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.
