By Suzanne Downing 
Donna Anthony, chief of police for the Chickaloon Tribal Police Department, has become the first person to file for House District 26—the Wasilla-area seat currently held by Rep. Cathy Tilton. Tilton is expected to file for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Shelley Hughes, who announced this week she is stepping down to run for governor.
Anthony brings more than two decades of law-enforcement and security experience to her campaign. She previously served as a sworn officer with Palmer Police Department, a deputy sheriff in Ohio, and a field training officer and investigator with the Alaska State Troopers’ Statewide Drug Task Force in undercover capacity. Her résumé includes work with federal agencies ranging from the U.S. Marshals Service to the DEA, ATF, and FBI. As a case officer, she handled multiple state and federal cases during her time in law enforcement.
Anthony, who is also a firearms instructor, graduated from the Bureau of Indian Affairs-Office of Justice Services, United States Indian Police Advance Academy completing the Lt. Command School (2022) and the Chief of Police Command School (2024).
She is currently on the board for the Woman Police of Alaska, the Alaska Police and Fire Chaplains, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Local Emergency Planning Committee, the FBI CJIS Tribal Task Force and a member of the Alaska Police Chief’s Association.
Anthony’s current role leading the Chickaloon Tribal Police Department has put her at the center of one of the Mat-Su’s most contentious public-safety debates: the Alaska Department of Public Safety’s decision to grant limited special commissions to Chickaloon tribal officers.
When the tribal department was established, opinions in Sutton and Chickaloon were sharply divided. Supporters saw the arrangement as a step toward greater tribal sovereignty, similar to the policing authority exercised by federally recognized reservations in the Lower 48. Opponents argued that most of the population in the area is not tribal and should not fall under the authority of a tribal police force.
The state’s recent decision to expand that authority followed months of public meetings, bureaucratic review, and community pushback. The Sutton Community Council has formally opposed the expansion, arguing that “a tribe without a reservation, on the connected road system, in a community that is more than 80% non-Native should not be considered for statewide police powers.” Until the Chickaloon action, the only tribal police department with recognized state authority was Metlakatla, Alaska’s sole reservation and a uniquely isolated community on Annette Island in the Prince of Wales–Hyder Census Area.
Anthony’s entrance into the House race comes as the Mat-Su’s political map reshuffles rapidly. Hughes’ departure and Sen. Mike Shower’s earlier resignation leave two Senate seats temporarily vacant, and Tilton’s decision to pursue the Senate changes the dynamic for the House district she has long represented. Anthony is the first to step forward, but likely not the last, as the Valley braces for an unusually active 2026 election cycle.
Donna Anthony actually owns Point Blank Firearms Training (for 12 years) and has trained nationally.
She is the founder of Santa Cop and a few other non-profits. She has so much energy and drive to give!
Donna has my support 100%. I took training from her and this lady knows her stuff! Good trainer and a great speaker on areas of concern during the training.
Oh Gosh! Another government dependent.
Last thing that legislature needs is another government dependent.
However by most community leaders being government dependents who else is there as an independent-a person who did not make they wealth on the backs of the taxpayer-
Matsu by the way is turning blue because of its AKGop district groups are too slow to get better organized and unified. Five years have past since 2020. This area is still the same.
In four years! matsu will be like Fairbanks today. Power split between Republicans and Democrats controlling the region and neck n neck races because while matsu republicans are disorganized and not unified, Democrats are advancing and dividing Republicans that makes Republican community leaders fight against one another and bicker plus the R groups don’t even have discernment tell who in their party are Republicans or republicans in name only for personal gain in what was a Republican stronghold.
Tina, unless you all die at once, the Matanuska Susitna Valley will never be blue.
Alaska GOP have no leadership they need a ChairMAN to tell Senator Hughes, you go back to that chair and Tilton stay right where you are in the House and fight for maintaining your body holding that position. They are more valuable keeping their bodies in those seats to keep stability for the AKGOP knowing they likely will win those seats so the GOP doesn’t lose two seats to a name in only Republican or worse a Democrat.
When Donna took that job with the Tribe the big argument was for those officers to protect sexual abuse victims. The argument against was that the tribe was trying to get ticketing powers to pursue revenue generation.
Donna swore up and down that they would not be pursuing traffic ticking powers under her watch, but in less than a year that was the pivot.
She must have liked the feeling of fleecing working people for their hard-earned money and decided to step up into the big leagues.