The idea was for the state's top Republicans to come together for a night, forget about the campaign, and raise some cash for the parental notification effort. On paper the party came off beautifully, with an impressive turnout and a lot of handshakes and smiles all around.

"Let's put all the sharp instruments down and do what's the right thing to do," said Bill Walker, a gubernatorial candidate who hosted the event Monday night at his West Anchorage home overlooking the Coastal Trail.

But political realities, especially this close to a primary, are never far away, even on a sunny Anchorage night next to a buffet table loaded with goodies like cucumbers with blue cheese crumbles.

"He's the only one who didn't show," Walker said, speaking about Gov. Sean Parnell, who was listed as a co-host on the invitation. "Maybe he thought it was a debate," Walker quipped, referring to the pokes both he and fellow candidate Ralph Samuels have taken at Parnell for dodging debates.

Samuels was there too, along with lite gov candidates Eddie Burke and Mead Treadwell, Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan, Sheldon Fisher (who's trying to knock off U.S. Rep. Don Young) and both U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and her challenger, Joe Miller.

Murkowski made a quick appearance early before cutting out for another event, but Miller wasn't shy about laying out his problems with Murkowski's record.

"Her record stems from her mindset that the federal government holds all the answers," said Miller, who named Republican U.S. Sens. Tom Coburn and Jim DeMint as his modern-day political heroes. He also said there is no doubt this country is in crisis and that the two political parties have cooperated in creating the problem. "Bipartisanship has gotten us to this point," he said.

Miller -- who was also unequivocal about the fact that he "was not fired" from his attorney job with the Fairbanks North Star Borough -- was accompanied at the event by his father, a retired owner of a Christian book store in Kansas.

"Unless we get our fiscal house in order, there is no doubt we will go the way of Greece," he said, referring to that country's sovereign-debt crunch.

A presentation at the event was organized by Alaskans for Parental Rights, and was given by Bernadette Wilson, the organization's campaign manager. During her talk in one of the Walker's upstairs living rooms, Wilson spoke about California abortion rights activists bringing their money and campaign experience north to Alaska to weigh in on the Proposition 2 fight. "They have vouched to spend a million dollars, and they look to be well on their way," she said.

Eddie Burke, a radio host and Navy veteran, is running for lieutenant governor. When he introduced himself to the gathered Republicans, he held his young granddaughter Reagan -- yes, named after the former president -- in his beefy arms. When Burke's wife was five months pregnant with their daughter (Reagan's mother) 25 years ago, the doctor told them that the fetus had gastroschisis -- a birth defect where organs develop outside the body -- and that abortion was the best option.

"My wife instinctively knew that life was the answer," Burke said. "I brought Reagan tonight to show the net result of choosing life."

So there was plenty of good parental rights talk, and Wilson said the fundraising went very, very well. But the sharp jabs of politicking were never far off.

Yolanda Clary, who works in constituent relations in Sullivan's office but said she was only speaking for herself, was quick to announce her displeasure with the governor, who she said is blind to the economic dangers lurking in Alaska's future.

"It's not the blindfolds of justice," she said. "It's the blindfolds of an idiot."

Contact Joshua Saul at jsaul(at)alaskadispatch.com.