Several open legislative races attracted competitive fields, while eight incumbents remain unopposed.
ByThe entrance to the House of Representatives Chamber at the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau. for Alaska’s U.S House and state legislative elections later this year is finalized, with several open races that could prove consequential for the future of state policy.
It also means that very few candidates will be eliminated in the August election, since only two Senate races and one House race have more than four candidates. Still, the primary races could prove pivotal — signaling both to voters and to the candidates themselves which contenders have the lead heading into the November election.Eight incumbents in Alaska’s legislative races are set to run for reelection unopposed. They include Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau; Sen. Donny Olson, D-Golovin; Rep.
To gain control of the House, Republicans were joined last year by three non-GOP members of the Bush Caucus, which represents rural Alaska. But several key races could give the GOP the possibility of forming a majority outright. Independents are also eyeing seats currently held by Homer Republican Rep. Sarah Vance and Anchorage Republican Rep. Craig Johnson. Both are longtime lawmakers who are seen as vulnerable in moderate districts due to their track record on education funding and other key issues.Rep. Dan Ortiz of Ketchikan in the House Chamber at the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau on February 26, 2024.
“The folks that are voting no, the folks that are vetoing it, the folks are focusing on other priorities and initiatives — they’re coming from a very specific end of the political spectrum,” said EchoHawk. “That’s going to be a big difference. We all say that school funding is important, but at the end of the day, it’s how you vote.”borough assembly member, previously ran for the Legislature as a Republican.
Both Ellis and Pennington registered as Republicans shortly before filing for office and touted their experience as business owners and operators. Fields said he had already built contacts with legislators and the governor during his time on the state board of education. Fields was re-confirmed to his board seat by the Legislature last year in a
Earlier this year, Mock had traveled to Juneau to advocate for increasing the Base Student Allocation. When Dunleavy vetoed a bill that would have permanently increased the per-student education funding formula — and Cronk joined many House Republicans in voting against overriding that veto — Mock said he was “disappointed” by lawmakers’ inability to bring the funding boost to the finish line.
Shortly before the 5 p.m. filing deadline on Saturday, nonpartisan candidate Nick Moe walked into the Anchorage Division of Elections office to file his candidacy for House District 16. Until that point, only Democrat Carolyn Hall had filed to run. Hall had also cited education funding as one of her top priorities.
Both Begich and Dahlstrom are campaigning to return the seat to Republican control by highlighting popular issues among GOP voters, including border security. Begich lost to Peltola twice in 2022 — both in the special election and in the regular November election. Dahlstrom has the backing of many mainstream Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy. But Begich is supported by many in Alaska’s Republican establishment.
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