Two Republicans drop out of Eagle River state Senate race

Two Republican candidates have withdrawn from an Eagle River state Senate race, leaving incumbent Sen. Kelly Merrick, also a Republican, to face one GOP challenger in a contest that could determine control of the state Senate.

Merrick, who won the Senate seat in 2022, will face Republican Jared Goecker in November. With 21% primary turnout in the district, Merrick had 34% of the vote and Goecker had nearly 33%. They will also face Democratic political newcomer Lee Hammermeister, who has 14.5% of primary votes.

Two Republican former House members — Ken McCarty and Sharon Jackson — who had 11% and 7% of the vote, respectively, dropped out of the race. Both endorsed Goecker.

Goecker, McCarty and Jackson all criticized Merrick for her decisions to join bipartisan majority coalitions in the House and Senate.

Goecker said that McCarty and Jackson’s decisions to drop out ahead of the November election would create “a united conservative front going into the general election.” He said he planned to run with the goal of creating an all-Republican majority in the Senate.

The Senate is currently controlled by a supermajority made up of nine Democrats and eight Republicans. The three Senate members not included in the majority are Republican hardliners.

Merrick said Wednesday that the main difference between her and Goecker is that she’s “willing to work with everyone in the Legislature.” Merrick added that Alaska “has a long history of coalition.”

“I have a proven track record of being effective,” said Merrick, who is a member of the Senate Finance committee.

Under Alaska’s voting system, the top four vote-getters in the primary, regardless of political affiliation, advance to the general election, which is determined by ranked-choice tabulation if the top vote-getter does not receive 50% or more of the vote.

The Eagle River Senate seat is not the only one where Republicans have indicated they will drop out — or are considering the move ahead of the Sept. 2 deadline — to coalesce support behind a single candidate.

Republican Rep. Tom McKay dropped out of a West Anchorage Senate race earlier this week, leaving only one Republican — former Rep. Liz Vazquez — to challenge Democratic incumbent Sen. Matt Claman.

Other candidates have decided to drop out for other reasons. Wasilla Republican Rep. Jesse Sumner dropped out of a House race that features three other Republicans. Nonpartisan candidate Nick Moe dropped out of a West Anchorage House race against Democrat Carolyn Hall, who is now running unopposed. Moe said he would use his time to back other left-leaning candidates in competitive Anchorage races.