By AlaskaWatchman.com

With 96% of precincts reporting, the Alaska Senate and House races seem to indicate that the State Legislature will again be closely divided between more conservative Republicans and another coalition of left-leaning Republicans, Democrats and Independents.

A review of the current state of Nov. 8 vote on the Senate races suggests that Republicans hold a 11-9 advantage in the upper chamber, but some of those Republicans, like Cathy Giessel, have a history of siding with Democrats.

On the House side, Republicans appear to have a tentative 21-19 lead over Democrats and others with many races still too close to call.

If those numbers hold, the House may, once again, be embroiled in a battle over how to form the majority coalition. In recent years, Democrats have peeled off just enough undeclareds, independents and a few Republicans to form a left-of-center majority coalition that has effectively marginalized the influence of conservative Republicans.

The inability of House Republicans to form a majority coalition, has stalled conservative efforts to ensure a full statutory PFD, address election integrity concerns, or address contentious cultural issues.

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Alaska Legislature may again be split between Republicans and a coalition of Dems and others

Joel Davidson
Joel is Editor-in-Chief of the Alaska Watchman. Joel is an award winning journalist and has been reporting for over 24 years, He is a proud father of 8 children, and lives in Palmer, Alaska.