By SUZANNE DOWNING
June 1, 2026 – A new Republican challenger has entered the race for Alaska House District 32, Fairbanks.
Seth Church, a Fairbanks businessman and member of the University of Alaska Board of Regents, has filed to run for the House seat currently held by Rep. Will Stapp, a Republican who has represented the district since 2023.
The race sets up a Republican-versus-Republican contest.
Church is well known in Alaska Republican circles. He served as finance chairman for the Alaska Republican Party and has held a variety of state and national leadership positions. He currently serves on the University of Alaska Board of Regents and previously served on the state’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee and Marine Transportation Advisory Board.
He was elected National Youth Chair for the Coalition of Juvenile Justice and has served on the Business Advisory Board for Students Who Enjoy Economic Thinking at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He also served on the Minority Ethnic Committee for the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District.
Church was among a delegation of Alaska Republicans who attended a Republican National Committee meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2019.
The challenge comes as Stapp has emerged as a controversial figure among some conservatives over his position on the Alaska LNG project and his role in House politics. He has also offered frivolous legislation, such as his bill that would rent out the governor’s mansion during the summers in Juneau as a short-term rental.
Stapp has been viewed by gasline supporters as an obstacle to passage of legislation needed to advance the Alaska LNG project. Critics argue he has favored proposals that would allow local governments, particularly the North Slope Borough, to capture a larger share of gasline-related tax revenue.
Because Stapp works in the insurance industry and has clients associated with the North Slope Borough, some gasline advocates have questioned whether he is representing broader statewide interests or the interests of borough officials seeking a larger portion of future revenues generated by the project.
Stapp has also been active in discussions about the future organization of the House leadership caucus as lawmakers look ahead to the 2027 Legislature. With longtime House leader Bryce Edgmon leaving the House to run for the Alaska Senate, maneuvering for key committee positions has already begun.
Political observers have speculated that Stapp is interested in becoming co-chair of the powerful House Finance Committee, one of the Legislature’s most influential positions. He’s not always understood to be reliable for the conservative minority caucus.
Church’s entry into the race signals that leading Republicans are looking for a different direction in House leadership and energy policy as Alaska debates the future of the multibillion-dollar natural gas pipeline project.
The Republican primary will be held Aug. 18. Under Alaska’s open primary system, all candidates appear on the same ballot, with the top finishers advancing to the general election.
2 thoughts on “University Regent Seth Church files to challenge Rep. Will Stapp in Fairbanks”
Well this is interesting. The university is a huge drain on public funds… So why hasn’t Church pushed for consolidation of the three university system in Alaska, or pushed to close the rural satellites that have dormitories and no students in them for years ⁉️
In this case I prefer the known quantity.
This is a good move by Church. Stapp’s only claim to politics is because he never stops talking about his service record, or when he shows off his bullet wound to female educators at UAF. Real veterans don’t behave this way.