John Coghill files for his Senate Seat B, Fairbanks

By
Suzanne Downing
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15
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Senator John Coghill is “in” for the 2020 election cycle: On Friday he filed for reelection to Senate Seat B, representing a wide swath of the Western Fairbanks and and North Pole.

Coghill has served in the Legislature since 1999, when he started his political career in the Alaska House. District B includes some of the more liberal University of Alaska Fairbanks neighborhoods, although it is generally considered a safe seat for a Republican.

Coghill is a social conservative whose decisions are firmly grounded in his Christian faith. Although he was the sponsor of Senate Bill 91, which many blame for a crime wave because of its lenient sentencing provisions, he ultimately voted for its overhaul and repeal when it came time to vote on House Bill 49, the “repeal and replace” bill.

A third-generation Alaskan, he was born in Fairbanks and raised in Nenana. During his first semester at UAF, he received his draft notice, and enlisted in the Air Force. After five years, he returned to Nenana to work with his family’s business, Nenana Fuel Co. He and his wife Luann are active in their church, and Coghill has served as a prison minister and as the pastor’s administrative assistant. He has taught adult Bible classes through his church and leads private prayer meetings while in Juneau.

District B leans right. In 2018, Gov. Michael Dunleavy won the district, 6,057 to Mark Begich’s 3,843 votes. During that same election, House District 3’s Tammie Wilson, a Republican, won with 92.14 percent of the vote, while House District 4 was taken by hard-left Democrat Grier Hopkins, with 51.74 percent of the vote, while Republican Jim Sackett pulled in 43.35 percent. A third candidate, Tim Lamkin, ran in that race, skimming 4.69 percent.

Back in 2016, President Trump did much better than Hillary Clinton in this district, with Trump winning 9,473 votes to Clinton’s 4,903.

But down ballot, Coghill was challenged by the former mayor Luke Hopkins, a Democrat and an acolyte of Gov. Bill Walker. The final vote on the 2016 General Election ballot was a strong 53 percent for Coghill, and 46 percent for Hopkins.

Coghill is Rules Committee chairman for the Senate Republican majority.

15 COMMENTS

  1. Coghill is among the PFD raiders in the Senate. Pete Kelly went down because of that position. True conservatives back the Dividend program as witnessed in other Districts, as well as statewide in the Alaska Chamber Dittman poll. If the incumbent Republicans hold to their anti – Dividend position, they need to be replaced. I don’t know who will challenge this long sitting Senator, but the time has come to face the music. The Governor supports the Dividend, the Party says it does, but how many in office do ? The People are after the PFD grabbers !

  2. He was the creator of sb91 and is responsible for the increase in crime. He wouldnt listen to those who were victimized by the passing of sb91. Sb91 will go down in history as worse legislation ever created.

  3. SB91 was his deal. Unmitigated disaster. Not quite as goofy as Wilson. We are talking Fairbanks, so the grading grading curve needs to be more forgiving. It could be worse.

  4. Has anyone checked Coghill’s meds? I have followed Sen Coghill’s since the early 90s and considered him to be top conservative but no longer. The same is true for Kelly. I could go on with the list of sleuth RINOs who go to the other side. I find these people to be of the worst the state has to offer. Claim you are one type and AFTER getting into office , and cross to the other side. I believe anyone willing to take money from the public (PFDs) instead of reducing state employees is a clear and present danger to the State of Alaska.

  5. I was a long-time backer of John. But it’s getting more difficult to support him. He’s lost touch with his conservative base. Someone else needs a shot at his seat. Coghill is like Murkowski. They ride on their parent’s names and expect to be treated like royalty.

  6. If someone does not challenge and run against him as a Republican, I will not be voting in his race. My wife has expressed the same sentiments. We need a new candidate now!

  7. John Coghill is my Senator. I have always supported John with my money and my vote when I could. However, I believe strongly in the citizen legislator idea and I am often disappointed when some people make a career out of being a legislator. Often being a legislator is the best job that these people have ever had, because of the generous pay and benefits. I am especially disappointed with John’s vote against Laddie Shaw. There was no good reason to vote against Mr. Shaw.

  8. Coghill could never think his way out of a paper bag. That goes for the voters that put him in office. Bad habits are just that. Bad habits and Coghill is one of the biggest bad habits of the Fairbanks-North Start Borough.

    • John Coghill would be doing his constituents, Alaskans, and his deceased father’s good name a service by withdrawing his candidacy and leaving politics in 2020. John’s time is up.

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