michael Beasley | 2,657 | 3.59% | |
| Democratic | Joseph Sonneman | 1,607 | 2.17% | |
| Democratic | Frank Vondersaar | 1,000 | 1.35% | |
| Total votes | 74,001 | 100.00% | ||
1996[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ted Stevens (Incumbent) | 71,043 | 58.87% | |
| Republican | Dave W. Cuddy | 32,994 | 27.34% | |
| Democratic | Theresa Obermeyer | 4,072 | 3.37% | |
| Green | Jed Whittaker | 3,751 | 3.11% | |
| Democratic | Joseph A. Sonneman | 2,643 | 2.19% | |
| Democratic | Michael Beasley | 1,968 | 1.63% | |
| Democratic | Henry J. Blake, Jr. | 1,157 | 0.96% | |
| Democratic | Lawrence Freiberger | 921 | 0.76% | |
| Republican | Charles E. McKee | 842 | 0.70% | |
| Democratic | Frank Vondersaar | 655 | 0.54% | |
| Democratic | Robert Alan Gigler | 631 | 0.52% | |
| Total votes | 138,492 | 100.00% | ||
1998[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Frank Murkowski (Incumbent) | 76,649 | 71.76% | |
| Democratic | Joseph Sonneman | 10,721 | 10.04% | |
| Democratic | Frank Vondersaar | 6,342 | 5.94% | |
| Republican | William L. Hale | 6,313 | 5.91% | |
| Green | Jeffrey Gottlieb | 4,796 | 4.49% | |
| Libertarian | Scott A. Kohlhaas | 1,987 | 1.86% | |
| Total votes | 106,808 | 100.00% | ||
2002[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Frank Vondersaar | 18,256 | 66.27% | |
| Democratic | Theresa Obermeyer | 9,292 | 33.73% | |
| Total votes | 27,548 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ted Stevens (Incumbent) | 179,438 | 78.17% | +1.46% | |
| Democratic | Frank Vondersaar | 24,133 | 10.51% | +0.17% | |
| Green | Jim Sykes | 16,608 | 7.24% | -5.29% | |
| Alaskan Independence | Jim Dore | 6,724 | 2.93% | ||
| Libertarian | Leonard Karpinski | 2,354 | 1.03% | ||
| Write-ins | 291 | 0.13% | |||
| Majority | 155,305 | 67.66% | +3.47% | ||
| Turnout | 229,548 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
2006[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Diane E. Benson | 19,421 | 40.41 | |
| Democratic | Ray Metcalfe | 16,529 | 34.40 | |
| Green | Eva L. Ince | 3,620 | 7.53 | |
| Libertarian | Alexander Crawford | 3,176 | 6.61 | |
| Democratic | Todd Hyde | 2,482 | 5.16 | |
| Democratic | Frank Vondersaar | 2,141 | 4.46 | |
| Libertarian | Sol L. Gerstenfeld | 687 | 1.43 | |
| Total votes | 48,056 | 100.00 | ||
2008[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mark Begich | 63,747 | 84.12% | |
| Democratic | Ray Metcalfe | 5,480 | 7.23% | |
| Alaskan Independence | Bob Bird | 4,216 | 5.56% | |
| Libertarian | Fredrick Haase | 1,375 | 1.81% | |
| Democratic | Frank Vondersaar | 965 | 1.27% | |
| Total votes | 75,783 | 100.00% | ||
2010[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Scott McAdams | 18,035 | 49.99% | |
| Democratic | Jacob Seth Kern | 6,913 | 19.16% | |
| Libertarian | David Haase | 5,793 | 16.06% | |
| Democratic | Frank Vondersaar | 5,339 | 14.80% | |
| Total votes | 36,080 | 100.00% | ||
| Turnout | 32 | |||
2012[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sharon Cissna | 16,329 | 42.8 | |
| Democratic | Matt Moore | 7,374 | 19.3 | |
| Libertarian | Jim McDermott | 5,741 | 15.0 | |
| Democratic | Debra Chesnut | 5,626 | 14.7 | |
| Democratic | Frank Vondersaar | 2,085 | 5.5 | |
| Democratic | Doug Urquidi | 1,034 | 2.7 | |
| Total votes | 38,189 | 100 | ||
2014[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Forrest Dunbar | 38,735 | 63.19 | |
| Libertarian | Jim McDermott | 13,437 | 21.92 | |
| Democratic | Frank Vondersaar | 9,132 | 14.90 | |
| Total votes | 61,304 | 100 | ||
References[edit]
- ↑ "Frank Vondersaar". Homer News. September 17, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ↑ Carey, Michael (September 22, 2014). "Remembering perennial Alaska fringe candidate Frank Vondersaar". Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ↑ "Alaska Races". Center for Politics. March 3, 2008. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ostermeier, Eric (September 8, 2016). "Joe Miller and a Brief History of Retread Alaska US Senate Candidates". Smart Politics. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "2002 Senate Races" (pdf). CBS News. p. 8. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 "United States Representative Frank J. Vondersaar, Democrat" (PDF). Alaska Division of Elections. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 Armstrong, Michael; Jackinsky, McKibben (September 17, 2014). "Vondersaar remembered as dependable volunteer". Homer News.
- ↑ Mercurio, John (November 1, 2002). "Fight for control of Senate intensifies". CNN. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Vondersaar For US House". September 22, 2013. Archived from the original on May 29, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ↑ Becker, Alexander (June 20, 2014). "The awful campaign Web sites of 2014". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ↑ Thompson, Nicholas (November 4, 2002). "No, Really, This One's a Net Election". Slate. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ↑ http://www.elections.alaska.gov/results/92PRIM/92prim.pdf
- ↑ "Official State of Alaska - Primary : August 27, 1996". Elections.alaska.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
- ↑ http://www.elections.alaska.gov/results/98PRIM/results.pdf
- ↑ http://www.elections.alaska.gov/results/02PRIM/data/results.pdf
- ↑ http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/2002election.pdf
- ↑ http://www.elections.alaska.gov/results/06PRIM/data/results.pdf
- ↑ "Official Primary Election Results" (PDF). State of Alaska: Division of Elections. September 18, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 27, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
- ↑ "State of Alaska 2010 Primary Election August 24, 2010 Unofficial Results". State of Alaska Division of Elections. August 25, 2010. Retrieved August 25, 2010.
- ↑ Yardley, William (September 3, 2010). "Alaska Winner, Lover of Privacy, Loses His Own". The New York Times. (voter turnout for the primary)
- ↑ "State of Alaska 2012 Primary Election - August 28, 2012 - Official Results". State of Alaska Division of Elections. September 17, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
- ↑ "2014 Primary Elections August 19, 2014 Official Results". State of Alaska Division of Elections. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
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