Volland winning North Anchorage Assembly seat in special city election

Anchorage Assembly candidate Daniel Volland is winning the race for the newly created 12th Assembly seat to represent North Anchorage, according to the latest round of preliminary special election results posted Wednesday.

Volland, who was backed during his campaign by Assembly Vice Chair Chris Constant, is now 326 votes ahead of his closest competitor, Stephanie Taylor, a supporter of Mayor Dave Bronson.

As of Wednesday’s count, Volland had 1,632 votes, or 39% of the vote, while Taylor had 1,306 votes, or 31% of the vote. Candidate Tasha Hotch had 691 votes or 17% of the vote; candidate Robin Phillips had 240 votes or 6% of the vote; candidate Rob Forbes had 170 votes or 4% of the vote; and candidate Cliff Baker had 134 votes or 3% of the vote.

Wednesday’s results included 4,204 ballots, representing about 11% of District 1 voters. More ballots will arrive at the elections center by mail in the coming days.

In 2020, Anchorage voters approved adding the 12th Assembly seat to represent District 1. Under the city’s new political map, District 1 is now is made up of downtown, South Addition, Government Hill, Mountain View, Fairview, Northstar and northern parts of Spenard, Airport Heights, Russian Jack Park, East and Midtown.

Volland is an optometrist and vice president of the South Addition Community Council. He is a first-time candidate for elected office. In addition to having Constant’s support, he was also backed by several Anchorage-area Democratic state legislators, including Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson, Rep. Zack Fields and Rep. Andy Josephson.

During Anchorage’s regular April election, three of four Assembly incumbents won over conservative candidates supported by Mayor Dave Bronson. Taylor lost in that election against East Anchorage member Forrest Dunbar.

When the Assembly adopted a new political map earlier this year, Taylor ended up in the North Anchorage district, giving her the opportunity to run for the North Anchorage Assembly seat.

With a win from Volland, the Assembly’s moderate-to-liberal-leaning majority of eight members increases to nine, lending additional weight to their veto override power. The Assembly needs a two-thirds majority, or eight votes, to override a mayoral veto — the same number needed previously, even with the addition of the 12th member.