Moore or Menard for Wasilla state House seat? Recount Monday will tell us

Wasilla’s Ekexie Moore will know Monday, Dec. 9, whether she won the state House seat in District 28, or whether Steve Menard, her challenger, will go to Juneau as a state representative for the Mat-Su region.

The Division of Elections will begin a recount of votes cast for the two in the recent state general election.

The final vote count showed Moore winning by 12 votes. With such a thin margin Menard asked for a recount, which can be done at state expense when election margins are under 20 voted.

Moore said she supports the recount to ensure public confidence in the final result.

State elections director Carol Beecher said a recount is also underway Monday on the highly contested Ballot Measure 2, which would repeal the state law allowing a Ranked Choice voting method on Alaska. The measure was narrowly defeated in the final count from the Nov. 5 election but the recount will confirm that.

Whether Moore or Menard win will not affect the partisan lineup in the 40-member state House. Both are Republicans.

At this point a proposed coalition of Democrats, independents and moderate Republicans appear to have enough support to form a Majority to organize and control the House but the margin is thin, with 21 votes against 19 votes by conservative Republicans.

It is not known which House faction Moore or Menard will join but is thought that they will stay with the 19 members traditional Republicans in a House Minority.