By SUZANNE DOWNING
April 30, 2026 – Former state Sen. Natasha von Imhof has entered the 2027 Anchorage mayor’s race, setting up what could become one of the most closely watched municipal contests in the state.
Von Imhof, a Republican who represented South Anchorage in the Alaska Senate from 2017 to 2023, has filed a letter of intent to run in the April 2027 election. Her entry into the race confirms months of political speculation that she was preparing a challenge to current Mayor Suzanne LaFrance, or perhaps run for governor.
A longtime figure in Anchorage civic and political circles, von Imhof previously served on the Anchorage School Board and held key leadership roles in the Legislature, including co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee and chair of Legislative Budget and Audit. Her background in finance and public policy is expected to be a central theme of her campaign.
von Imhof, an Anchorage native, has served on her family’s Rasmuson Foundation board since 2005 and became its vice chair in 2021. She holds a degree from Harvard College and an MBA from the University of Washington, and has a background in banking, including work with the National Bank of Alaska. She is currently a financial analyst with Latash Investments.
Her candidacy adds a high-profile name as she comes from one of the wealthiest and most prominent families in Alaska. It’s the same family that built the mighty Rasmuson Foundation, which has tremendous political pull in Alaska.
Von Imhof filed in a low-key manner without fanfare. Her record in Juneau suggests she will likely focus on fiscal discipline, government accountability, and Anchorage’s long-term economic outlook.
With more than a year until ballots are cast, the field is expected to grow.
One thought on “Natasha von Imhof files to run for Anchorage mayor”
Until you move the mayors race and the assembly races to the November elections, any republican winning is just a pipe dream. You can’t beat the union phone banks or the get out the vote Muni employees against a population that has to deal with their everyday lives in the middle of April.
Wasilla did this and it can be done. Just need a referendum along with the repeal of the city gas tax and you will get the required signatures for an April election people will go to the polls to get the $.20 a gallon gas tax removed and vote for a republican.