John B. Coghill

John B. Coghill

Republican Party

Prior offices

Alaska House of Representatives District 32

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Alaska State Senate District F

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Alaska State Senate District A

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Alaska State Senate District B

Successor: Robert Myers Jr.

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Elections and appointments

Last election

August 16, 2022

Education

High school

Nenana Public High School, 1968

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Air Force

Personal

Religion

Christian

Profession

Small business owner

Contact

Campaign website

Personal LinkedIn

John B. Coghill (Republican Party) was a member of the Alaska State Senate, representing District B. He assumed office in 2017. He left office on January 11, 2021.

Coghill (Republican Party) ran in a special election to the U.S. House to represent Alaska's At-Large Congressional District. He lost in the special primary on June 11, 2022.

Coghill also ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Alaska's At-Large Congressional District. He did not appear on the ballot for the primary on August 16, 2022.

Coghill was first appointed to the state Senate in 2009. He served as majority leader from 2013 to 2017.

Coghill also served in the Alaska House of Representatives, representing District 11 from 1998 to 2009. He served as majority leader from 2002 to 2006.

Biography

Coghill's professional experience includes working as a history teacher and administrative assistant at Bible Baptist Church School, shop foreman at the Alaska Garage Door Manufacturer and a salesman with the Fraley Equipment Company.

Committee assignments

2019-2020

Coghill was assigned to the following committees:

• Legislative Council Committee
• Senate Resources Committee, Vice chair
• Senate Rules Committee, Chair
• Senate Health & Social Services Committee, Vice chair
• Senate State Affairs Committee, Vice chair

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Coghill served on the following committees:

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Coghill served on the following committees:

2011-2012

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Coghill served on these committees:

Alaska committee assignments, 2011
• Judiciary

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2022

Regular election

See also: United States House of Representatives election in Alaska, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Alaska At-large District

Select round: Round 3 Round 2 Round 1

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Mary Peltola in round 3 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Mary Peltola	55.0	137,263	7,477	Won (3)
		Sarah Palin	45.0	112,471	43,072	3
		Nicholas Begich	0.0	0	-64,499	3
		Chris Bye	0.0	0	0	2
		David Ambrose (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Jay Armstrong (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Joe Bredar (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Lady Donna Dutchess (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Sherry Mettler (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Robert Ornelas (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Brad Snowden (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Ernest Thomas (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Mary Peltola	49.2	129,786	1,031	Won (3)
		Sarah Palin	26.3	69,399	1,069	3
		Nicholas Begich	24.5	64,499	1,994	3
		Chris Bye	0.0	0	-4,999	2
		David Ambrose (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Jay Armstrong (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Joe Bredar (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Lady Donna Dutchess (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Sherry Mettler (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Robert Ornelas (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Brad Snowden (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Ernest Thomas (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Mary Peltola	48.7	128,755	0	Won (3)
		Sarah Palin	25.8	68,330	0	3
		Nicholas Begich	23.6	62,505	0	3
		Chris Bye	1.9	4,999	0	2
		David Ambrose (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Jay Armstrong (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Joe Bredar (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Lady Donna Dutchess (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Sherry Mettler (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Robert Ornelas (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Brad Snowden (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Ernest Thomas (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 264,589
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Sherry Strizak (Independent)
• Tara Sweeney (R)

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House Alaska At-large District

The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House Alaska At-large District on August 16, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mary Peltola (D)	36.8	70,295
✔		Sarah Palin (R)	30.2	57,693
✔		Nicholas Begich (R)	26.2	50,021
✔		Tara Sweeney (R)	3.8	7,195
		Chris Bye (L)	0.6	1,189
		J.R. Myers (L)	0.3	531
		Robert Lyons (R)	0.2	447
	Submit photo	Jay Armstrong (R)	0.2	403
	Submit photo	Brad Snowden (R)	0.2	355
		Randy Purham (R)	0.2	311
		Lady Donna Dutchess (Independent)	0.1	270
	Submit photo	Sherry Strizak (Independent)	0.1	252
		Robert Ornelas (American Independent Party)	0.1	248
	Submit photo	Denise Williams (R)	0.1	242
		Gregg Brelsford (Independent)	0.1	241
	Submit photo	David Hughes (Independent)	0.1	238
	Submit photo	Andrew Phelps (Independent)	0.1	222
	Submit photo	Tremayne Wilson (Independent)	0.1	194
	Submit photo	Sherry Mettler (Independent)	0.1	191
	Submit photo	Silvio Pellegrini (Independent)	0.1	187
	Submit photo	Ted Heintz (Independent)	0.1	173
	Submit photo	Davis LeBlanc Jr. (R)	0.1	117

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 191,015
= 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

• Tyler Cropley (Independent)
• Julio Perez (R)
• Don Young (R)
• Shannon Evans (R)
• Christopher Constant (D)
• Al Gross (Independent)
• Adam Wool (D)
• Mike Milligan (D)
• Mikel Melander (R)
• William Hibler (Independent)
• Jeff Lowenfels (Independent)
• John B. Coghill (R)
• Josh Revak (R)

Special election

Note: The state did not release vote totals for individual write-in candidates. Certified write-in candidates are listed below without vote totals.

See also: United States House of Representatives special election in Alaska, 2022

United States House of Representatives special election in Alaska, 2022 (June 11 top-four primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Alaska At-large District

Select round: Round 2 Round 1

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Mary Peltola in round 2 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Mary Peltola	51.5	91,266	15,467	Won (2)
		Sarah Palin	48.5	86,026	27,053	2
		Nicholas Begich	0.0	0	-53,810	1
		Chris Bye (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Lady Donna Dutchess (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Robert Ornelas (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Sherry Strizak (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Tara Sweeney (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Ernest Thomas (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Mary Peltola	40.2	75,799	0	Won (2)
		Sarah Palin	31.3	58,973	0	2
		Nicholas Begich	28.5	53,810	0	1
		Chris Bye (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Lady Donna Dutchess (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Robert Ornelas (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Sherry Strizak (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Tara Sweeney (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Ernest Thomas (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 188,582
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Al Gross (Independent)

Nonpartisan primary election

Special nonpartisan primary for U.S. House Alaska At-large District

The following candidates ran in the special primary for U.S. House Alaska At-large District on June 11, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sarah Palin (R)	27.0	43,601
✔		Nicholas Begich (R)	19.1	30,861
✔		Al Gross (Independent)	12.6	20,392
✔		Mary Peltola (D)	10.1	16,265
		Tara Sweeney (R)	5.9	9,560
		Santa Claus (Independent)	4.7	7,625
		Christopher Constant (D)	3.9	6,224
		Jeff Lowenfels (Independent)	3.7	5,994
		John B. Coghill (R)	2.4	3,842
		Josh Revak (R)	2.3	3,785
	Submit photo	Andrew Halcro (Independent)	1.9	3,013
		Adam Wool (D)	1.7	2,730
	Submit photo	Emil Notti (D)	1.1	1,777
		Chris Bye (L)	0.6	1,049
	Submit photo	Mike Milligan (D)	0.4	608
		John Howe (Alaskan Independence Party)	0.2	380
	Submit photo	Laurel Foster (Independent)	0.2	338
		Stephen Wright (R)	0.2	332
	Submit photo	Jay Armstrong (R)	0.2	286
		J.R. Myers (L)	0.2	285
		Gregg Brelsford (Independent)	0.2	284
	Submit photo	Ernest Thomas (D)	0.1	199
		Robert Lyons (R)	0.1	197
	Submit photo	Otto Florschutz (R)	0.1	193
	Submit photo	Maxwell Sumner (R)	0.1	133
	Submit photo	Richard Trotter (R)	0.1	121
	Submit photo	Anne McCabe (Independent)	0.1	118
	Submit photo	John Callahan (R)	0.1	114
		Arlene Carle (Independent)	0.1	107
	Submit photo	Tim Beck (Independent)	0.1	96
	Submit photo	Thomas Gibbons (R)	0.1	94
	Submit photo	Sherry Mettler (Independent)	0.1	92
		Lady Donna Dutchess (Independent)	0.1	87
		Robert Ornelas (American Independent Party)	0.1	83
	Submit photo	Ted Heintz (L)	0.0	70
	Submit photo	Silvio Pellegrini (Independent)	0.0	70
	Submit photo	Karyn Griffin (Independent)	0.0	67
	Submit photo	David Hughes (Independent)	0.0	54
	Submit photo	Don Knight (Independent)	0.0	46
	Submit photo	Jo Woodward (R)	0.0	44
	Submit photo	Jason Williams (Independent)	0.0	37
	Submit photo	Robert Brown (Independent)	0.0	36
	Submit photo	Dennis Aguayo (Independent)	0.0	31
		William Hibler (Independent)	0.0	25
	Submit photo	Bradley Welter (R)	0.0	24
	Submit photo	David Thistle (Independent)	0.0	23
	Submit photo	Brian Beal (Independent)	0.0	19
	Submit photo	Mikel Melander (R)	0.0	17

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 161,428
= 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

• Jesse Sumner (R)
• Breck Craig (Independent)
• Richard Morris (Independent)

2020

See also: Alaska State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Alaska State Senate District B

Robert Myers Jr. defeated Marna Sanford and Evan Eads (Unofficially withdrew) in the general election for Alaska State Senate District B on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robert Myers Jr. (R)	57.1	10,213
		Marna Sanford (Independent)	37.0	6,612
		Evan Eads (Independent) (Unofficially withdrew)	5.5	987
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	67

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 17,879
= 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 B

Robert Myers Jr. defeated incumbent John B. Coghill in the Republican primary for Alaska State Senate District B on August 18, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robert Myers Jr.	50.2	1,739
		John B. Coghill	49.8	1,725

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 3,464
= 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 John Coghill Jr. defeated Luke Hopkins in the Alaska State Senate District B general election.

Alaska State Senate, District B General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	John Coghill Jr. Incumbent	53.47%	8,429
	Democratic	Luke Hopkins	46.53%	7,336
Total Votes				15,765
Source: Alaska Secretary of State

Luke Hopkins ran unopposed in the Alaska State Senate District B Democratic Primary.

Alaska State Senate, District B Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Democratic	Luke Hopkins  (unopposed)

Incumbent John Coghill Jr. ran unopposed in the Alaska State Senate District B Republican Primary.

Alaska State Senate, District B Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Republican	John Coghill Jr. Incumbent (unopposed)

2012

See also: Alaska State Senate elections, 2012

Coghill won re-election in the 2012 election for Alaska State Senate District 1 (A). He ran unopposed in the August 28 Republican primary and defeated incumbent Joe Thomas (D) in the general election on November 6, 2012.

Alaska State Senate, District 1 (A), General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	John Coghill Incumbent	60.5%	9,464
	Democratic	Joe Thomas Incumbent	39.5%	6,175
Total Votes				15,639

2010

See also: Alaska State Senate elections, 2010

Coghill won re-election to the District F seat in 2010. He had no opposition in the November 2 general election.

2009

Coghill was appointed to the position of Alaska State Senator, District F in 2009.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

John B. Coghill did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

John B. Coghill did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

John B. Coghill did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2012

Coghill's campaign website highlighted the following issues:

• Energy

• Gas Storage and Trucking
• Drilling in the Interior
• Natural Gas Pipeline
• Susitna-Watana Dam Project
• Healy Clean Coal
• Renewable Energy
• Efficiency

• Natural Resources

"Alaska is blessed with plentiful natural resources in the way of fish, timber, oil & gas, coal, metals, minerals, and agriculture. Alaska’s constitution calls for responsible stewardship and wise resource development for the benefit of our people. Our land is ripe for production. Increased production means more jobs, more state revenue, and more investment in Alaska."

• Education

"More choice makes for a better educational outcome. The Department of Education is disconnected from the realities in Alaska. Instead of one-size-fits-all nationwide standards, Alaska should have authority over its own education system."

• Eielson AFB

"Eielson and Fort Wainwright make up 35 percent of the local economy. Eielson Air Force Base provides civilian jobs and has an economic impact of $289 million each year on the Fairbanks area. I will do what I can to protect Eielson AFB."

• Your PFD

"In a recent mail out, Joe Thomas said I voted three times to spend your permanent fund on government. That simply is not true"

• Accomplishments

Includes a list of legislation sponsored by Coghill. See here for details

• Energy Projects

"During the three years I have represented the highway communities of the Richardson and Glenn Highways, energy has been a priority, as has resource development."

Political courage tests

2008

Coghill's answers to the Alaska State Legislative Election 2008 Political Courage Test are available. The test informs voters how a candidate would vote on the issues if elected. He did not provide a response when asked his top legislative priorities.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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John B. Coghill campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2022	U.S. House Alaska At-large District	Withdrew primary	$26,425	$26,425
2020	Alaska State Senate District B	Lost primary	$51,701	N/A**
2016	Alaska State Senate, District B	Won	$171,171	N/A**
2012	Alaska State Senate, District A	Won	$110,744	N/A**
2010	Alaska State Senate, District F	Won	$13,960	N/A**
2008	Alaska State House, District 11	Won	$20,188	N/A**
2006	Alaska State House, District 11	Won	$32,455	N/A**
2004	Alaska State House, District 11	Won	$18,567	N/A**
2002	Alaska State House, District 11	Won	$21,309	N/A**
2000	Alaska House of Representatives District 32	Won	$23,476	N/A**
1998	Alaska State House, District 32	Won	$45,863	N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Alaska

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Alaska scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2020

In 2020, the Alaska State Legislature was in session from January 21 to May 20.

• The American Conservative Union

Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2019

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show].
In 2019, the legislature was in session from January 15, 2019, through May 14, 2019. Alaska Business Report Card Legislators are scored by the Alaska Business Report Card on "how they support legislation that helps Alaska’s private business sector." The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2018

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show].

In 2018, the 31st Alaska State Legislature was in session from January 16 through May 13. The Alaska Business Report Card Legislators are scored by the Alaska Business Report Card on "how supportive they are of Alaska’s private business sector." The Alaska Policy Forum Legislators are scored on their votes on specific legislation. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2017

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show].

In 2017, the Alaska State Legislature was in session from January 17 through May 17. The legislature held a special session from May 18 to June 16, a second special session from June 16 to July 15, a one-day special session on July 27, and a fourth special session from October 23 to November 21. The Alaska Business Report Card Legislators are scored by the Alaska Business Report Card on "how supportive they are of Alaska’s private business sector." The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2016

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show].

In 2016, the Alaska State Legislature was in session from January 19 through May 18 (extended session). The Legislature held a special session from May 23, 2016, to June 19, 2016. The Legislature held a second special session from July 11 to July 18. The Alaska Business Report Card Legislators are scored by the Alaska Business Report Card on "how supportive they are of Alaska’s private business sector." The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2015

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show].
In 2015, the Alaska State Legislature was in session from January 20 through April 27 (Session extended). The first special session was held from April 28 to May 21. The second special session was held from May 21 to June 11. A third special session was held from October 24 to November 5. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2014

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show].
In 2014, the 28th Alaska State Legislature was in session from January 21 to April 20. The Alaska Business Report Card Legislators are scored by the Alaska Business Report Card on "how supportive they are of Alaska’s private business sector." National Federation of Independent Business: 2013-2014 Voting record Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

2013

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show].
In 2013, the Alaska State Legislature was in session from January 15 to April 14. Ballotpedia staff did not find any state legislative scorecards published for this state in 2013. If you are aware of one, please contact editor@ballotpedia.org to let us know.

2012

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show].
In 2012, the 27th Alaska State Legislature was in session from January 17 to April 15. It was in special session from April 15 to April 30. The Alaska Business Report Card Legislators are scored by the Alaska Business Report Card on "how supportive they are of Alaska’s private business sector."

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Coghill and his wife, Luann, have three children.

See also

2022 Elections

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External links

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Candidate

U.S. House Alaska At-large District

Website

Personal

LinkedIn

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	Alaska State Senate District B 2017-2021	Succeeded by Robert Myers Jr. (R)
Preceded by -	Alaska State Senate District A 2013-2017	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	Alaska State Senate District F 2009-2013	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	Alaska House of Representatives District 32 1999-2009	Succeeded by -

[show]

Alaska's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Lisa Murkowski (R)

Daniel Sullivan (R)

Representatives

Nicholas Begich (R)

Republican Party (3)