Assemblyman to run for House

PALMER — Mat-Su Borough Assemblyman Jesse Sumner has filed to run against Rep. David Eastman for the State House seat in District 10.

Sumner unseated Dr. Barb Doty for the assembly seat in District 6 and has served since 2018. Sumner builds homes in the Mat-Su Valley and has represented District 6 on the assembly since winning in the October election of 2018.

District 6 includes areas in Hatcher Pass, down Wasilla-Fishhook Road, Schrock Road and Memory Lake on the assembly. Sumner hopes to make the jump from borough to state elected official in an effort to give voters a more effective representation in the House.

“I hope to win,” said Sumner. “I guess I’ve seen how the sausage is made in politics and I think that it’s important to have principals but you always need to get the best deal that you can for your constituents.”

Sumner said that if elected, one of his goals would be to establish a meaningful spending cap to control growth in state government. Sumner believes that the majority of republican legislators elected along with Gov. Mike Dunleavy could make progress on conservative principles if they work together and said he is tired of having the Valley’s delegation in the House sequestered to the minority with the formation of the House Bipartisan Coalition on Feb. 14, 2019.

“I like Eastman. A lot of people don’t, I guess but I do like him. I think we agree on principals but I don’t think he’s been the most effective representative that we can have. I think he’s isolated himself to some degree and I want to make sure that the Valley has adequate representation,” said Sumner.

Sumner will spend the next nine months and change continuing his duties representing District 6 on the assembly while mounting a campaign to unseat Eastman, the legislator who has earned a name for himself by voting against his other 39 members of the house since being elected in 2017, while Sumner is hoping to upset an incumbent and win the second election he’s entered.

The primary elections will be held on Aug. 18 and the general election will be Nov. 3.