Sen. Kelly Merrick, R-Eagle River, is seen on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, during a meeting of the Senate Finance Committee. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Ten months ago, Josiah Goecker was at work as the community director for an Anchorage apartment complex when he was shot and killed .
That tragedy inspired his brother, Jared, to run for the Alaska Legislature, and Jared Goecker is now among four challengers to incumbent Sen. Kelly Merrick, R-Eagle River, in a race that could shake up the Senate’s current bipartisan majority caucus.
Though she represents one of the most politically conservative Senate districts in the state, Merrick has been a stalwart member of the Senate’s bipartisan coalition, working across party lines and steering millions toward her district via a seat on the Senate Finance Committee.
“I think that we need a strong Senate Majority that’s willing to pass balanced budgets,” she said. “This year, we strengthened our electrical grid, we promoted resource development, passed strong crime legislation. And these aren’t partisan issues. These are Alaskan issues.”
But conservative Republicans, including Goecker, say they aren’t happy with Merrick’s willingness to vote alongside progressive Democrats like Sen. Forrest Dunbar of Anchorage in order to advance those issues. They’re hoping that a new senator will help conservative Republicans take control of the Senate.
“Are we going to keep doing things the status quo? Because right now, it’s not working,” Goecker said. “That’s how we’ve been talking about it to people: This is our opportunity to retake the Senate and change the course of the state.”
In their own words
Ahead of the election, the Alaska Beacon submitted a 15-question survey to all of the state’s legislative candidates. Four of the five Eagle River candidates responded , answering questions about the state’s economy, fishing industry, education and more.
Former state Reps. Sharon Jackson and Ken McCarty, also Republicans, are running alongside Goecker with hopes of unseating Merrick.
Democratic candidate Lee Hammermeister is also in the race, but some local Democrats are skeptical of his candidacy, noting that last year, he co-hosted a fundraiser for conservative Republican Rep. Jamie Allard. He also supports Eaglexit, the movement seeking to split Eagle River from Anchorage.
The result is a five-person contest, one of just three in the state that will see candidates eliminated by Alaska’s top-four primary election on Aug. 20.
Merrick, the incumbent Republican, is a 48-year-old mother of three and a lifelong Alaska resident. Born in Juneau, she has lived in Eagle River since 2002 and holds a business degree from Gonzaga University.
Elected to the state House in 2018, she ran for state Senate in 2022 and won, but due to redistricting, the normal four-year Senate term was shortened to two years.
This year, Merrick sponsored two bills that passed both House and Senate. Both are awaiting Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s approval or rejection.
One bill would require the Alaska Department of Motor Vehicles — rather than the state Legislature — to approve charitable license plate types. The other would require the state to draft development plans for so-called “critical mineral” deposits used for electronics and high-technology products.
“My license plate bill is going to save the state money, and my critical mineral bill is going to bring jobs and economic opportunity to Alaska. It’s also going to reduce reliance on foreign adversaries. I see it as strengthening national security,” she said.
This election cycle, Merrick has raised more than $55,000 from moderate Republicans, independents and Democrats alike. Her donors include organized labor officials, Santos oil executive Joe Balash, John Sturgeon , former Republican governor candidate John Binkley, and some of her Senate colleagues, including Senate President Gary Stevens.
“I think I’m willing to work with everyone in the Legislature,” she said.
Merrick voted alongside moderate Republicans and Democrats to advance a bill that would have revived a state pension program for public employees, something intended as a response to a persistent workforce shortage. The bill died in the House.
She also voted to pass a bill permanently increasing the state’s public-school funding formula. When Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed the bill, Merrick voted in favor of an override. That override failed by a single vote.
Goecker, Jackson and McCarty each said they oppose the revival of the pension and would have voted against the override. Hammermeister said he doesn’t think the pension revival is a bad idea and doesn’t generally agree with the governor’s veto.
Montana-born Republican is leading challenger
Goecker said he thinks it’s worth examining ideas and bills that the House passed and the Senate killed. One example: The House’s vote to ban transgender girls from girls sports teams.
He would have supported that bill if he were in the Senate, he said, calling it “good legislation.”
Goecker, a 30-year-old born in Montana, has lived in Alaska for eight years and worked as deputy director of human resources for the Municipality of Anchorage under former Mayor Dave Bronson.
Homeschooled, he has a political science and communications degree from Angelo State University in Texas.
Since beginning his campaign, Goecker has become the favorite of several leading Republicans. Through July 19, his campaign has raised more than $70,000 , including contributions from former Republican Lt. Gov. Craig Campbell and the Anchorage Republican Women’s Club, among other prominent donors.
He’s particularly interested in changes to the state’s bail and pretrial release policies, he said.
Two former Representatives try for Senate seat
A 62-year-old retired U.S. Army veteran, Jackson was born in Philadelphia and has lived in Alaska for 25 years.
She served in the Alaska House of Representatives from 2019 through 2020 after Gov. Mike Dunleavy picked her to replace Nancy Dahlstrom , who had been elected to an Eagle River state House seat but declined the job to become a member of the governor’s cabinet.
While in office, Jackson did not pass any legislation but was a reliable vote for members of the House’s Republican minority.
“The difference between Kelly Merrick and I is I am loyal to the principles of the party,” Jackson said. “I am loyal to the people that depend on my conservative votes.”
Jackson lost the 2020 Republican primary for that seat to Ken McCarty, who went on to win the general election. For this election, Jackson has raised more than $19,000 , with more than half that figure coming from Jackson herself.
McCarty, a 66-year-old psychotherapist, has lived in Alaska for 17 years and was a trustee of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Board. After defeating Jackson, he introduced and successfully passed a bill that makes it easier for children of military families to transfer into Alaska schools.
McCarty’s tenure in the House lasted just two years; in 2022, McCarty ran for the Senate seat and lost to Merrick by nearly 17 percentage points.
In this election, McCarty reported raising slightly more than $3,500 , with all but a fraction of that figure coming from himself.
McCarty said he sees opportunities for the state to become more efficient by eliminating duplicate services. Within state government, for example, it would make sense to consolidate information technology services among various state agencies and departments, he said.
Outside state government, he sees many different nonprofits and agencies all receiving state support to fight homelessness. It may make more sense to have a unified strategy, he said.
Democratic candidate takes heat for link to Allard
Hammermeister is a 28-year-old registered Democrat and property manager who was born in Anchorage, graduated from Eagle River High School and volunteers on the board of Eaglexit, the group seeking to separate Eagle River from the Municipality of Anchorage.
Hammermeister reported raising no money for the primary and had no declared political party until immediately before he registered to run for office as a Democrat.
In 2023, Hammermeister was listed among the co-hosts of a fundraiser for Jamie Allard, the conservative Republican who represents half of Eagle River.
That’s raised concerns among some area Democrats who fear a “false flag” candidate intended to manipulate the election rather than run in earnest.
“We call him the fake Democrat who’s running against Kelly Merrick. People who don’t know … are always going to vote for a D,” said Camilla Hussein, a district resident and president of Alaska Women Ascend , a group that seeks to recruit progressive women as candidates for office.
“He is not a D. He is not a Democrat. I think the strategy is they want to take away Democratic support from Kelly Merrick,” Hussein said.
A senior Alaska Democratic Party official said the party will not be supporting the Hammermeister campaign because it hasn’t shown viability.
In an interview this week, Hammermeister said he is truly a Democrat and was inspired to run by the fact that there were four Republicans registered as candidates.
“I thought to myself, that doesn’t really seem fair to the Democrats that live in Eagle River to not even have a shot at any kind of balanced representation. So I decided to go ahead and register as a Democrat and throw my hat in the race,” he said.
He only became politically active recently, he said, adding that his name on an Allard fundraiser was the result of his own lack of knowledge at the time, and that he didn’t donate any money to Allard.
“I don’t think that the Alaska Republican Party is an effective force for initiating change in Alaska. So I don’t think it’s a good idea to go that way, and I’ve been rather disappointed with any other options,” he said.
Hammermeister said he will vote for Kamala Harris for president and his involvement with Eaglexit is based on the idea that local control can govern more effectively, he said.
If elected, Hammermeister “would be more than happy to join a coalition” in the Senate.
“I’m here to make friends and allies, not enemies, so I’m more than happy to play nice and get along with folks,” he said.
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