District M Republican leaders met Sunday to select nominees to fill the Wasilla vacancy left by Sen. Shelley Hughes, who stepped down to run for governor.
The district’s voting members ranked three candidates to forward to Gov. Mike Dunleavy for consideration, as required by Alaska law for filling mid-term legislative vacancies.
Rep. Cathy Tilton received the highest number of votes with 37. Mat-Su School Board member Tom Bergey followed with 31 votes, and conservative activist Gerrie Deal received 26. All three names now move to the governor, who must choose from the list.
Tilton, currently serving in the House for Wasilla and a well-known ally of the administration, is widely expected to be the frontrunner for the appointment. If selected, she would move from the House to the Senate, opening up a second vacancy that would require its own district process in the coming days.
Hughes’ departure to run for governor triggered one of the more closely watched political chain reactions of the season, as Republican leaders realign ahead of the 2026 election cycle. The district’s strong showing of participation, with all three candidates drawing significant support, shows just how competitive and high-stakes the replacement process has become.
The governor is expected to act quickly so the district can maintain full representation heading into the next legislative session, which starts in January.
One thought on “District Republicans forward three names to replace Sen. Shelley Hughes”
District 26 (Wasilla Fairview Loop & part of KGB) had a 57.5% voter turn out last election (2024) but is largely a commuter district and appears to not be a hot bed of liberalism for the most part, and Tilton ran unopposed last time. However it might be very interesting for whoever is appointed to that spot if Tilton gets moved over and that combined show. However there is a former Anchorage politician that moved to the Valley in the Tilton district…HMMMMMMM lets see how this shakes out