Rep. Daniel Ortiz, a non-affiliated member of the House of Representatives who has always caucused with Democrats, will not run again for his seat, according to a report from the Ketchikan Daily News.
Ortiz was first elected to the district, now known as District 1, in 2014. Although Ketchikan is a Republican-leaning district, Ortiz is a popular retired teacher who managed to get elected and reelected, in spite of good Republican candidates who ran against him.
Word had started leaking out Tuesday after Ortiz broke the news to his family over the Memorial Day weekend. He said his health is the reason he is stepping back from public office.
This year, Jeremy Bynum is the Republican candidate running for House District 1. Republicans in district endorsed Bynum last night unanimously before the news about Ortiz broke this morning.
Bynum is the manager of the electric division of Ketchikan Public Utilities. He ran against Ortiz in 2022 and lost by just 343 voters. He is a second-term borough Assembly member.
It’s long past time for Ketchikan to again send a balanced budget legislator to Juneau. Before petroleum Ketchikan Pulp was the largest single taxpayer in Alaska. I think Bynum deserves this shot. If people don’t elect grown-ups to the legislature the over-spending will continue until all reserves are exhausted.
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