The backlash inside Alaska’s Republican Party over the surprise reorganization of the House GOP minority keeps growing and now includes a tenth district committee calling out the maneuver.
On Monday, Alaska Republican District 6 joined a fast-expanding list of party activists and district chairs condemning the late-night Nov. 29 House Minority Caucus meeting, where Rep. DeLena Johnson of Palmer was voted in as minority leader and Rep. Justin Ruffridge of Soldotna was elevated to whip – by just 10 of the 17 members of the minority; seven did not attend the meeting.
The caucus meeting, held on a Saturday night over Zoom with minimal notice, took place while two Mat-Su Valley seats remain vacant, leaving nearly 40,000 Alaskans without representation.
District 6 Chair leaders said the process violated basic standards of transparency and fairness, noting that several House Republicans didn’t see the meeting notice until after the vote — or couldn’t attend because of the sudden timing.
Their letter states that “adequate notice” is a fundamental Republican value, and urges Johnson to hold off on any reorganization until the two Valley replacements are seated in the coming weeks. “If you want to be a Republican leader, we encourage you to lead by example,” the letter concludes.
District 6’s rebuke follows similar letters from district committees across the state, from Fairbanks to Anchorage to the Kenai Peninsula, all objecting to the process, which involved a rushed leadership vote and the exclusion of two unrepresented districts.
What Johnson and Ruffridge have created, unintentionally, is a rare burst of unity inside the Alaska GOP: growing statewide agreement against the way this reorganization was handled.
With 10 Republican district committees now formally opposing the move, pressure continues to mount on Johnson and Ruffridge, even as several legislators have discussed stepping back from the caucus over the process.
The question ahead: Will House minority leadership attempt to push forward despite the growing revolt among the party’s grassroots, or will they pause and reset the process to restore legitimacy and trust? The State Central Committee meeting on Saturday will no doubt be taking up this matter.
Learn more about what has ensued since Saturday’s meeting by reading these previous articles:
Pam Melin: Unity isn’t the problem; silence is. And Alaska has paid the price
Shocker: Republican minority in House organize with Rep. DeLena Johnson as leader, Ruffridge as whip
2 thoughts on “Tenth GOP district committee rebukes House Minority reorganization, says leadership ‘excludes representatives’”
Barking up at the wrong tree
The squirrel 🐿️ is at another tree
The right tree is at the AKGOP Chair and committee members and at the offending elect republican’s own district president to put the heat on the upper bosses.
If what you can’t control in another district Then go clean house clean up and take care of your own district.
It’s apparent in those twos districts they have the neighbor support who’d continue re-electing them.
The ones who get the last say are the voters of Johnson and Rufferidge districts.
The media literacy of Mamdani’s supporters allows for direct communication.