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Alaska State Senate District R

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Alaska State Senate District R
Incumbent
Assumed office: January 21, 2025

Alaska State Senate District R is represented by Mike Cronk (R).

As of the 2020 Census, Alaska state senators represented an average of 36,804 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 36,076 residents.

About the office

Members of the Alaska State Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits.[1] Half of the senate is up for re-election every two years. All seats are up for election after redistricting occurs. Up until 1992, members of the Senate and House were elected to both single-member and multi-member districts. Since then, all Alaska legislators have been elected into single-member districts.[2] Alaska legislators assume office on the third Tuesday of January following their election.[3][4]

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

Article II, Section 2 of the Alaska Constitution states: "A member of the legislature shall be a qualified voter who has been a resident of Alaska for at least three years and of the district from which elected for at least one year, immediately preceding his filing for office. A senator shall be at least twenty-five years of age and a representative at least twenty-one years of age."[5]


Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2024[6]
SalaryPer diem
$84,000/year$307/day

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in the Alaska State Legislature, the governor is responsible for selecting a replacement. The governor must select the replacement within 30 days after the vacancy happens. Nevertheless, if the predecessor's term is set to expire or if a special election is scheduled to fill a vacancy in the state Senate before the legislature reconvenes, the governor is not authorized to appoint someone to fill the vacancy.[7]

DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Alaska Stat. §15.40.320


District map

Redistricting

2020 redistricting cycle

See also: Redistricting in Alaska after the 2020 census

Alaska completed its state legislative redistricting on May 24, 2022, when the Alaska Redistricting Board adopted a new map of state Senate districts at the direction of the state supreme court. In its ruling, the Alaska Supreme Court upheld a May 16, 2022, decision by the Third District of Alaska's Superior Court that determined that the mapping of state House districts to Senate ones was unconstitutional and ordered the Alaska Redistricting Board to adopt another proposed plan for pairing the districts. Click here to read more about litigation surrounding Alaska's legislative boundaries. These maps took effect for Alaska's 2022 legislative elections. On May 15, 2023, the Alaska Redistricting Board adopted its 2022 interim maps as final state legislative maps. The final maps were used in the 2024 elections.[8]

Alaska had initially enacted legislative district boundaries on November 10, 2021, following a 3-2 vote by the Alaska Redistricting Board. The three Republican-appointed board members voted in favor of the map and the two nonpartisan board members voted against it.[9] On March 25, 2022, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that one state House and one state Senate district did not comply with the state constitution and required they be redrawn.[10] The Alaska Redistricting Board adopted new legislative district boundaries to comply with the state supreme court's ruling on April 13, 2022.[11]

How does redistricting in Alaska work? Because Alaska has only one congressional district, congressional redistricting is not necessary. A non-politician commission draws state legislative district lines. In place since 1998, Alaska's redistricting commission comprises five members. Two commissioners are appointed by the governor, one by the state Senate majority leader, one by the state House majority leader, and one by the chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court. State law mandates that commissioners "be chosen without regard to party affiliation." One commissioner must be selected from each of the state's judicial districts.[12]

The Alaska Constitution requires that state legislative districts be contiguous and compact. Furthermore, every state legislative district must contain a "relatively integrated socio-economic area." Each state legislative district is served by one state senator and two state representatives.[12]

Alaska State Senate District R
before 2020 redistricting cycle

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Alaska State Senate District R
after 2020 redistricting cycle

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Elections

2024

See also: Alaska State Senate elections, 2024

General election

General election for Alaska State Senate District R

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Mike Cronk in round 1 .


Total votes: 18,109
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Alaska State Senate District R

Mike Cronk, Savannah Fletcher, James Squyres, and Robert Williams advanced from the primary for Alaska State Senate District R on August 20, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mike Cronk
Mike Cronk (R)
 
43.8
 
3,305
Savannah Fletcher (Undeclared)
 
42.3
 
3,193
James Squyres (R)
 
7.6
 
572
Robert Williams (Alaskan Independence Party)
 
6.4
 
481

Total votes: 7,551
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2022

See also: Alaska State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Alaska State Senate District R

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Click Bishop in round 1 .


Total votes: 14,624
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Alaska State Senate District R

Incumbent Click Bishop, Elijah Verhagen, and Robert Williams advanced from the primary for Alaska State Senate District R on August 16, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Click Bishop
Click Bishop (R)
 
56.9
 
5,736
Elijah Verhagen (R)
 
25.2
 
2,543
Robert Williams (Alaskan Independence Party)
 
17.9
 
1,805

Total votes: 10,084
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2020

See also: Alaska State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Alaska State Senate District R

Incumbent Bert Stedman defeated Michael Sheldon in the general election for Alaska State Senate District R on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Bert Stedman
Bert Stedman (R)
 
93.7
 
14,581
Image of Michael Sheldon
Michael Sheldon (R) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
0
 Other/Write-in votes
 
6.3
 
984

Total votes: 15,565
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Alaska State Senate District R

Incumbent Bert Stedman defeated Michael Sheldon in the Republican primary for Alaska State Senate District R on August 18, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Bert Stedman
Bert Stedman
 
63.8
 
1,931
Image of Michael Sheldon
Michael Sheldon
 
36.2
 
1,096

Total votes: 3,027
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Alaska State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for the Alaska State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 16, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 1, 2016.

Incumbent Bert K. Stedman ran unopposed in the Alaska State Senate District R general election.[13][14]

Alaska State Senate, District R General Election, 2016
Party Candidate
    Republican Green check mark transparent.png Bert K. Stedman Incumbent (unopposed)
Source: Alaska Secretary of State



Incumbent Bert K. Stedman ran unopposed in the Alaska State Senate District R Republican Primary.[15][16]

Alaska State Senate, District R Republican Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Republican Green check mark transparent.png Bert K. Stedman Incumbent (unopposed)

2012

See also: Alaska State Senate elections, 2012

Elections for the office of Alaska State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 28, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 1, 2012. Incumbent Gary Stevens defeated Robert Henrichs (D) in the general election.[17] Both candidates ran unopposed in the August 28 primary elections.[18]

Alaska State Senate, District 18 (R), General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngGary Stevens Incumbent 70.1% 7,673
     Democratic Robert Henrichs 29.9% 3,277
Total Votes 10,950

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2024, candidates for Alaska State Senate District R raised a total of $828,422. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $41,421 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money

Campaign contributions, Alaska State Senate District R
Year Amount Candidates Average
2024 $295,213 5 $59,043
2022 $163,460 3 $54,487
2020 $52,939 2 $26,470
2016 $50,497 1 $50,497
2012 $42,730 2 $21,365
2010 $17,575 1 $17,575
2006 $59,050 2 $29,525
2004 $138,968 3 $46,323
2002 $7,990 1 $7,990
Total $828,422 20 $41,421


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. "Handbook on Alaska State Government," pg. 74, accessed December 16, 2013
  2. Dubin, M. J. (2007). Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures: A Year by Year Summary, 1796-2006. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc."
  3. JUSTIA US Law, "Alaska Statutes, Sec. 24.05.080," accessed November 1, 2021
  4. Alaska’s Constitution, "A Citizen’s Guide," accessed November 1, 2021
  5. Office of Lt. Governor, "The Constitution of the State of Alaska - Article II – The Legislature," accessed May 21, 2025
  6. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
  7. Alaska State Legislature, " Sec. 15.40.320. Condition and time for filling vacancy by appointment," accessed February 8, 2021 (Statute 15.40.320)
  8. Alaska Redistricting Board, "2023 May Final Proclamation," accessed March 20, 2025
  9. The Midnight Sun, "'I pray litigation is swift and just.' Redistricting Board finalizes plan with attempted dig at dissenters," Nov. 10, 2021
  10. Alaska Supreme Court, "In the Matter of the 2021 Redistricting Cases," March 25, 2022
  11. Alaska Redistricting Board, "Amended Proclamation of Redistricting," April 13, 2022
  12. 12.0 12.1 All About Redistricting, "Alaska," accessed April 17, 2015
  13. State of Alaska Division of Elections, "November 8, 2016 General Election Candidate List," accessed August 22, 2016
  14. Alaska Secretary of State, "General Election Official Results 2016," accessed December 2, 2016
  15. State of Alaska Division of Elections, "August 16, 2016 Primary Candidate List," accessed June 8, 2016
  16. State of Alaska Division of Elections, "2016 Primary Election results," accessed September 12, 2016
  17. Alaska Division of Elections, "State of Alaska 2012 General Election Official Results," November 6, 2012
  18. Alaska Division of Elections, "State of Alaska 2012 Primary Election Official Results," August 28, 2012


Current members of the Alaska State Senate
Leadership
Senate President:Gary Stevens
Majority Leader:Catherine Giessel
Senators
District A
District B
District C
District D
District E
District F
District G
District H
District I
District J
District K
District L
District M
District N
District O
District P
District Q
District R
District S
District T
Republican Party (11)
Democratic Party (9)