Alaska Republican Senator Shelley Hughes resigns to pursue gubernatorial campaign
- Alaska Beacon
- Nov 15
- 2 min read
By Claire Stremple
Alaska Beacon
Sen. Shelley Hughes, R-Palmer, resigned from the Alaska Senate on Friday to pursue her gubernatorial candidacy, according to a news release from her campaign.
Her resignation follows that of fellow Senate minority caucus member Mike Shower, who represented Wasilla and resigned at the end of last month to focus on his run for lieutenant governor.
Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, confirmed he received Hughes’ resignation letter Friday.
Hughes’ resignation was expected. She told the Alaska Beacon in October she planned to resign in time for her replacement to be in place before the legislative session begins in January.
“My constituents, they’ve been my peeps all these years. I want to make sure that they have representation from the get-go,” she said on Friday afternoon.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy will select her replacement from among a number of nominees to be selected by Republican party officials in her district. Republican Senators must confirm his choice before that person is seated.
Hughes’ replacement must be a Republican and meet the state Constitution’s requirements to hold office.
Hughes said she expects that Rep. Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, will be among the nominees for her seat because Tilton has already filed to run for senator in the district. If Tilton were appointed, the governor would then have to select someone to fill the empty House seat.
Hughes was initially appointed to her seat in 2012 by then-Gov. Sean Parnell, which she credits, in part, to the fact that she was already running.
“I think that when a candidate does that, that shows real interest,” she said.
She said she does not expect her departure to cause significant changes because her district reliably produces “reasonable conservative” lawmakers.
Hughes is one of 12 Republicans and 14 total candidates that seek to be elected governor in 2026. Gov. Mike Dunleavy is termed out and cannot seek reelection.
Hughes said she has fond memories of her time in the Capitol.
“It’s a big change, stepping into the gubernatorial race,” she said. “You know, there are unknowns with that, but I have tremendous peace about this. I really did feel that my chapter was closing in the Senate.”
She represented her district for 12 years.
• Claire Stremple began reporting in Alaska in 2018 as a public radio reporter in Haines. Since then, she has reported across the state on the health environment, education and justice beats. She was awarded the Alaska Press Club's Public Service Award in 2022 and recognized with an A-Mark Prize for Investigative Reporting in 2024. Previously, she was the Managing Editor of the newsroom at KTOO Public Media. Alaska Beacon is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
