Rep. Josiah Patkotak was the first sitting representative out of the gate on Monday morning, filing his letter of intent to run for office.
But he’s not running for Alaska State House again — he’s running for mayor of Utqiagvik, North Slope Borough, America’s most northern community. The municipal election will take place the second week of October of 2023.
Although Patkotak is very popular in Juneau, it’s been known around the Capitol that he wants to spend more time with his young family in Utqiagvik, and Monday he made it clear that he’s not coming back to Juneau, if he wins his race. No one else has filed for the mayor’s position yet. The governor would have to appoint someone to complete his legislative term, which ends in January of 2025.
Not long after Patkotak filed with the Alaska Public Offices Commission, Eagle River Rep. Jamie Allard also declared her candidacy. She served on the Anchorage Assembly until being elected last year to represent House District 23, and she has just finished her first legislative session. Her website is up.
Rep. Jamie Allard, Eagle River
Candidates for state and local offices must file either as candidates or with a “letter of intent” to run, which allows them to raise money.
Hot on the heels of Allard’s filing came one from Fairbanks’ Rep. Maxine Dilbert, who filed her letter of intent on Monday. The Democrat represents District 31. Her website is up.
The next legislative election will be in 2024, when all House seats and some Senate seats will be up for election. It is expected to be a big year for campaigns, because it’s also a presidential election, and Alaska’s congressional seat will be contested as well.
Sitting legislators are not able to file for reelection until the legislative session is over. But on May 14, Ken McCarty, former Eagle River House of Representatives member who lost his Senate bid to Sen. Kelly Merrick in 2022, filed as a candidate, although he did not indicate which seat he is running for — the one held now by Rep. Dan Saddler, or perhaps McCarty will make another run for Senate.
