Shelley Hughes
Republican | Alaska
Candidate Profile
Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Shelley Hughes
Party
Republican
Election Year
2026
Election
Primary
Race
Governor
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Cuyahoga College (Valedictorian), 1983-1985
University of Alaska (Summa Cum Laude), Anchorage, Bachelor's, 1998-2002
WORK & MILITARY
Alaska All Academies Association (5 military academies), Founder, 2000-2003
Small Business, Consultant / Project Director, 1994-2012
Carl Gatto for State House, Campaign Manager, District Aide, 2001-2006
Alaska Primary Care Association, Policy Affairs Director, 2006-2012
Lynn Canal Theatre, Valley Performing Arts, Summer Theatre Conservatory Director, 1996-2000
Hughes Home, Engaged and Proud Mother (many of those years full-time mom and some with part-time consultant work from home), 1980-2008
Alaska State House / Alaska State Senate, Transportation Chair, Economic Development and Trade Chair / Senator Majority Leader; Chair: Judiciary, Community & Regional Affairs, Education, Food Security, 2013-2025
Convention of the States, Article V, Delegate, 2015-2025
State Agriculture and Rural Leaders, National Executive Committee, Board Member, Member, 2013-2025
NCSL Law and Public Safety, Cybersecurity and AI, UAS Partnership, Member, Chair, 2014-2025
AFFILIATIONS
Alaska Family Council, Volunteer, Donor, 2012-2026
National Federalism Commission, Former Vice Chair, 2022-2026
National Association of Christian Lawmakers, Member, 2023-2025
Northgate Alaska Church, Member, 1993-2026
Heartreach Pregnancy Center & Anchorage Pregnancy Center, Volunteer, Donor, 1990-2026
Palmer Lions Club, Member, 2016-2026
Frontline Missions, Volunteer, 2020-2026
Alaska Outdoor Council/Access Alliance, Member, Volunteer, 2016-2026
Civil Air Patrol, Member, 2020-2026
NRA, Lifetime Member, 2016-2026
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Senator, 2017-2025
Representative, 2012-2016
Senate Majority Leader, 2021-2022
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Governor, 2026-2026
SCORECARDS
CONSERVATIVE ORGANIZATIONS
2013-2014
100%
2020
92%
2013-2014
91%
2025
63%, 78%â€
2018
58%
2013-2014
|100%
2020
|92%
2013-2014
|91%
2025
|63%, 78%â€
2018
|58%
LIBERAL ORGANIZATIONS
2014
|0%
ENDORSEMENTS
CONSERVATIVE (4)
Alaska Republican Party
Alaska District 6 Republicans
District 9 Alaska Republican Party
Alaska District 30 Republicans
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (10)
Tarn Coffey
Gabby Ide
Ron and Janet Johnson
Jake Bainbridge
Aaron Crook
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (11)
State Republican Party Organizations (2026)
Michael Bowles (2025)
Elexie Moore (2024)
Kevin McCabe (2024)
Mia Costello (2024)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (20)
Aimeé Sims (2026)
Andrew Satterfield (2026)
Liz Vazquez (2026)
Mead Treadwell (2026)
Paul Bauer (2026)
OTHER INFORMATION
Candidates response in the Alaska Watchman to the question "If elected, how will you protect unborn Alaskans from abortion?"
Alaska candidate position statement 2026.
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
If death of both mother and baby is imminent, mother/parents should decide.
Human life deserves legal protection from conception until natural death.
Strongly Agree
The lives of human embryos created through artificial methods ought to be protected from purposeful destruction.
Strongly Agree
The Comstock Act, which bans interstate transportation of abortion-inducing drugs, should be enforced.
Strongly Agree
ECONOMY
What is your position on the minimum wage?
Forcing small businesses to pay a certain wage jeopardizes their ability to maintain and grow, reduces the number of positions available, and results in workers losing their jobs. Individuals are free to seek training, better jobs, and higher wages.
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
List your top 3-5 priorities to eliminate government waste.
1. Sunset Audit Commission: put unbiased recommendations for efficient agency operations, duplication elimination, better technology into bill form for legislature. 2. Two-budget approach: mandatory (fixed) and discretionary (flexible) 3. Quarterly, not annual deposits, into general fund to allow 8-10% investment growth instead of 1-2%. 4. Medicaid: work and community service requirements; training for better jobs 5. Stop funding unfilled positions and allowing dollars to be used as slush fund
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?
It means the state (government) is prohibited from establishing an official church and must instead protect churches' and an individual's religious liberties from government overreach.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
HEALTHCARE
What most closely matches your view on healthcare: A) Healthcare for all should be guaranteed and funded by the government with no private healthcare option. (includes "universal healthcare," "medicare for all," etc.) B) Healthcare insurance funded by the government should be available for all who want it, along with private healthcare options. C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. D) Taxpayer funded health care should be abolished in all forms, and Medicaid and Medicare should be defunded.
C but Medicaid and Medicare should only be for the truly vulnerable: seniors, disabled, and children. These programs should not be for working age, able-bodied adults, for a generational lifestyle. Temporary and transitional (a step-down approach) assistance should be provided for the latter group while they're in training for better jobs.
The government should keep a database of people with various ongoing medical illnesses to assess the economic burden of treatment.
Strongly Disagree
Trustworthy think tanks and researchers can work together to pool data that has had all direct and indirect personal identifiers stripped so no individual can be traced and publish the anonymized information to help us better understand high healthcare costs.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Strongly Agree
Yes. I was involved in an early AI task force through NCSL as I was concerned about the United States' AI race with China and the threat that would pose, not just to our nation, but to the world. I also sponsored a bill to prevent ownership of land in Alaska by foreign adversaries.
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
Yes. Israel is the United States' democratic ally in the Middle East. With hostile Arab nations and extremists groups in the area, the relationship aides in brokering peace in a volatile region. The relationship is also important for global stability in regard to military and intelligence cooperation.
IMMIGRATION
I support the existence of sanctuary cities to protect undocumented persons.
Strongly Disagree
EDUCATION
I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving control back to states and communities.
Strongly Agree
Foreign governments should be prohibited from funding American education.
Strongly Agree
VALUES
Government should recognize and support the fundamental right and essential duty of parents to direct their child's health and educational well-being.
Strongly Agree
Attempts to physically or socially transition a child to the opposite sex constitute child abuse.
Strongly Agree
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition.
Strongly Agree
I support the expansion of gambling in my state.
Neutral
I see the ills of gambling just like alcoholism but haven't studied the issue and lean a bit libertarian (prohibition didn't work).
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I gave my life to the Lord as a young girl and have been following Him ever since. The Word is a guide and light in my relationships, my conduct, and my decision-making.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
EQUALITY
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Strongly Disagree
Biological males should not be allowed to participate in women's sports or occupy biological women's spaces whether it be bathrooms, locker rooms, sorority houses, women's shelters, or prison.
Strongly Agree
I sponsored one of the first protect girls' sports bills in the nation, unlike four of my opponents (including one Republican) who voted against my bill or a similar later bill.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Man-made climate change is a global threat and requires urgent political action.
Strongly Disagree
Climate change is cyclical and happening but if Covid didn't teach us anything else, it taught us that we don't have the impact on the climate the activists would like us to believe. When the lock down of people, traffic, businesses, manufacturing and our economy didn't significantly lower CO2 levels, this should have been a wake-up call.
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
In Alaska, with 3 million lakes, 12,000 rivers, hydro will be an ongoing, reliable source. We have many decades worth of oil and gas. Small modular reactors will be an important source. We also have geothermal, volcano sites that could be tapped.
ABOUT YOU
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Conservative
Have you ever been penalized for sexual misconduct in either civil or criminal court? If so, please explain.
No
Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If so, please explain.
No
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
What should be the goal of the criminal justice system?
The goal should be safe communities. This means get the criminals off the streets but while they're incarcerated and as they transition out of the justice system, the focus should be on comprehensive "correction" - substance abuse treatment, work skills, parenting, budgeting, faith options, etc. A person who enters the criminal justice system should not come out as a more hardened criminal and again be a danger in our communities.
Government has a responsibility to protect children from sexual exploitation during online activities.
Strongly Agree
Parents carry the responsibility; government has the role to provide regulatory safeguards that individual parents don't have the capacity to do across the internet and digital world.
Sharia law should not be accepted or incorporated in any form within the legal framework of the United States.
Strongly Agree
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
I support the 2nd amendment. Without it, the rest of our rights are in jeopardy. Restrictions for minors and for severely mentally ill are appropriate so that they don't danger themselves or others.
