“I think anyone who knows me knows I’m a different Democrat. I’m from Alaska. I’m a believer, a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment, a supporter of drilling in ANWR. Alaskans are very liberal [in their belief that] government should not interfere in their personal life,” he said…

“For the last 28 years, there hasn’t been a Democrat sitting in the caucus talking about ANWR,” he said. “My goal is to educate them about how big ANWR is to this state.”

He added that drilling in the refuge could be sold to fellow Democrats if it were cast as part of a comprehensive energy strategy. “I believe it’s about renewable energy, it’s about new technologies . . . and if you ask the environmental community, that’s something they’ve been waiting for since the early ’70s,” he said. “With Sen. Stevens, the environmental community didn’t even get through the door.”