Juneau’s Rep. Sara Hannan has filed to run for reelection in 2024, nearly a year ahead of the deadline.
“It is by far the earliest I’ve filed compared to my other terms,” Hannan said.
Hannan is a Democrat who represents District 4, which covers downtown Juneau, Thane, Douglas and a small part of the Mendenhall Valley. She was reelected to a third term last year, but she says she and some of the other members of the minority Alaska House coalition are filing early so they can fundraise around a potential special legislative session.
“I need to make sure that I am, quote, legal, if I decide that we’re going to raise money in a campaign way to talk about vetoes,” she said.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s budget vetoes cut roughly half of a one-time school funding increase passed by the Legislature. That left some districts, including Juneau, struggling to close significant budget gaps.
Hannan and the other 15 members of the House coalition sent a letter last week to Speaker of the House Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, requesting a formal poll of membership “to determine whether the legislature shall call itself into special session for the purpose of overriding specific vetoes made by the governor.”
Hannan – who is a retired teacher – says they hope to override the veto before the next Legislative session in January to make it easier for districts at the start of the school year.
“We know that it’s a long shot,” Hannan said. “But public pressure can change politicians’ minds.”
Tilton has yet to respond to the letter, according to coalition Press Secretary Graham Judson. Tilton previously told the Alaska Beacon she did not see enough support among legislators to hold a special session, which requires support from at least 40 of the 60 members per the state constitution.
Alaska Public Offices Commission filings show several other coalition members also filed early in the last week. Rep. Cliff Groh, D-Anchorage, Rep. Maxine Dibert, D-Fairbanks, Rep. Genevieve Mina, D-Anchorage, and Rep. Rebecca Himschoot, I-Sitka, have all filed to run again in 2024.
Looking ahead to the next election, Hannan says fiscal stability remains “the big picture goal” for the Legislature. She plans to continue advocating for the things she believes Juneau residents care about.
“My constituents continue to request, you know, better services – better ferry service, better schools, better safe public safety, and all of that costs money,” she said. “So to get there, we need to talk about revenues and long term revenues.”
Rep. Andi Story, a Democrat who represents the Valley, Auke Bay and Out the Road, and the northern Lynn Canal, said she is not yet ready to announce her plans for reelection.
