Alaska Senate coalition announces Cathy Giessel as president

Anchorage Republican Cathy Giessel to Lead Alaska Senate in Bipartisan Majority

Across Alaska, thousands of ballots are still being counted, but a key piece of the state’s political future has snapped into focus. A bipartisan coalition of senators has announced its leadership team for the upcoming 35th Alaska State Legislature, setting the stage for a continuation of the governing model that has defined the upper chamber for the past four years. Anchorage Republican Cathy Giessel will return to the powerful role of Senate President, a position she held from 2019 to 2022, as afternoon results showed her with a comfortable 61% lead in her re-election bid.

The coalition, which first formed in 2022 under Kodiak Republican Gary Stevens, is moving to formalize itself as the Senate Majority. To do so, it needs at least 11 of the 20 seats in the chamber, a number that remains uncertain until the thousands of remaining ballots are tallied and newly elected senators decide which caucus to join. Final election results are scheduled to be certified on Nov. 25.

Giessel Pledges “Balanced” Approach to Windfall Revenues

Giessel, a veteran who has served in the Senate since 2011, is not new to Alaska’s complex political and economic system. Her return to the presidency comes at a time of significant financial opportunity for the state, driven by high oil prices. But rather than signaling a spending spree, Giessel and the coalition’s new leadership team are signaling restraint.

Senate Bipartisan Coalition announces “balanced leadership” of like-minded liberal legislators Today, the Alaska State Senate Bipartisan Coalition announced it will continue for the 35th Alaska State Legislature. According to a press release from the Senate Bipartisan Coalition,… pic.twitter.com/ISV63eT4Qk

— https://x.com/MustReadAlaska/status/2118150235734393292

“We are aware that there is going to be excess funding or excess revenue, but we are not going to go on a spending spree,” Giessel said in an interview. “This is something that we all agree on. This is going to be constrained. We’re going to be focusing on the priority budget items first.” This “balanced” approach, as she described it, will guide the Senate’s top priorities, which she listed as public education funding, reviving a public pension system, election reform, and energy policy.

A Leadership Team Spanning Urban and Rural Alaska

Senate President: Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage
Senate Majority Leader: Senator-elect Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak
Senate Rules Chair: Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage
Senate Finance Co-Chairs: Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, and Senator-elect Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham

The appointment of Bryce Edgmon, the current Independent Speaker of the House, as Finance Co-Chair is particularly significant. He is currently locked in a tight race in one of Alaska’s largest and most geographically diverse districts, which stretches from Western Alaska to the Aleutian Islands. As of Wednesday afternoon, he led with 36.1% of the vote, but thousands of rural ballots remain uncounted.

#Alaska’s bipartisan senate majority, assuming folks win their races, are the following: – Senate President Cathy Giessel, R – Majority Leader Louise Stutes, R – Rules Chair Bill Wielechowski, D – Finance Chair Jesse Kiehl, D – Finance Chair Bryce Edgmon, NA#akleg #akgov

— https://x.com/wil_court/status/2118163388757106871

Joining him on the powerful Finance Committee is Juneau Democrat Jesse Kiehl, who was not up for re-election this year and has been a member of the committee since 2023. Anchorage Democrat Bill Wielechowski, who ran unopposed and has served in the Senate since 2007, will continue to lead the Rules Committee. The Majority Leader, Louise Stutes, is a first-time candidate for the Senate but brings a decade of experience from the Alaska House, representing a district that includes Kodiak Island and the southern Kenai Peninsula.

“This is the message that Alaskans have continued to send us to address the many needs for a stronger Alaska future,” said Wielechowski in a statement. “This coalition will continue to focus on lowering costs for families, ensuring Alaska receives its fair share for our resources, election reform, and making sure that every community across the state, urban and rural, has a seat at the table.”

The Coalition’s Next Big Task: Securing a Majority

While the leadership team is set, the coalition’s most immediate challenge is securing the 11 votes needed to control the Senate. This task is complicated by the ongoing vote count and the fact that some winning candidates have not yet declared their caucus intentions. The coalition’s success in this effort will determine not only its ability to pass legislation but also its clout in negotiations with the governor’s office.

Alaska Senate coalition announces Cathy Giessel as president — Photo: yahoo.com

Giessel confirmed that the coalition has not yet formally spoken with Kreiss-Tomkins, but that meetings would likely begin later this month. The dynamic between the bipartisan Senate coalition and a potentially Democratic governor could define the next two years of Alaska state politics.

What is clear for now is the coalition’s stated intention. For the past four years, it has shown that Alaska is best served when legislators work across party lines, Giessel said.