The Alaska Senate Republican Minority Caucus has finalized its committee assignments for the 2026 legislative session, adjusting memberships to accommodate new senators and a recent change in caucus leadership.
Senate Minority Leader Mike Cronk, R–Tok/Northway, will keep his seat on the Finance Committee and will assume positions on the Rules Committee and the Committee on Committees, replacing his predecessor Sen. Mike Shower in caucus leadership. Shower is now a candidate for lieutenant governor with gubernatorial candidate Bernadette Wilson.
Cronk formally stepped away from the Education Committee but will continue participating in the Task Force on Education Funding.
The vacancy on the Education Committee will be filled by Sen. Rob Yundt, R–Wasilla, who will also retain his assignments on the Ethics Committee, Community and Regional Affairs, and Labor and Commerce.
Two newly added members received multiple committee roles. Sen. Cathy Tilton, R–Wasilla, will serve on the Judiciary Committee, State Affairs, and World Trade. Sen. George Rauscher, R–Sutton, will take on three open seats, serving on the Resources Committee, Transportation, and Armed Services. Tilton and Rauscher were appointed to fill the seats of Shower and Shelley Hughes, when she resigned to run for governor.
Senate Minority Whip Robb Myers, R–North Pole, will continue as one of the caucus’s two members on the Resources Committee and will also fill an open seat on Health and Social Services.
Sen. James Kaufman, R–Anchorage, will remain the caucus’s second member on the Finance Committee.
Caucus leaders said the assignments were made to align lawmakers’ experience and policy interests with committee responsibilities, while ensuring continuity in key areas such as finance, resources, and education policy.
The Minority Caucus lacks these Republicans, who joined the Democrats to form a liberal majority: Sen. Gary Stevens, Sen. Kelly Merrick, Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, Sen. Bert Stedman, Sen. Cathy Giessel. With those, Republicans actually represent the majority of the Senate.
