Alaska Elections

Sen. Shelley Hughes, R-Palmer, resigned from the Alaska Senate on Friday to pursue her gubernatorial candidacy, according to a news release from her campaign.

Her resignation follows that of fellow Senate minority caucus member Mike Shower, who represented Wasilla and resigned at the end of last month to focus on his run for lieutenant governor.

Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, confirmed he received Hughes’ resignation letter Friday.

Hughes’ resignation was expected. She told the Alaska Beacon in October she planned to resign in time for her replacement to be in place before the legislative session begins in January.

“My constituents, they’ve been my peeps all these years. I want to make sure that they have representation from the get-go,” she said on Friday afternoon.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy will select her replacement from among a number of nominees to be selected by Republican party officials in her district. Republican Senators must confirm his choice before that person is seated.

Hughes’ replacement must be a Republican and meet the state Constitution’s requirements to hold office.

Hughes said she expects that Rep. Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, will be among the nominees for her seat because Tilton has already filed to run for senator in the district. If Tilton were appointed, the governor would then have to select someone to fill the empty House seat.

Hughes was initially appointed to her seat in 2012 by then-Gov. Sean Parnell, which she credits, in part, to the fact that she was already running.

“I think that when a candidate does that, that shows real interest,” she said.

She said she does not expect her departure to cause significant changes because her district reliably produces “reasonable conservative” lawmakers.

Hughes is one of 12 Republicans and 14 total candidates that seek to be elected governor in 2026. Gov. Mike Dunleavy is termed out and cannot seek reelection.

Hughes said she has fond memories of her time in the Capitol.

“It’s a big change, stepping into the gubernatorial race,” she said. “You know, there are unknowns with that, but I have tremendous peace about this. I really did feel that my chapter was closing in the Senate.”

She represented her district for 12 years.

The number of Democrats running for governor of Alaska grew to two on Monday as Anchorage state Sen. Matt Claman entered the race. Claman, an attorney, has represented West Anchorage in the Legislature for more than a decade and said in an interview his experience working across the aisle prepares him well for the top job in state government.

“I think that Alaska needs a person with my background and experience and balanced approach to doing what’s best for Alaska,” he said.

Claman is a member of the 14-person Senate majority caucus that includes nine Democrats and five Republicans. He’s chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and in 2024 led the effort to pass a wide-ranging crime bill that, among other things, allows drug dealers to be charged with second-degree murder and allows prosecutors to avoid forcing sexual assault survivors to testify to a grand jury.

The bill included proposals backed by Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who publicly praised it and signed it into law later that year.

Claman said he’d been “actively involved” in 21 pieces of legislation related to public safety. That’ll be one area of emphasis in his campaign, he said.

“I think we’ll be very focused on improving public safety, quality education, strengthening the economy and being fiscally responsible in how we manage state government,” he said.

Claman said he supports an “affordable” Permanent Fund dividend. He said the state’s recent budget turmoil — which pushed dividends down to their lowest inflation-adjusted amount in history — will require the next governor to carefully prioritize his or her budget.

“I think we should pay an affordable dividend, but I also think we need to invest in our public schools and invest in public safety to protect our neighborhoods,” Claman said.

He’s the second Democrat to officially enter the race, following former Anchorage state Sen. Tom Begich. Begich has said he plans to step aside if former Congresswoman Mary Peltola, the last Democrat to win a statewide election, enters the race. It’s unclear if she will.

Claman declined to say what differentiates him from Begich — and also declined to make a similar commitment to exit the race if Peltola enters.

“Mary Peltola is not in the race today, and I’m entering because I believe I’m the best candidate for governor,” he said. “I’m looking forward to a very positive and engaged campaign.”

Claman said he does not plan to resign his Senate seat to run for governor.

Claman is the 14th candidate to formally enter the race. The top four vote-getters in the August 2026 primary, regardless of party, will advance to the ranked choice general election.

Candidates have until June 1 to enter the race. For now, the rest of the field includes, in alphabetical order:

• Democratic former Anchorage state Sen. Tom Begich
• Republican former Fairbanks state Sen. Click Bishop
• Republican former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson
• Republican former Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum
• Republican Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom
• Republican Mat-Su Borough Mayor Edna DeVries
• Republican podiatrist Matt Heilala
• Republican Palmer state Sen. Shelley Hughes
• Republican author Henry Kroll
• Republican former teacher and Angoon resident James Parkin
• Republican former Attorney General Treg Taylor
• Republican former Mat-Su planning commissioner Bruce Walden
• Republican activist and business owner Bernadette Wilson

The last Democrat elected to statewide office, former Alaska Congresswoman Mary Peltola, is about even in a head-to-head match with Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, a new poll shows.

Peltola hasn’t declared her intention to run in any race for 2026 but is considered a potential candidate for Senate or governor.

The progressive firm Data for Progress conducted the poll, at its own expense. Jason Katz-Brown, an Anchorage-based advisor at the firm, said the results in the Senate race are largely holding steady from its last poll.

“Earlier this summer we had her down by one (percentage point). Now we have her up by one, but that’s well within the margin of error,” he said. “I think we can’t conclude anything about that race. It’s just super, super close, if Peltola were to run for Senate.”

The poll also had Peltola leading in a field of nine candidates for governor – the others being Republicans who actually are running for the office.

It shows Anchorage businesswoman Bernadette Wilson in second place. But once lower-ranking Republicans are removed, former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson comes in second.

A large factor is name recognition, Katz-Brown said.

Pollster Ivan Moore of Alaska Survey Research said the Data for Progress results mostly track his own findings – that Peltola leads the field in the governor’s race. But, Moore points out, the other candidates have not had a chance to campaign yet.

“So the idea that this is going to be a cake walk and she can just stroll into the governor’s office is misguided,” Moore said. “She’s just streaks ahead of everyone else because she’s built this following, but it’s not going to be the same in a year.”

The latest poll found Alaskans evenly split on whether they have a favorable opinion of President Donald Trump. The poll had 823 respondents and the pollsters used weighted averages to better reflect Alaska voters.

Alaska Senate Minority Leader Mike Shower plans to resign to focus on his campaign for lieutenant governor alongside gubernatorial candidate Bernadette Wilson.

In an interview, Shower said he was concerned his duties as a legislator would create roadblocks in the campaign. For instance, state law prohibits sitting lawmakers from fundraising during legislative sessions.

“Going to the Legislature and being sequestered for four months in Juneau, and then maybe a special session or two next year, would limit my ability to fundraise and campaign,” he said. “You can violate the law if you’re not careful, right? You can really make a mistake there.”

The Wasilla Republican represents a large chunk of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and some other communities, including Talkeetna, Willow, Sutton and Valdez. He leads the all-Republican minority that makes up about a third of the state Senate. He’s been in the Senate since 2018.

Once Shower’s resignation takes effect on Nov. 3, Gov. Mike Dunleavy will have 30 days to appoint a new Republican to serve until the 2026 election.

Shower declined to say who Dunleavy should appoint to replace him, and the governor’s office didn’t immediately respond to questions on the subject. But he said he’d like it to be someone who shares his conservative views.

“What I think is important is that that person represents the values of my district,” he said. “My district is very conservative. It’s one of the most conservative, politically, in the state.”

Since Shower is a Republican, state law requires Dunleavy to appoint a Republican to replace him. The appointment is subject to confirmation by other Senate Republicans.

Sutton Republican Rep. George Rauscher has registered as a candidate for Shower’s seat. Big Lake Republican Rep. Kevin McCabe, who also lives in Shower’s district, has also filed campaign paperwork that would allow him to run for Shower’s seat, as has former Alaska Wildlife Troopers head Doug Massie.

Alaska Congressman Nick Begich has a new challenger.

Rev. Matthew Schultz of First Presbyterian Church in Anchorage launched his campaign Monday.

Schultz is well known in Anchorage progressive circles and on social media. He’s spoken at “No Kings” protests and champions affordable health care, social justice and LGBTQ rights.

He’s running as a Democrat but says he hopes to bridge the political divide by listening to other Alaskans.

“People have spent so much time treating politics as a war zone that we’ve forgotten that it’s supposed to be a construction zone and we’re supposed to gather together and build something better together,” he said.

Begich, in a speech to the Alaska Federation of Natives convention this weekend, focused on the economic benefits of the budget reconciliation bill Congress passed, particularly how it advances oil development in Alaska.

Schultz was among thousands of Alaskans who rallied against the bill this summer, citing the impact it would have on Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor.

Schultz plans to keep his full-time job at First Presbyterian as he campaigns.

He is a first-time candidate but said he has a lifetime of public service.

“We’re simply doing good for the sake of doing good,” he said. “And I think that’s a different lens to view our community service than our current representative has.”

Schultz enters the race with a big cash disadvantage. Begich has raised more than $2 million for his campaign so far this year.

Another Democrat, John Brendan Williams of Fairbanks, has also filed paperwork to run for U.S. House in the 2026 election. He hasn’t reported any fundraising so far.

Democratic Fairbanks Sen. Scott Kawasaki violated ethics law by holding constituent events too close to the 2024 state primary, a panel of the Alaska Legislature concluded in a report published Friday.

The report was published by the Senate subcommittee of the Legislature’s Select Committee on Legislative Ethics, which recommended no penalty.

Under the Legislative Ethics Act, a legislator in a campaign cannot use state funds “to print or distribute a political mass mailing to individuals eligible to vote for the candidate” if the mailing takes place during a period that begins 60 days before the primary election and ends one day after the general election.

According to the report, Kawasaki e-mailed constituents a newsletter, distributed informational flyers and held a “Picnic in the Park” event to observe the opening of his office in Fairbanks.

Kawasaki, who defeated Republican Leslie Hajdukovich in the November general election, faced only Hajdukovich in the primary, making the race uncontested. In Alaska, the top four vote-getters advance from the primary election to the general election. Kawasaki and Hajdukovich were the only two registered candidates.

Kawasaki was first elected to the Alaska State House of Representatives in 2007, and to the Senate in 2019. He ran for re-election in 2024 to represent Senate District P.

Reached by phone on Friday, Kawasaki said that “it’s just sort of disappointing to have this be said and politicized, and then it becomes a potential issue in the future campaign.”

“It was a technical violation,” he said, “and I think it was unfairly weaponized against us just because of who we were running against.”