A month after Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband was charged with drunken driving in California, the Alaska Democratic Party is facing a similar scandal.
Lindsay Denise Kavanaugh, who has directed the Alaska Democratic Party since 2019, was jailed Saturday after allegedly driving “impaired by alcoholic beverages,” according to Alaska State Troopers.
The 42-year-old Anchorage resident was pulled over for a traffic stop on Sterling Highway, outside of Soldotna, at about 1:20 a.m. Saturday.
She subsequently was arrested for drunken driving and refusal to submit to a breathalyzer test, according to a statement from the Alaska State Troopers.
Another charge — for fifth degree criminal mischief — was added when she allegedly unplugged the alcohol sobriety testing equipment at the state trooper station, where she was transported.
Kavanaugh was booked into the Wildwood pretrial facility, where she awaited a hearing before Judge Martin C. Fallon, according to court documents.
The penalties for drunk driving alone may include incarceration of no less than 72 hours and a 90-day license suspension. And fines of up to $1,500 may be imposed.
Under state law, a person is required to take a blood or breath test if arrested for DUI. A mandatory ignition interlock device is placed on the driver’s vehicle for refusal.
Refusing to take a breathalyzer test can result in the automatic suspension of a driver’s license upon arrest and is a criminal offense punishable by jail time and/or fines.
The recent arrest of Paul Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi’s 82-year-old husband, for DUI with injury drew national publicity after the Porsche he was driving collided with another vehicle late at night in Napa Valley, California.
The impact of the crash reached Washington, D.C. The New York Times said the accident had shone a light on the Pelosi’s lifestyle in Napa Valley, where they live on a 16-acre estate.
In Alaska, the arrest of Kavanugh will also have an impact that extends to the state Democratic Party.
As executive director of the Alaska Democratic Party, Kavanaugh has oversight of the organizing and recruitment of volunteers, promotion of party issues and candidates, and coordination of statewide campaigns and events.
Candidates rely on the state party support that Kavanaugh leads to get out the vote and win elections.
In 2022, Democrat Les Gara, a former assistant state attorney general, is the lone Democrat running in a crowded race for governor that includes incumbent Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
Mary Peltola is a former state lawmaker who is the long-shot Democratic candidate in a three-way race to fill the U.S. House seat of the late Rep. Don Young, a Republican who served for 49 years.
With Alaska’s primary and special general election next month, state Democratic Party leaders face the Sisyphean task of advancing their candidates while crisis-managing the publicity and other repercussions of Kavanaugh’s legal problems.
