Who will replace District 13’s Dahlstrom?

EAGLE RIVER SEAT MUST BE FILLED BY APPOINTMENT

Nancy Dahlstrom easily won her race for House District 13 on Nov. 6. Then, Gov. Mike Dunleavy tapped her to lead the Department of Corrections.

She won’t be sworn in as a legislator in January. She’ll go through the legislative confirmation process instead and is acting commissioner until her confirmation.

But the Eagle River Republicans are busy coming up with names for her replacement.

So far, four  three individuals have expressed interest in being appointed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy to fill the seat until the next election — which is in two years.

Sharon Jackson – Jackson ran for lieutenant governor this year. She is a U.S. Army veteran who recently served as a constituent relations staff member for U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan. Before that, she was the Alaska point person for National Write Your Congressman, the National Legislative Research Organization.

Myranda Walso – Walso ran for the District 13 seat in 2016 against former Rep. Dan Saddler, losing to him in the primary. She has been working on the transition team for Gov. Mike Dunleavy and worked for the Alaska Republican Party this year.

(Walso has withdrawn.)

Ken McCarty – McCarty is founder and executive director of Discovery Cove Recovery and Wellness Center, a center for  counseling for mental health, outpatient substance abuse, and psychiatric services. 

Craig Christianson – Christianson was a candidate for this seat earlier this year, but lost to Dahlstrom. He is a retired colonel and is a veteran of the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force. He is a retired physician and was deputy commissioner of the Department of Health and Social Services under Gov. Sean Parnell.

District 13 and 14 Republicans operate jointly and will provide Gov. Mike Dunleavy with three names that they will choose on Tuesday during their regular meeting.

[Read: District 13-14 organizes to replace Dahlstrom]

The governor will then interview the three and may pick someone from those names as Dahlstrom’s replacement, or bypass them and choose someone else. By tradition, governors work with the local party leaders in finding a replacement.