Politics

Alaska legislature to be led by bipartisan coalitions

The move adds to a long history of combining the various factions of state politics.
A person walks up the steps of the Alaska Capitol, Jan. 16, 2023, in Juneau, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)

Republicans, Democrats and independent lawmakers will form cross-party coalitions to lead both chambers of Alaska’s legislature next year, coalition leaders said this week, a unique arrangement that will hand substantial power to members of both parties.

The Alaska House Majority Coalition said Wednesday is had secured 21 of the 40 seats in the state House necessary to win leadership posts.

Rep. Bryce Edgmon, a Democrat-turned-independent from Dillingham, will serve as House speaker. Rep.-elect Chuck Kopp (R), who this year sought a return to Juneau, will serve as majority leader, and Rep. Louise Stutes (R) will chair the House Rules Committee, a critical panel that decides when to advance key legislation.

“Alaskans have spoken clearly and we will work together, representing residents of all regions, to stabilize public education funding, develop affordable energy and fix Alaska’s workforce crisis,” Edgmon said in a statement.

The Senate’s existing bipartisan coalition will maintain a majority of seats, though election results appeared to show two Republican members of the coalition losing their re-election bids.

Senate President Gary Stevens (R) will head the coalition for at least two more years. Sen. Cathy Giessel (R) will serve as majority leader, while Sen. Bill Wielechowski (D) will run the Rules Committee.

The coalition will divide the Senate Finance Committee between a Democrat, who will lead negotiations on the state budget, and a Republican who will helm talks over the capital budget.

Alaska has a long history of bipartisan coalitions that combine the various factions of state politics: Members from the state’s largest cities often band together, as do members from the Bush districts far from urban cores. Alaska voters also have no trouble electing independent candidates who caucus with whichever coalition offers them the best deal.

The new House coalition will take power from an existing coalition made up of mostly Republicans. The current coalition, headed by House Speaker Cathy Tilton (R), includes 20 Republicans, one independent — Edgmon — and two Democrats.

Edgmon himself has plenty of experience organizing coalition politics. He served as House speaker during legislative sessions in 2017 and 2019; in 2019, he emerged as the consensus choice after dueling coalitions deadlocked over leadership positions for more than a month, bringing state government to a grinding halt.