Four candidates for Alaska Senate District S presented differing views on key issues during a recent forum. The district, which spans communities across Western Alaska and stretches to Cook Inlet, Bristol Bay and Aleutian islands, will see new representation in the Alaska State Legislature next year after the retirement of the state’s longest-serving legislator, Lyman Hoffman.
The candidates are Dillingham independent Rep. Bryce Edgmon, who currently serves as House Speaker, Republican Darren Deacon of Kalskag, Democrat Wassilie Guy of Napaskiak and independent Richard “Rick” Robb of Bethel. In the primary election, Edgmon was the frontrunner with 37.9% of the vote, Deacon received 23.9%, Guy received 18.9% and Robb got 11.4%. Voter turnout was 20.3% with 4,184 ballots counted.
Edgmon, born and raised in Dillingham, has represented the region in the Alaska House since 2007. He is the first Alaska Native to be elected House Speaker and touted his experience and relationships in the Legislature. “I couldn’t imagine replacing the dean of the Legislature, Sen. Lyman Hoffman, with someone who has never served a day as a legislator,” Edgmon said. “My experience is vast. I’m well versed on all the issues. I’ve got credibility among my peers, having been elected speaker multiple times, and I’ve also got relationships I think will greatly enhance the Y-K (Yukon-Kuskokwim) region as well as Senate District S.”
Deacon, Yup’ik Athabascan, grew up in Upper and Lower Kalskag, where he lives and works as a telecommunications installer. He’s run for the Alaska House before, including challenging Edgmon in 2024. “I want to fight for a full dividend. I want to fight for our subsistence rights, which always seem to be threatened, especially fishing,” he said. “And I just want to bring a new face, if elected, to the Senate with new ideas and just want to fight and do right for the people.”
Guy, Yup’ik, was born and raised in the village of Napaskiak on the Kuskokwim River where he lives and subsistence fishes year-round. “I taught myself local government, state and tribal, and have been advocating ever since,” he said, explaining that his advocacy covers public services through the community assistance program, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Indian Health Service.
Robb, a longtime resident of Bethel, where he raised his family and has worked in behavioral health as a licensed professional counselor, said, “I’ve made a career helping people through rough times, mental illness, substance abuse issues, developmental disabilities, suicide prevention.” Robb has also previously served on the local city council, as mayor, and on the board of the Alaska Municipal League.
The candidates differed in their views on the top three priorities for the region.
