Local candidate list shaping up

WASILLA — With two days to go until the deadline to run for office this fall, a few additional candidates had joined the names of incumbents.

Numerous races remained unchanged since the April announcement that Sen. Bill Stoltze (R-Chugiak) would not seek re-election on health grounds. However, the race to replace Stoltze has gotten a little more crowded. The former chairman of the Conservative Patriots Group has filed to run in the Republican primary race to replace Stoltze, according to both the Alaska Public Offices Commission and the Division of elections. Steve St. Clair joins Rep. Shelley Hughes (R-Palmer), and Northern Industrial Training co-owner Adam Crum.

Timothy Hale, a local marijuana business advocate, also filed a letter of intent with the Alaska Public Offices Commission to run for the seat being vacated by Stoltze, who said he’s stepping down for medical reasons.

At the opposite end of the borough core area, Alaska Rep. Lynn Gattis (R-Wasilla) had drawn an additional primary challenger. Wasilla City councilwoman Colleen Sullivan-Leonard has joined Brandon Montano, a member of the borough’s marijuana advisory committee, in seeking to challenge Gattis.

Numerous other races remained unchanged through the Memorial Day weekend:

— As of Monday, Alaska Rep. Mark Neuman (R-Big Lake) was set to face Mike Alexander in the Republican primary.

— Rep. Jim Colver (R-Palmer) was set to face primary challenger George Rauscher.

— Palmer Mayor DeLena Johnson, Palmer city councilman Richard Best, and minister Nancy Campbell have filed to run to seek Hughes’ seat, and will face off in the primary.

— Rep. Wes Keller (R-Willow) will face primary challenger Adam Wright of Wasilla, according to the Division of Elections website. Keller already has a likely general election opponent in Houston planning commission chair and firefighter Christian Hartley.

— Rep. Cathy Tilton (R-Wasilla) had not drawn a primary challenger, but appeared set to take on Democrat Gretchen Wehmhoff in the general election.

— The borough’s other state senate race was still between incumbent Alaska Sen. Charlie Huggins (R-Wasilla) and challenger David Wilson, a Wasilla city councilman.

The deadline for state candidates to file is the end of business hours on Wednesday, June 1. The state primary is Aug. 16. The general election is set for Nov. 8.

Candidates aren’t allowed to file for local and municipal elections until July 18 at 8 a.m., but those intending to raise sums of money greater than $5,000 are required to file a letter of intent with the Alaska Public Offices Commission by the June 1 deadline.

Those filings show assemblyman Jim Sykes facing a challenge from former borough planning commissioner Brian Endle. Ron Johnson, a Butte resident, has also filed a letter of intent to run for Sykes’ assembly seat.

Assemblyman Matthew Beck has filed a letter of intent to retain his District 2 office, Palmer city councilwoman Edna DeVries has filed a letter of intent to run for Palmer mayor and incumbent school board members Donna Dearman, Ray Michaelson and school board president Susah Pougher have all filed letters of intent to run for re-election.

The borough election filing deadline is 5 p.m. July 29. The local borough election is Oct. 4.

Contact reporter Brian O’Connor at 352-2270, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.