Former Representative Dan Ortiz decided not to seek re-election last year after representing Ketchikan in the House for a decade. Ortiz, an independent who caucused with Democrat led majorities, cited health concerns for his decision not to seek re-election.

But Ortiz has now decided to re-enter Alaska politics. On August 4, Ortiz filed two letters of intent – one for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough election and one for next year’s state primary.

Ortiz told the Landmine he is running for the one-year Borough Assembly seat on the ballot in October. So far Ortiz will face Assembly member Alan Bailey, who was appointed to the seat. Filing for the Borough election ends on August 25. 

His more interesting filing is for the state primary, in which he did not indicate an office. Ortiz told the Landmine he is keeping his options open and is exploring a run for either the House or Senate. He also said his health is fine, and that his decision not to run for re-election last year was more of a preventative measure. 

Representative Jeremy Bynum (R – Ketchikan) won the election last year for Ortiz’ open seat. Bynum is a member of the House Republican minority. If Ortiz were to challenge Bynum and win, the House majority coalition, which currently has the bare minimum of 21 members, would pick up a seat. Other races will determine House organization for the next Legislature, but Ortiz coming back would be a key pickup for the coalition and a loss for Republicans. 

Ortiz could also run for the Senate. Senator Bert Stedman (R – Ketchikan), who is up for re-election next year, has not filed for re-election. Stedman told the Landmine he is definitely running for re-election and plans to file in the fall. 

It’s more likely Ortiz would run for the House seat over the Senate seat. Stedman would be difficult to beat, and campaigning in a large Senate district with most communities not the road system is expensive. 

Ortiz appears to be setting himself up for a comeback to the Legislature by first getting elected to the Borough Assembly to raise his profile in Ketchikan. The timing is perfect. The Borough Assembly seat is only for a year, meaning the term for that seat would end in October 2026. The 2026 state general election will be held on November 3, 2026.

The filing deadline to run for the Legislature is June 1, 2026, so there is a lot of time left for Ortiz to decide what he is going to do.