Former Alaska Senate President Cathy Giessel plans to run for the state Senate next year.
Giessel, an Anchorage Republican, announced her plans Dec. 1 in the newsletter she has regularly distributed since leaving office earlier this year.
Giessel lost her primary last year to Republican Roger Holland, who went on to win the seat. Holland based much of his campaign on a pledge that Alaskans should receive a significantly larger Permanent Fund dividend along with retroactive payments, costing a total of several billion dollars, to make good on past PFDs that were scaled back for budgetary reasons.
A majority of legislators did not support the larger PFDs this year.
Giessel, as Senate president, had worked toward a balanced state spending plan which included an affordable PFD that did not overdraw the Permanent Fund.
A change in Alaska’s election laws could benefit Giessel and help other moderate Republicans avoid defeat next year in a Republican primary to candidates who campaign on larger dividends and conservative issues.
Voters last year approved a change to the elections process to end political party primaries and institute ranked-choice voting for general elections. The top four voter-getters in the August open primary, regardless of party affiliation, will advance to the general election in November.
The change is being challenged in court.
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