Alaska’s House District 1 race now includes a second candidate. Ketchikan Borough Assembly member Grant EchoHawk officially filed for the seat Thursday, running as nonpartisan.
Long-time incumbent independent Rep. Dan Ortiz made a surprise announcement this week that he would no longer seek reelection, which momentarily left Republican Jeremy Bynum as the only candidate on the ballot. Bynum serves with EchoHawk on the Borough Assembly, and also manages the electric division of Ketchikan Public Utilities.
EchoHawk had initially filed a letter of intent to run, but suspended his campaign in March. EchoHawk said many of his other commitments have recently subsided, making it an easy decision to jump back in the race.
“I’m rooted here,” EchoHawk said. “I’m passionate about what happens in my hometown of Metlakatla, I care about Ketchikan, I think that the folks of Ketchikan have seen that of me as I move about the community.”
EchoHawk was born in Fairbanks but raised in Metlakatla, which he still considers his hometown. He spent some time living in the Lower 48, and became involved in public life soon after moving back to Ketchikan in 2018. His day job is with the Tongass Federal Credit Union, but in addition to the Borough Assembly, he also serves on the Library Advisory Board and the Ketchikan Tribal Business Corporation.
EchoHawk says he hasn’t had any major disagreements with his opponent Jeremy Bynum in their Assembly dealings. As a state representative though, EchoHawk thinks he would do more to ensure that schools are adequately funded. He doesn’t think educational reforms should be tied to an increase in per-student funding.
“I’m a huge advocate for the principle that the state is constitutionally obligated to fund our schools,” EchoHawk said. “Anything else that anybody wants to do, whether it be the governor’s initiatives or a house member’s initiatives, I believe those need to be treated separately.”
EchoHawk says the votes against education funding have come along the Republican “party line,” which Bynum is a member of.
Alaska’s primary election will be held August 20. The top four candidates advance to the general election in November. The deadline for candidates to file to run is Saturday, June 1 at 5:00 p.m.
Michael Fanelli is the News Director at KRBD. He can be reached at michael@krbd.org.
