State Senator, District M
State Senate District M; Alaska
My vote power
Above average
Election date
November 3, 2026 · General election
The State Senator, District M general election in State Senate District M; Alaska is on November 3, 2026. 4 candidates are running: Cathy L. Tilton (Registered Republican), Patricia R. Chesbro (Registered Democrat), Ryan Berry (Registered Republican), and Zane Vrvilo (Registered Republican). Cathy L. Tilton is the incumbent. One vote here carries above average weight compared with other races.
How do we calculate my vote power?
What determines the vote power rating: Representation: how much weight one vote carries here compared with a statewide vote — the smaller the district, the more each vote counts. Decisiveness: how likely this race is to be close, based on past results or current analyst ratings, plus whether more candidates are running than there are seats.
Representation: Above average · 63 out of 100
This district is a good deal smaller than its state, so each vote here carries more weight than a vote in a statewide race. About 40,435 people live here.
Show the representation math
score = 50 + 50 × ln(state population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(50,000) = 50 + 50 × ln(735,706 ÷ 40,435) ÷ ln(50,000) = 63.41, measured against a statewide vote in AK (grades: 66+ high, 55+ above average, 33+ average, otherwise low; a statewide race is the 50 baseline)
Decisiveness: Unknown
No analyst ratings or past results for this contest yet.
Above average representation → My vote power: Above average.
Some data is missing, so this rating is based on partial information.
What does this office do?
- Voting on how much you pay in state taxes
- Voting on how much money your local public schools get
- Voting on which roads and highways get built or repaired
Affects: AI Regulation, Healthcare Affordability, Environment and Public Health,
Who is running?
Registered Republican · Incumbent
Cathy Tilton is a Mat-Su state senator appointed in November 2025 after ten years in the Alaska House, where she served as speaker in 2023-2024. She focuses on a constitutional spending limit, school choice, public safety, and keeping the historic PFD formula.
Records: Public Safety and Crime Control 5 for, Public Education Quality 1 for, 2 against, Civil Rights 1 for, 1 against,
Registered Democrat
Patricia Chesbro is a retired educator who led Mat-Su schools as superintendent, was an interim education dean at UAA, and served on the Mat-Su Borough Planning Commission. She focuses on child well-being, including school funding, early learning, youth health care, and a fair fiscal plan.
Records: Women's Reproductive Rights 1 for
Registered Republican
Ryan Berry is a Wasilla mortgage broker and president of Amped Mortgage. He focuses on new Cook Inlet gas and the Port MacKenzie rail line, school dollars reaching classrooms, and paying the PFD by the statutory formula with no sales or income tax.
Registered Republican
Zane Vrvilo is a Palmer native who works as a chemical operator on the North Slope and holds a degree in elementary education. He focuses on natural gas development such as Alaska LNG, school funding, protecting salmon runs, and lowering living costs.
Sources: elections.alaska.gov2
Last updated September 24, 2026.