Sen. Roger Holland, who represents District E in Anchorage, has a competitor for 2022, and it’s the person he beat last time — former Senate President Cathy Giessel.
Giessel today filed with the Division of Elections. She has not yet filed with the Alaska Public Offices Commission and her website has not yet been launched at www.cathygiessel.com.
Holland beat Giessel in 2020 by 30 percent in the primary. But he only beat Democrat Carl Johnson by 4 percent, 10,512 to 9,650, but the libertarian, Carolyn “Care” Clift, took 4 percent of the vote that would likely go to Holland in a ranked choice voting scenario, which will be how the next general election is conducted.
This election will be in a district that has a markedly different shape than last year. Seat E now has South Anchorage, Indian, Bird, Girdwood and Whittier, and also Oceanview. Before, it stretched up to Muldoon.
Giessel, who had AFL-CIO support last time she ran, has endorsed Bill Walker, an independent, for governor. She is known to deeply dislike Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
