District O Republicans advance three names to replace Sen. Mike Shower. Who are they?

Mat-Su Republicans have completed the first step in replacing Sen. Mike Shower, who resigned earlier this fall to run for lieutenant governor. On Friday night, District O precinct leaders met to vote on which nominees they will formally forward to the governor.

After the balloting was tallied, the top three finishers emerged:

• Rep. Kevin McCabe – 33 votes

• Rep. George Rauscher – 33 votes

• Ryan Sheldon – 24 votes

Other candidates received support but did not make the final cut, including Todd Smoldon (21 votes), Doug Massie (3), and Steve Menard (0).

Under state law, Gov. Mike Dunleavy must appoint one of the top three names, after which the nominee must be confirmed by the Senate.

The confirmation hurdle is likely to be tense.

With Sen. Shower’s resignation — and now Sen. Shelley Hughes formally stepping down to focus on her gubernatorial bid — the conservative bloc in the Senate has been reduced to just four Senate members:

• James Kaufman

• Mike Cronk

• Rob Yundt

• Robb Myers

These four are the remainder of the Republican minority.

Meanwhile, the majority coalition — Republicans who joined with Democrats — retains firm control and will effectively determine whether the governor’s appointment is approved or rejected.

The coalition’s key members include:

• Bert Stedman

• Gary Stevens

• Jesse Bjorkman

• Cathy Giessel

• Kelly Merrick

These five senators, who left the Republican majority to join with Democrats, control the numbers necessary to shape the outcome. They have already used their coalition power to advance priorities such as bigger state budgets, efforts to revive defined-benefit pension plans, and other left-leaning policy agendas.

With Hughes now gone, conservatives lose another reliable confirmation vote, giving the coalition even more leverage over who fills Shower’s seat.

Gov. Dunleavy is expected to make his appointment in the coming days, but the Senate will not vote on confirmation until the Legislature gavels in on Jan. 21.

Until then, District O — stretching across parts of the Mat-Su’s fastest-growing communities — remains under-represented in the Senate, and the upcoming confirmation vote is poised to become one of the first major power plays of the 2026 session.

Depending on which nominee the governor selects, the coalition majority could:

• Approve the governor’s choice,

• Reject the nominee in secret ballot, or

• Procedurally force the process to restart — prolonging the vacancy and testing the limits of the governor’s appointment authority.

Two Senate resignations, one big Mat-Su mess