In response to allegations that Alaska State Sen. Cathy Tilton had a sexual relationship with a teenage boy in the 1990s, the longtime Mat-Su lawmaker has issued a statement denying she ever engaged in “criminal conduct.”

Tilton’s Oct. 14 statement was sent to the Alaska Watchman one day after the Anchorage Daily News published an article in which friends and family members of the late Luke Whaley accused Tilton of having a sexual relationship with him starting when he was in high school.

“The allegations of criminal conduct made against me are false,” Tilton wrote. “Accusations like this are serious, and that is exactly why it is wrong to manufacture them for political purposes in the final weeks of a campaign. I have referred this matter to my attorney, and I will not be commenting further. My commitment to the Mat-Su has not changed: protecting our road projects, standing up for school choice, and fighting for affordable, dependable energy for the families who live here. I was elected to lead, and that is what I intend to keep doing.”

Tilton is a lifelong Alaskan who has lived for more than 30 years in the Mat-Su. Her political career began when she was elected to the State House in 2014. She served there until 2025, rising to Speaker of the House before Gov. Mike Dunleavy appointed her to fill the State Senate seat for District M, which was vacated when Sen. Shelley Hughes stepped down to run for governor. Tilton is seeking reelection to continue representing the Palmer, Butte and Gateway areas of the Mat-Su.

She is now dealing with the aftermath of the Oct. 13 Anchorage Daily News article, along with an online video that was posted Oct. 8, in which Luke’s family members and a close friend allege that Tilton employed Luke Whaley to do yard work and miscellaneous chores around her house during Luke’s high school years in the Mat-Su. They claim the relationship eventually turned romantic and sexual.

In the 1990’s, when the alleged relationship between Tilton and Luke began, Alaska’s general age of sexual consent was only 16. This remained in place until it was raised to 18 in 2026.

Luke’s younger sister, Amanda Whaley, told the Alaska Watchman that her brother began working for Tilton when he was 14 or 15 years old, but she did not identify exactly how old Luke was when the alleged sexual relationship began.

“They were together – he lived with her for years,” Amanda said.

Luke’s family members and close friend now blame Tilton for psychologically damaging Luke through her relationship, claiming it ultimately contributed to him committing suicide in 2023.

According to Amanda, there were never any attempts by Luke’s parents to contact law enforcement or pursue legal action, as they only discovered the alleged sexual side of the relationship when Luke was nearly 18 years old.

“He was an adult,” Amanda said. “What were we supposed to do?”

Amanda claims Luke told her he was in love with Tilton, and that her parents ultimately chose to remain silent about the relationship.

“They did nothing,” she said. “They came from that generation – you don’t talk about it.”

Amanda said Luke’s relationship with Tilton was widely known, however, even when he was in high school.

“Everybody knew,” she asserted. “It was not a secret. It was not some hidden thing.”

When asked why the family waited three decades before coming forward with serious accusations less than a month before the general election, Amanda said it was due to a combination of family turmoil and a conflicted relationship with the Tiltons.

According to Amanda, the Whaleys and Tiltons spent holidays together, with Cathy helping care for Amanda and her four siblings when they were growing up. She attended sporting events and other activities with the Whaley family.

Additionally, the Tiltons supported the Whaleys financially for many years, Amanda claimed, adding that the family feared repercussions if they ever spoke out against Cathy and Luke’s relationship.

But the fallout of remaining silent exacted a heavy toll, Amanda claims.

“It destroyed my family – entirely – and we never recovered from it,” she told the Watchman. “We’re broken and we’re surviving.”

Luke’s mom committed suicide in 2008. This past April, his dad died.

In 2023, Luke took his own life, which the family partially blames on him being psychologically damaged by his relationship with Cathy.

Sometime before his death, Luke posted a video on social media, in which he claimed to have a sexual relationship with Cathy Tilton. According to Luke, one particular alleged encounter was discovered by Cathy’s husband, Berkley. It’s not clear what year or time frame Luke was describing in the video, but he claimed to have been a “child.”

The timing of the video – released less than a month before the general election – has raised serious questions for Tilton supporters.

“If it’s not love, I won’t do sex,” Luke stated in the video. “I’ve only been with three women in my life – Cathy Tilton – a long time. Much longer than you all know.”

In his account of the alleged encounter, Luke said he was attempting to get his paycheck.

“And next thing you know I’m like flat on my back, and she’s like going crazy and I thought that she was, uh, possessed,” he said in the video. “Once she stopped, I was like, ‘What the f*ck is happening?’ The door burst open, and there’s Berkley and he said, ‘What the f*ck is going on here,’ and I’m like, ‘I don’t know but she’s possessed, and I just came in here to get my check and, uh, I’m trying to pay for my scouting and my stuff and, uh. So, can I just have my check so I can go home?’”

The video cuts out shortly after Luke says he was a “child.”

“I mean really, a child.”

According to allegations in the separate Oct. 8 video, Luke continued his relationship with Tilton for nearly 20 years and lived with the Tilton family for much of that time.

At one point, he attempted to break off the relationship by moving out of state to pursue a career as a massage therapist, Amanda said in the video.

Cathy, however, visited Luke and convinced him to move back in with her, Amanda claimed.

Eventually, Luke was diagnosed with schizophrenia and manic episodes. When the Tiltons finally told him to leave their house, Amanda said her brother had “nowhere to go.”

Now, three years after Luke’s death, family and friends have chosen to go public.

This past April, Luke’s longtime friend Brenden Strom posted a Facebook video, urging Mat-Su residents to call Tilton and ask about her relationship with Luke.

The more recent video that dropped on Oct. 8 included interviews with Amanda, Luke’s brother Stephen Whaley, and a family friend, Tamara Ashburn. In that video, Ashburn said Luke told her repeatedly that he loved Tilton, but that the relationship was complicated.

At one point in the Oct. 8 video, Luke’s brother Stephen describes a sexual encounter he claims to have witnessed between Luke, Tilton and another “gentleman.” It’s not clear what year this alleged encounter occurred, or how old Luke was.

At this point, the Whaleys have not revealed who produced the Oct. 8 video, but according to Amanda, the goal is to shed light on the relationship.

“She’s a public figure right now and she’s a fraud – she’s a lie,” Amanda claimed. “If this happens to another person’s child, or husband or friend and I don’t do anything, I will have to live with that.”

The timing of the video – released less than a month before the general election – has raised serious questions for Tilton supporters.

The Watchman contacted several groups that have endorsed Tilton in her 2026 campaign.

Republican Party District 26 Chairman Edie Grunwald said she hadn’t read the ADN article but did see the video when it came out on Oct. 8. District 26 has endorsed Tilton for re-election, as have District 25 and the statewide Alaska Republican Party.

“There are so many variables in something like this,” Grunwald said on Oct. 14. “You need some real information.”

Grunwald said the district’s endorsement remains in full effect, for now.

“Our endorsement is based on her performance to date – everything that she’s done for the community,” she said. “Nothing like this stuff that’s going on now was even in anybody’s head.”

Shortly after watching the video about Tilton and Luke, Grunwald said District 26 had a regularly scheduled committee meeting later that day.

“She was at the meeting, but nothing came up on it,” Grunwald recalled. “I’d already seen the video of it. Nothing came up.”

Grunwald added that she feels bad for the Whaley family and the loss of their loved one.

“No matter what the circumstances, it’s always extremely difficult, and it’s a forever thing,” she said.

The video’s timing, however, gives Grunwald pause.

“And how long ago it’s been – I’m not discounting or anything like that, but you got to take all that into consideration,” she said.

Alaska’s Republican Party has also endorsed Tilton. When contacted for comment on Oct. 14, a staffer said the GOP endorsement still stands.

“There has been no change to the endorsement of Cathy Tilton,” he said. “Absolutely not.”

Pro-Life Alaska, the state affiliate of National Right to Life, has also backed Tilton. The group’s president, Karen Lewis, told the Watchman she hadn’t heard of the allegations.

“It’s very odd – the timing – for political shenanigans,” Lewis said. “I know she’s a good woman. She’s a good Christian.”

Lewis said Pro-Life Alaska’s endorsement remains in effect, for now.

“If it changes, I’ll call you,” she said, adding that she doesn’t trust the ADN’s reporting.

“I don’t trust the timing of this – the whole thing stinks,” Lewis added. “If they have proof. If there is whatever, but we’re sticking behind her. It sounds like horrible timing and an untrustworthy news organization.”

The Watchman attempted to contact other groups that have endorsed Tilton’s reelection campaign, including the Alaska Outdoor Council and Valley Republican Women of Alaska. They could not be reached for comment before publication.

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