Democrat Felix Rivera, a former Anchorage Assembly member, and Republican Sharon Jackson, a former state lawmaker, both dropped their bids for open seats in the Alaska House of Representatives after the state’s primary election. (Photos submitted by the candidates)
As Alaska’s primary election results continue to roll in, two candidates have dropped their bids for open seats in the state House of Representatives.
Democrat Felix Rivera, a former Anchorage Assembly member, has dropped out of the race to represent Taku/Campbell and part of Midtown Anchorage in the state House, according to the Division of Elections.
Republican Sharon Jackson, a former one-term legislator, dropped out of the race for a House seat representing part of Eagle River.
Overall preliminary results from the statewide primary as of Thursday afternoon reflected more than 133,000 ballots tallied, with thousands more yet to be counted. On top of statewide races for governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House, Alaskans chose candidates for 50 of 60 seats in the state Legislature.
Rivera’s withdrawal leaves Democrat Lisa Keller running unopposed going into the November general election.
[View full preliminary results from Alaska’s 2026 primary election]
Early results from Tuesday’s primary put Keller in a strong lead with 71.8% of the vote, while Rivera received 28.2%. They were the only two candidates in the race. Under Alaska’s open primary system, the top four vote-getters in the primary advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation.
Rivera said he was initially inspired to run because he believed his experience on the Anchorage Assembly would bring a valuable perspective to state lawmaking, but he has not actively campaigned since he joined the race in June.
“I think given the results of the primary, it’s pretty clear, the voters in the district have spoken, and I am more than happy to withdraw because (I) don’t feel the need to keep my name in in the race — particularly because I at this point have no intention of campaigning between now and November,” Rivera said in an interview.
The open seat is currently held by Rep. Andy Josephson, a Democrat, who announced his retirement from the Legislature in fall 2025. Keller previously worked as a staffer for Josephson and for independent Rep. Alyse Galvin.
Keller has raised roughly $70,000 since last October and has spent more than $47,000 on her campaign since February, reflecting the highest spending among legislative candidates statewide.
Rivera reporting raising only $30 from himself to cover his candidate filing fee.
Rivera was first elected to the Anchorage Assembly in 2017. Recently wrapping his tenure on the Assembly, he is termed out from seeking reelection to the body.
In the House race for a district that includes Eagle River, Chugiak and the Eklutna Lake area, Jackson said that she would be dropping out in a social media post Thursday morning.
Republican former state Rep. Ken McCarty led with 48.4% of the vote. Gina Wall, also a Republican, came in second with 33% and Jackson trailed with 18.6%.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy appointed Jackson to the House in 2018 after then-Rep. Nancy Dahlstrom resigned to be Dunleavy’s corrections commissioner. Jackson then lost to McCarty in a 2020 Eagle River House race. McCarty, who served one term in the House, later unsuccessfully ran for a state Senate seat in 2022 and 2024.
Jackson said she dropped out because she did not feel the need to prolong her campaign, based on early primary results. She said she is endorsing McCarty because he is a former legislator, and he has demonstrated his conservative track record and beliefs.
“Because he has a voting record that can be followed up on, I just think it’s very important for us to know exactly who we are voting for, versus gambling on someone we don’t know,” Jackson said.
Jackson said another factor in her decision to drop out was a desire to focus on her nonprofit venture, a chamber of commerce for naturopathic and holistic medicine providers.
Wall is a counselor at Eagle River High School, and a first-time candidate for the Legislature.
McCarty and Wall are now the two remaining candidates seeking the seat currently held by Republican Rep. Dan Saddler, who is retiring.
McCarty has raised over $16,000 since February, spending roughly the same amount on his campaign since then. McCarty, a psychotherapist, has self-funded his campaign with more than $7,600 in cash, plus $5,000 worth of signs he is reusing from previous campaigns.
Wall has raised about $17,700 for her campaign since February, spending more than $7,000 since then. Her campaign income includes $1,000 donations from five labor groups who typically back candidates interested in joining bipartisan coalitions: Alaska Labors Local 341, Employees Political Information Committee, Alaska Professional Fire Fighters Association, NEA-Alaska PACE and SouthCentral AK Building Trades.
