Elections

State Sen. Bert Stedman says rural Alaska’s voice will be diminished in the upcoming Legislative session. The Sitka Republican lost his position as co-chair of the powerful Senate Finance committee when the Republican majority picked its new leaders for the 2013.

Elections are over, and candidates and political groups reported spending nearly $10 million on state races this year. But where did that money go? While a lot of it went to consultants and media buys, plenty was also spent at Alaska’s brick and mortar stores. Hundreds of cups of coffee were bought for voters and volunteers, thousands of dollars went to helium balloons, and a small fortune was spent on t-shirts and hats. But of all of the businesses that profited from this campaign season, Alaska’s print shops saw the biggest windfall.

Another Democrat has joined the Senate's Republican-led majority. Sen. Donny Olson of Nome will remain a member of the powerful Senate Finance Committee. Olson joins Sen. Dennis Egan of Juneau as Democratic members of the majority, which also has 13 Republicans. The GOP seized power in the Senate after last week's elections, which broke the 10-10 split between Republicans and Democrats in the chamber.

Juneau Senator Dennis Egan is the first Democrat to join the new Alaska Senate majority. He’ll chair the Senate Transportation Committee, according to a press release from the majority caucus.

The bipartisan coalition as it’s currently known is done, and as a result Unalaska may lose some pull when it comes to getting projects funded. Ten Republicans gathered at an Anchorage office building on Wednesday to announce that the bulk of the party had organized a majority. They also announced leadership roles. Charlie Huggins, of Wasilla, is the new Senate president, and John Coghill, of North Pole, is the majority leader. Both had been a part of the Senate’s tiny 4-person minority until this point.

State Sen. Bert Stedman will chair the Senate Health and Social Services committee when the Legislature convenes in January. The Sitka Republican, who sailed to an easy re-election on Tuesday night, had been co-chairman of the powerful Senate Finance committee since 2007. But he lost that position when the new Senate Majority formed on Wednesday.

Democrats lose seats in the Alaska legislature. What’s likely to happen in the unfinished race between Hollis French and Bob Bell? Republicans Click Bishop, Pete Kelly and John Coghill win key Interior Alaska Senate seats. Don Young handily wins reelection. All Southcentral Alaska judges are retained. What happened with the Constitutional Convention ballot question? KSKA: Friday, 11/9 at 2:00pm & Saturday, 11/10 at 6:00pm TV: Friday, 11/9 at 7:30pm & Saturday, 11/10 at 5:00pm

Senator Bert Stedman of Sitka is the only Republican coalition member who hasn’t joined the new majority. Sitka officials say Stedman losing his chairmanship on the powerful Senate Finance Committee is bad news Southeast Alaska. But they’re not quite sure what the exact impact will be.

Last night’s election has shifted the balance of power in the State Senate toward the Republican Party. At least six members of the bipartisan working group will not be returning to the legislature in January. Members of the Senate have been meeting today to discuss its leadership and have just announced the plan for reorganization at a news conference on the west side of Anchorage.

The most expensive Alaska Senate race was also the closest last night. Incumbent Democratic Senator Hollis French eked out a win for a newly drawn district that includes Sand Lake and West Anchorage. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, French has about 51 percent of the vote compared with 49 percent for his challenger, Anchorage businessman Bob Bell. They are separated by 247 votes and there are still more than 1,500 absentee ballots to count.

Republicans also won four of six races for House Districts lying within the Interior, with North Pole Mayor Doug Isaacson presiding over the most lopsided win. Incumbent Republican Eric Feige also cruised to victory in District 6 with just over 72 percent of the vote over Jamie Duhamel. Republicans Tammie Wilson and Pete Higgins also won elections in District 2 and 7.

Alaska was assured of new faces in the Legislature, as redistricting pitted incumbents against one another. But that was just the beginning of the changes. As usual Alaska went overwhelmingly Republican for President, and only one state-wide office was in contest. Republican Congressman Don Young had no trouble defeating Democrat Sharon Cissna and will go on to pass Ted Stevens record of 40 years representing Alaska.

Anna Fairclough, swept Senate race M ousting longtime Senator Bettye Davis, the only African American in Senator in the state, from her seat. Fairclough came in with 60 percent of the votes. The final tally was Davis: 5,350 votes and Fairclough: 8,149.

Voters approved Bond Proposition A Tuesday night. It would provide $453-million in bonds for transportation projects throughout the state. However, voters defeated the proposal for a constitutional convention convention.