Here Are the 2026 Mat-Su Assembly and School Board Candidates
Voters in all but one of Mat-Su's seven districts will pick Assembly or School Board candidates this year.
Candidate lists for Mat-Su Assembly and School Board elections are now available, well ahead of the Nov. 3 boroughwide general election.
Who’s running for local office this year? Here are their names.
Six of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough’s voting districts will see at least one race on their ballots this year, depending on the region.
Mat-Su residents in Districts 1, 2, 4 and 5 will vote for Assembly members. Mat-Su Assembly seat terms were changed from three to four years through a 2024 vote of the Assembly.
Proposed by then-Assembly member Rob Yundt and current Assembly member Dee McKee, the change is designed to align Assembly elections with national and statewide election cycles, which fall in even-numbered years and see higher voter turnout. It was approved by a 5-2 Assembly vote and did not go before voters.
To make the shift to even years only, Districts 1 and 2 were given one-time, one-year terms last year to move them onto the new schedule. Those seats are now up for reelection again as the final step of that realignment.
This year, Mat-Su voters will decide whether to move future school board seats to a similar four-year schedule starting in 2028.
The ballot question was approved by the borough Assembly this month after state lawmakers approved an update allowing local governments to alter school board term lengths.
If voters approve the measure, seats up for election this year will serve a two-year term to move them onto the even-year schedule, with the next election in 2028, and seats up for reelection in 2027 will serve a three-year term to align them with the even-year election in 2030.
Who’s running for Mat-Su Borough Assembly?
Mat-Su Borough Assembly, District 1 (four-year term)
District 1 includes Butte, Sutton, Palmer-Fishhook and portions of the greater Palmer area.
Candidates:
- Thomas Bergey (Republican, current Matanuska-Susitna School Board member)
- Chris (Christian) Chiavetta (Republican)
- Michelle Huen (undeclared)
Mat-Su Borough Assembly, District 2 (four-year term)
District 2 includes the city of Palmer and portions of the greater Palmer area.
Candidates:
- Philip Licht (Republican)
- Scott Lindbloom (Democrat)
- Dana Raffaniello (Undeclared)
Mat-Su Borough Assembly, District 4 (four-year term)
District 4 includes the city of Wasilla and portions of the greater Wasilla area.
Candidate:
- Maxwell Sumner (Republican, incumbent)
Mat-Su Borough Assembly, District 5 (four-year term)
District 5 includes Big Lake and portions of Meadow Lakes.
Candidate:
- Bill Gamble (Republican, incumbent)
Who is running for Mat-Su Borough School Board?
Mat-Su Borough School Board, District 3 (three-year or two-year term, depending on school board term length ballot measure outcome)
District 3 includes portions of the greater Wasilla and Palmer areas.
Candidate:
- Kathy McCollum (Republican, incumbent)
Mat-Su Borough School Board, District 6 (three-year or two-year term, depending on school board term length ballot measure outcome)
District 6 includes portions of the greater Palmer and Wasilla areas.
Candidates:
- Ole Larson (Republican, incumbent)
- Jesse Sumner (Republican, former state representative)
Why are political affiliations listed for Mat-Su nonpartisan Assembly and School Board seats?
A ballot change approved by the Mat-Su Assembly in early 2024 allows candidates for the nonpartisan School Board and Assembly seats to list their political affiliations on ballots and in official borough guides. The change did not go before voters. Like the change to term lengths, the update was proposed by Yundt and McKee and approved by the Assembly 5-2.
Is it too late to run for a Mat-Su Borough Assembly or School Board seat?
While it is too late to file to appear on the November ballot for a Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly or School Board seat, qualified residents can still file to run as write-in candidates.
Write-in candidate packets are available at the borough clerk’s office. Like candidates who filed before the ballot deadline, individuals who wish to run as write-ins must be registered voters and residents of the district in which they’re running for at least one year.
-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com