For decades, East Anchorage has been one of the most diverse and politically unpredictable Assembly districts in the city. Under new boundaries, East Anchorage remains ethnically and socioeconomically diverse, but after losing some of its most conservative neighborhoods, could become more reliably progressive. Under new boundaries, the East Anchorage Assembly district slightly changes to become more progressive and whiter.
In 2020, voters overwhelmingly passed Prop 12, which added a 12th member to the Anchorage Assembly. The passage of Prop 12 triggered the reapportionment process, which led to major changes to the boundaries of all six Assembly Districts. Check out our interactive map for more detail. In the first city-wide election since reapportionment, ballots were mailed beginning March 14, in-person voting opened March 27 and will close on April 4.
East Anchorage was the second least-changed district following the reapportionment process. The district’s boundaries shifted east towards Muldoon and west towards the U-Med area. It is now slightly whiter and more liberal-leaning.
Historically, core parts of East Anchorage were moved into other districts during apportionment processes. For decades, 2,000 to 3,000 residents of Muldoon were placed in the far-away Eagle River-Chugiak district, which is underpopulated without marrying it to a part of the Anchorage Bowl.
For the first time in 40 years, the new maps don’t conjoin East Anchorage with Eagle River-Chugiak. Overall, 87% of the old East Anchorage district was carried over into the new one.
Boundaries
Here’s a map showing the changes to East Anchorage’s district:
- Cuts 4,600 people from south Mountain View, 2,500 people from Wonder Park, 2,500 people from Nunaka Valley, and 6,700 people from the Ptarmigan area out of the district.
- Adds 2,800 people from a portion of north Muldoon previously in the Eagle River-Chugiak district, 1,900 from a portion of Airport Heights previously in Midtown, and 1,500 from the U-Med.
- The communities of Scenic Foothills, Russian Jack, Stuckagain Heights, Baxter, Reflection Lake, College Gate, and most of Muldoon — 41,200 people total — remain in East Anchorage’s new district.
Demographics
East Anchorage is historically the most diverse area of the city, and contains some of the most diverse neighborhoods in America. Broadly speaking, East Anchorage is home to a higher concentration of first-generation immigrants. Additionally, a history of redlining in Anchorage has disproportionately partitioned communities of color away from wealthy, overwhelmingly white communities
Beyond just race and ethnicity, East Anchorage is socioeconomically diverse, though its average median income of around $65,000 is the lowest of any district. Anchorage as a whole has a median income of about $89,000.
East Anchorage is home to a large community of working-class residents, many working in underpaid occupations.
Compared to the rest of the city, East Anchorage’s politics are less polarized and rigid. Because racial and ethnic diversity is often valued in progressive politics, many have the impression that diversity is synonymous with liberal voting habits. That’s not always the case.
The changes in East Anchorage’s boundaries highlight the complicated relationship race and partisanship have with each other. For instance, the new district brings in the eastern half of Airport Heights, which is a reliably progressive area. This area voted for Forrest Dunbar by 48 points, and is 41.5% white.
At the same time, East loses Northwest Muldoon, a diverse neighborhood that leans conservative but can swing from cycle to cycle. This section of Muldoon voted for Dunbar by just 1 point, and is 38.5% white.
No single minority group votes as a monolith; In recent elections, several minority groups shifted to the right, most notably Latinos and Alaska Natives in 2020. Anchorage is also home to many first-generation immigrants, many of whom are socially conservative.
Additionally, class plays a huge role in determining political behavior. A significant part of Muldoon is overwhelmingly low-income and working class, which is where you often see less attachment to party and more alienation from national politics.
Partisanship
Noticeably, voters on the Eastside are less politically predictable. This is especially the case in diverse, working class communities like Muldoon.
For instance, between the 2020 presidential election and 2021 mayoral runoff, Northeast Anchorage’s precinct voted for President Joe Biden by 9 points. Six months later, it voted for Mayor Dave Bronson by 8 points. The North Muldoon precinct voted for Biden by a whopping 20 points, and then voted for Dunbar by just 6 votes. These huge swings are part of the reason Dunbar lost Anchorage in 2021 by a similar margin that Biden won it in 2020.
Voters in East Anchorage will vote in two races next week. Longtime Assembly member Pete Petersen is retiring, and Forrest Dunbar resigned in January after being elected to the State Senate.
The new district loses some of the most conservative parts of the Eastside and trades it for younger, more diverse, and reliably progressive voters. It’s possible that as a result, the district will become less elastic and more consistently progressive.
Seat H:
- Karen Bronga taught in the Anchorage School District for 20 years and is a research associate for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. Bronga served on the Scenic Foothills Community Council for 10 years and is registered Undeclared.
- Leigh Sloan is a former teacher, pastor, and Republican political consultant. Sloan has supported several Bronson-backed candidates including acting as campaign director for Stephanie Taylor’s Assembly runs. Sloan is a school choice and parents’ rights advocate.
Seat I:
- George Martinez is president of the Northeast Community Council and was a Special Assistant for Education, Youth Development, Diversity and Economic Development under former Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz. Martinez, a registered nonpartisan, was a plaintiff in the Alaska Supreme Court case striking down the illegal pairing of East Anchorage and Eagle River in the redistricting process. He has been endorsed by Petersen and several labor unions.
- Spencer Moore is an outreach director with Mountain City Church, formerly the Anchorage Baptist Temple. Moore was a regional representative for the Alaska Republican Party, and a district chairman for the former House District 21 in East Anchorage. During the 2021 redistricting cycle, Moore advocated for an unconstitutional gerrymander combining East Anchorage with Eagle River in one senate district.
