Gov. Mike Dunleavy has chosen two Mat-Su Republicans to fill vacant state House seats.
In a statement Wednesday, Dunleavy announced the appointment of Wasilla resident Steve St. Clair and Sutton resident Garret Nelson to the state House of Representatives.
Both seats were vacated when George Rauscher of Sutton and Cathy Tilton of Wasilla were chosen by the governor to fill two vacancies in the Senate. Republican Senators Mike Shower and Shelley Hughes both vacated their seats to focus on gubernatorial campaigns: Shower for lieutenant governor and Hughes for governor.
Nelson will replace Rauscher as representative of House District 29. He’s currently the chair of the Sutton community council and has lived in the area for seven years, according to the governor’s statement. St. Clair will fill Tilton’s seat representing House District 26. Officials with the governor’s office said St. Clair is a retired military police officer who’s lived in Wasilla for 15 years.
Both Nelson and St. Clair will have to be approved by a majority of House Republicans in order to be confirmed. Alaska’s next legislative session begins on January 26 of next year.
