JUNEAU — Palmer Republican Rep. Shelley Hughes announced Monday morning that she's running for the seat of retiring Sen. Bill Stoltze, R-Chugiak.
Hughes has held her seat since May 2012, when former Gov. Sean Parnell appointed her to fill the vacancy created by the death of Rep. Carl Gatto. Hughes easily won the seat in 2012 election and was re-elected in 2014.
Hughes said in a prepared statement that she made the decision over the weekend to run for Stoltze's seat to "settle the speculation about my plans."