The Alaska House District 38 race to represent the Bethel and lower Kuskokwim areas in the state house is now contested.
On Sept. 14, the Alaska Division of Elections certified Myron P. Naneng as a write-in candidate for the seat. Previously, only one candidate, Conrad "CJ" McCormick, had been in the race.
Naneng registered as a candidate after the deadline had passed for his name to appear on the ballot for the General Election on Nov. 8. Only McCormick’s name will appear on the ballot for the House District 38 race. The election will use ranked-choice voting to determine the outcome.
McCormick, who is a registered Democrat, is 25 years old and grew up in Bethel, where he still lives. He works in the communications department at the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation. He has served two years on Bethel City Council and sits as Vice Mayor. He is resigning from the council in October to campaign for the state election.
Naneng, who is Yup’ik and registered as nonpartisan, is from Hooper Bay and a longtime Bethel resident. He served as president and CEO of the Association of Village Council Presidents for 24 years before abruptlystepping down in 2016. He is the COO of the Sea Lion Corporation, the Hooper Bay village corporation. Naneng serves as a Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Villages Representative for the Alaska Federation of Natives and has served on a range of subsistence advisory councils.
Naneng also serves as a board member for the Calista Corporation, which endorsed Naneng before the state certified his candidacy.
Rep. Tiffany Zulkosky, who currently holds the House District 38 seat, is not seeking re-election.
