Shelley Hughes
Shelley Hughes | |
|---|---|
 Hughes in 2025 | |
| Minority Leader of the Alaska Senate | |
| In office January 17, 2023 – January 21, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Tom Begich |
| Succeeded by | Mike Shower |
| Majority Leader of the Alaska Senate | |
| In office January 19, 2021 – January 17, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Lyman Hoffman |
| Succeeded by | Cathy Giessel |
| Member of the Alaska Senate | |
| In office January 22, 2017 – November 14, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Stoltze |
| Succeeded by | Cathy Tilton |
| Constituency | District F (2017–2023) District M (2023–2025) |
| Member of the Alaska House of Representatives | |
| In office January 18, 2013 – January 22, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Carl Gatto (District 13, redistricted) |
| Succeeded by | DeLena Johnson |
| Constituency | District 8 (2013–2015) District 11 (2015–2017) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 6, 1958 Canton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Education | Cuyahoga Community College University of Alaska, Anchorage (BA) |
| Website | Campaign website |
Shelley Hughes (born January 6, 1958)[1] is an American politician and a former Republican member of the Alaska Senate, serving from 2017 to 2025. Hughes represented Palmer and other parts of the southern Matanuska-Susitna Borough. She was previously a member of the Alaska House of Representatives from January 18, 2013, until January 22, 2017.[2]
Career
[edit]Hughes has an AA from Cuyahoga Community College and a BA from the University of Alaska.[3]
Alaska House of Representatives
[edit]Hughes was appointed to the Alaska State House of Representatives by Governor Sean Parnell, succeeding the late Representative Carl Gatto, who died on April 10, 2012.[4] Hughes was then elected to the Alaska House of Representatives in 2012, beating Daniel Hamm in the primary election.[5]
Alaska Senate
[edit]Hughes was first elected to the Alaska Senate in its 2016 election. In 2021, she was chosen to be the majority leader of the Alaska Senate. She resigned from the Senate in November 2025 in order to focus on her gubernatorial campaign.[6]
Health care
[edit]In September 2021, Hughes was part of a panel of Alaska legislators focused on health care. Hughes argued that Alaska was "the highest cost location on the globe" for the cost of drug and medical treatment, and said she was looking at pharmacy benefit management and increased price transparency as ways to keep costs down.[7]
Transgender athletes
[edit]In May 2021, Hughes introduced a bill into the Alaska Senate that would ban transgender women and girls from playing in women's sports. The bill required that public schools, or private schools with teams that compete against public schools, have gender-segregated sporting teams and that any participant on the girls' team "must be female, based on the participant's biological sex."[8] Because the bill was introduced in the final few weeks of the legislative session, Hughes announced that she would push for it in the next legislative session instead.[8]
Personal life
[edit]Hughes' husband, Roger, is a veteran of the Vietnam War. She has four children.[3]
Electoral history
[edit]2020
[edit]| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Shelley Hughes | 4,759 | 100.0% | |
| Total votes | 4,759 | 100.0% | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Shelley Hughes (incumbent) | 14,751 | 71.3 | |
| Democratic | Jim Cooper[a] | 4,904 | 23.7 | |
| Libertarian | Gavin Christiansen | 998 | 4.8 | |
| Write-in | Write-ins | 29 | 0.1 | |
| Total votes | 20,682 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2016
[edit]| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Shelley Hughes | 2,186 | 48.09% | |
| Republican | Adam Crum | 1,885 | 41.47% | |
| Republican | Steve St. Clair | 475 | 10.45% | |
| Total votes | 4,546 | 100.0% | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Shelley Hughes | 12,284 | 69.69% | |
| Independent | Tim Hale | 4,750 | 27.7% | |
| Write-in | Write-ins | 92 | 0.54% | |
| Total votes | 10,829 | 100.0% | ||
2014
[edit]| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Shelley Hughes | 3,402 | 100.0% | |
| Total votes | 3,402 | 100.0% | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Shelley Hughes | 5,268 | 69.69% | |
| Democratic | Pete LaFrance | 2,275 | 30.10% | |
| Write-in | Write-ins | 16 | 0.21% | |
| Total votes | 7,559 | 100.0% | ||
2012
[edit]| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Shelley Hughes | 1,819 | 71.9% | |
| Republican | Daniel H. Hamm | 709 | 28.1% | |
| Total votes | 2,522 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Shelley Hughes | 6,183 | 95.6% | |
| Write-in | Write-ins | 282 | 4.4% | |
| Total votes | 6,465 | 100.0 | ||
Notes
[edit]- ^ Independent candidate with Democratic nomination
References
[edit]- ^ "Shelley Hughes". Juneau, Alaska: Alaska Legislature. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
- ^ "Representative Shelley Hughes' Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
- ^ a b "Senator Shelley Hughes". Alaska Legislature.
- ^ Wellner, Andrew (May 3, 2012). "Hughes picked to replace Gatto in Legislature". Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
- ^ "State of Alaska 2012 Primary Election August 28, 2012 Official Results". Juneau, Alaska: State of Alaska Division of Elections. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
- ^ "Alaska Republican Senator Shelley Hughes resigns to pursue gubernatorial campaign". KTOO. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ Kispert, Ethan (September 20, 2021). "Legislative Democrats and Republicans discuss health care now and in the future". State of Reform. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- ^ a b Bohrer, Becky (May 13, 2021). "Alaska bill would bar transgender girls from female sports". AP News. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ "2020 primary election" (PDF). Juneau, Alaska. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- ^ "2020 general election" (PDF). Juneau, Alaska: State of Alaska Division of Elections. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- ^ "2016 primary election". Juneau, Alaska: State of Alaska Division of Elections. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- ^ "2016 general election". Juneau, Alaska: State of Alaska Division of Elections. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- ^ "2014 primary election". Juneau, Alaska: State of Alaska Division of Elections. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- ^ "2014 general election". Juneau, Alaska: State of Alaska Division of Elections. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- ^ "State of Alaska 2012 Primary Election August 28, 2012 Official Results". Juneau, Alaska: State of Alaska Division of Elections. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
- ^ "State of Alaska 2012 General Election November 6, 2012 Official Results". Juneau, Alaska: State of Alaska Division of Elections. Retrieved October 28, 2013.