April Hackney, half of the political team Hackney & Hackney, died early this morning at Providence Hospital after a brief illness. News of her death moved quickly through political circles after a note was posted on Facebook by her husband, Art Hackney.
The Hackneys served as Alaska state chairs during former Republican President George W. Bush’s 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns. In 2015, the Hackneys were selected to lead the Alaska campaign for Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential bid. Their clients have included Congressman Don Young and many other political figures and aspiring candidates. The Hackneys also founded Alaskafirst.org and Alaska’s Future, which worked to oppose higher taxes on the oil and gas industry.
April was born in Sitka on Feb. 23, 1964, and was of Tlingit/Russian heritage. She moved to Anchorage in 1985 and joined Holden Hackney & Breeze, a political and advertising agency as administrative assistant and then production manager. In 1990, she and Art married and they formed the political consultancy Hackney & Hackney, which they built into one of Alaska’s most well-known corporate and political media companies.
