Politics & Government
RSSPolitics & Government in Alaska is the activity of state and local elections, lawmaking and public administration. It covers campaigns, ballot measures, ethics and campaign finance, legislative and executive action, and municipal and borough council decisions across Alaska communities.
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Wednesday, Jun 3
Cordova holds property tax rate flat at 11.44 mills for 2026
Cordova City Council voted 7-0 to keep the property tax mill rate at 11.44 mills for 2026, holding steady despite rising city costs after residents warned that higher taxes would force fishing families out of town.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Alaska VA tech rollout faces staffing questions ahead of October launch
Alaska's VA converts to a new electronic health record Oct. 24 as the VA's IT chief acknowledges the department has lost experienced workers since the administration took office.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Wasilla woman faces fentanyl, heroin charges after traffic stop
Alaska State Troopers arrested Wasilla resident Kristena Bannon, 42, on May 28 after finding fentanyl and heroin during a traffic stop, charging her with two counts of controlled-substance possession.
by Alaska News5mo ago1 min read
Alaska keeps veto power over LNG project despite 25% stake
Alaska keeps veto power over major Alaska LNG decisions despite owning only 25 percent of the joint venture with Glenfarne Group, including approval rights over contracts, capital requests, and rate structures that prioritize in-state gas use.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Federal highway chief commits to King Cove Road action
Federal Highway Administrator committed to finalize the Road, an 11-mile project connecting the community to Cold Bay's airport, and will visit Alaska in late June.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Second Dan Sullivan files for Alaska U.S. Senate race
A Petersburg resident named Dan Sullivan filed to run for U.S. Senate in 2026 as an undeclared candidate against incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, who has raised $7.5 million and secured endorsements from Murkowski and Begich.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min readSullivan raises $2.1M in Q1, lands labor and Native-corporation endorsements
Senator Dan Sullivan raised 2.1 million dollars in the first quarter of 2026 and won endorsements from Alaska Teamsters, laborers unions, fishermen, and Alaska Native regional corporations representing 145,000 workers and shareholders.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Alaska Earth Sciences ask DNR for fuel cache permit in western Alaska Range
Alaska Earth Sciences seeks a permit to place 11 fuel caches in the western Alaska Range this summer, storing up to 55 gallons of jet fuel at each site. Public comments are due June 3 to DNR.
by Alaska News5mo ago1 min read
More from Politics & Government
Anchorage veteran preference splits on eligibility, contract scope
Anchorage Assembly weighs two veteran business preference plans with different eligibility and scope. • S-1: 5 percent preference up to $50,000 for any honorably discharged veteran, applies to all contracts. • S-2: limits to Alaska residents separated within five years, sliding scale, bids only, $500,000 lifetime cap. • Effective July 1, 2026 if passed.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago3 min read
Dunleavy becomes permanent Arctic security chair under DOD agreement
Governor Mike Dunleavy signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Defense's Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies, making him the permanent Arctic Chair and formalizing Alaska's role in federal Arctic security discussions.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Alaska fire agencies open 11 wildfire investigations in four days
Alaska fire agencies opened investigations at 11 wildfire locations between June 1 and June 4, spanning the Kenai Peninsula to Interior and Western Alaska, as the National Weather Service issued Red Flag warnings for critical fire weather conditions.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Red Flag Warning covers Southwest Alaska through Wednesday
Red Flag Warning covers Southwest Alaska through Wednesday evening due to warm, dry, windy conditions that could spread fires rapidly. Residents must avoid open burning and spark-producing work like chainsaws and lawnmowers.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Mat-Su, Kenai burn permits suspended as fire activity surges
Alaska Division of Forestry suspended burn permits across Mat-Su and Kenai-Kodiak starting Monday, June 1, after a surge in human-caused fires sparked by escaped debris burns and unattended campfires during hot, dry, windy conditions.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Okitkun files for Alaska House District 39 seat
Reynold Okitkun filed Tuesday as a nonpartisan candidate for Alaska House District 39, focusing his campaign on restoring fishing and subsistence rights to rural communities.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Neal Foster files for House District 39 re-election
State Representative Neal Foster, a Democrat who has served House District 39 since 2009, filed for re-election emphasizing his seniority and work on rural energy assistance, dividend payments, and senior benefits.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min readSoldotna fisherman files for governor on food-security platform
Soldotna commercial fisherman Hank Kroll filed to run for Alaska governor as a Republican. • He proposes acquiring 28 million federal acres and tying Permanent Fund Dividend payments to land transfers to boost food production. • Alaska imports 90 to 95 percent of its food from outside the state.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min readAbout Politics & Government
Politics and government in Alaska takes in state and local elections, lawmaking and public administration. It covers campaigns, ballot measures, campaign finance, legislative and executive action, and decisions by municipal assemblies and borough and city councils.
Recurring questions include how campaigns are funded and who pays for outside spending and political messages, which candidates qualify for the ballot, and how state agencies write and repeal regulations. Local governments such as the Anchorage Assembly and the Ketchikan assembly weigh spending on roads, water systems and police programs.
The subject reaches across the Legislature, state agencies and municipal governments. Advisory boards and councils that take public comment on matters such as state parks and disability policy are part of it as well.
More from Politics & Government
Ketchikan Superior Court Judge Katherine Lybrand seeks retention
Ketchikan Superior Court Judge Katherine Lybrand, appointed in 2022, is seeking voter retention in November 2026 after handling criminal, family, and probate cases across the First Judicial District.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Former Anchorage mayor Dave Bronson files for Alaska governor
Former Anchorage mayor Dave Bronson filed Friday to run for Alaska governor as a Republican, pledging aggressive resource development and lower energy costs.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Darren Morgan Deacon files for Alaska State Senate District S
Darren Morgan Deacon, a former tribal chief from Kalskag, filed as a Republican for Alaska State Senate District S on a platform of full Permanent Fund dividends and subsistence rights protection.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Nonpartisan files for Anchorage state Senate seat
Nicholas Danger, a 70-year-old health and safety manager, filed as a nonpartisan candidate for Alaska State Senate District G, running on budget cuts, full Permanent Fund dividends, and moving the state capital to Willow.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Fairbanks wealth manager files for lieutenant governor
Josh Church, a Fairbanks wealth manager and Marine Corps veteran, filed Thursday to run for lieutenant governor in 2026 as a Republican.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Anchorage man dies in ATV crash near Knik River
Brandon Ilutsik, 42, of Anchorage died Friday after his ATV crashed on a trail near the Knik River, Alaska State Troopers reported.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
North Slope approves $3 million police camera contract
North Slope Borough Assembly approved a $3 million five-year contract with Axon Enterprise to upgrade police worn body cameras and tasers.
by Tim Smith5mo ago2 min read
Tuesday, Jun 2
ASD claims state funding bill comes too late
Anchorage School District says a potential $37 million state funding increase tied to an August 31 revenue determination arrives too late to hire teachers before the 2026-27 school year begins.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Man escapes Fairbanks facility; troopers seek public help
A man has escaped and they want him back
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Chase filing sets up Kotzebue, North Slope rematch in House District 40
A rematch up north between the sitting House Representative from HD40 and the Mayor of Kotzebue
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Alaska Judicial Council seeks Kotzebue Superior Court applicants
Kotzebue needs a judge. those can be very hard to find.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Monday, Jun 1
Boyle files to challenge Holland in high-turnout South Anchorage House Seat.
South Anchorage comes out to vote. Holland and Boyle have until November to make their case.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Alaska's filing deadline turned the 2026 election from rumor into a real race
So many candidates, so little time left
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Open South Midtown seat draws three candidates after Josephson opts not to seek reelection.
House District 13 in South Midtown Anchorage has three candidates after Rep. Andy Josephson declined reelection: Democrat Lisa Keller, Democrat Felix Rivera, and Republican Sarah Short, in a district where the last race was decided by 477 votes.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Vance-Johnson rematch gives southern Kenai Peninsula a cleaner House race
Rep. Sarah Vance faces a rematch against nonpartisan Brent Johnson in House District 6 on the southern Kenai Peninsula after a third Republican candidate split the vote in 2024.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Twenty-two-vote House race becomes open-seat fight in North Anchorage
David Nelson is OUT. It's former lawmaker Cliff Groh v Dan Sager.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Stapp draws same-party challenge in East Fairbanks House district
Republican Rep. Will Stapp faces a same-party challenge from Seth Church in House District 32, which covers East Fairbanks, Fort Wainwright and Badger. Stapp won the seat in 2024 with 67 percent of the vote.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Costello-Wells rematch puts Southwest Anchorage House seat back in play
Rep. Mia Costello, a Republican, faces a rematch against Democrat Denny Wells in Southwest Anchorage House District 15 after beating him by 529 votes in 2024.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Ketchikan House race pits utility incumbent against borough assembly challenger
Ketchikan has a race on its hand with a last minute filing
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Underwood-Eastman rematch gives Wasilla voters another House District 27 choice
Rep. Jubilee Underwood and former Rep. David Eastman, both Wasilla Republicans, are set for a rematch in House District 27 after Underwood defeated him by 196 votes in 2024.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Senate Finance hears $18 billion revenue trade-off for Alaska LNG tax break
Senate Finance heard the proposed Alaska LNG tax break would cut state and municipal revenues by $18 billion over 30 years, but the estimate rests on construction costs that may range from $45 billion to $90 billion.
by Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Kreiss-Tomkins picks Anchorage Assembly member Zac Johnson as running mate
Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, a Democratic-aligned candidate for Alaska governor, selected Anchorage Assembly member Zac Johnson as his running mate on the final filing day Monday.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Nome cuts school funding by $500K, forcing layoffs and larger classes
Nome Common Council cut school funding by $500,000 to $2.7 million for fiscal 2027, forcing the district to eliminate positions including teachers, counselors, and a school psychologist while class sizes grow.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Alaska Energy Authority lifts ban on consecutive chair terms
Alaska Energy Authority board voted January 31 to allow its chair and vice chair to serve consecutive terms, removing a two-year rotation rule to maintain leadership continuity during a $206.5 million Cook Inlet submarine cable project.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
