Here we go again.  It's the ALASKAN INDEPENDENCE Party.  "Alaska Independent" was a term created by the media to divert attention away from the term "Alaskan Independence", devised by the same folks who had been trying to marginalize Joe Vogler's work for years already.  The AIP has existed mostly on paper for the past decade or more.  In terms of voter registration statistics, the AIP has traditionally enjoyed strong support in rural precincts where the party organization itself has seen little or no support.  Obviously, there are enough people out there for which the term "Alaskan Indepedence" actually means something, even if the party itself doesn't.

While it can be reasonably claimed that Hickel's affiliation with the AIP amounted to a "rent-a-party", the same can be said about Walker.  Except in Walker's case, the rent-a-party in question was the AFL-CIO.