The session may not be quite over, but we’re over it. So, let’s have some fun!
Welcome to the latest round of The Midnight Sun’s 100% accurate, unbiased and guaranteed rankings of the folks who’ve spent the last 150 days and change entertaining us, frustrating us, infuriating us and, on occasion, inspiring us (just one occasion, though). This ranking was put together with the input from 207 folks who took the time to respond to our survey (A new record! Turns out it helps to promote the survey more than once). So, if you’ve got a problem with the ratings, you’ve only got yourself to blame.
Once again, the top and the bottom of this survey look familiar. Rep. Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, remains atop the rankings while Eagle River Republican Sen. Lora Reinbold is at the bottom. Reinbold put in the work this session with plenty of mask antics, bizarre covid conspiracies, a healthy dose of victimhood and an ever-loosening grasp of the Supreme Law of the Land. She’s put some significant distance between herself and Eastman, who had held the title of “The Bad” up until last year. Of the 207 respondents, only eight skipped her.
At least Eastman and Reinbold have some new company at the bottom of the list with five new faces plummeting right to the bottom in their debut. Things are getting a little more partisan, too. The only Republican to break into the top of the pack is Sitka Republican Sen. Bert Stedman.
This year, we also took a look at the most improved legislators. The most improved goes to Kodiak Republican Rep. Louise Stutes, whose ascension to House Speaker was enough to boost her up a whopping 18 places to… 18th. Positions of power do a person good and Legislative Council Chair Rep. Sara Hannan saw her ranking leap up 17 places to 11th. Honorable mention for Sen. David Wilson, R-Wasilla, who started out at 59 in our inaugural ranking and now sits at a respectable 38 (he gained 10 spots this year).
Dropping a lot of spots are Sen. Natasha von Imhof and Rep. Zack Fields, who both tumbled 15 places.
The who-est of legislators comes from the trio of Mc-representatives elected this year, going to the quietest guy of the bunch: Rep. Tom “I’m not Kevin or Ken” McKay.
Anyways! A sincere thank you to everyone who took the time to fill out the survey. This year’s suggested nicknames were a significant improvement over last year. I’ll give y’all a solid 7/10 this year.
Have the most excellent of solstice weekends.
1. Rep. Bryce Edgmon
I-Dillingham
Overall rating: 4.07
Intelligence: 4.2
Ethics: 3.9
Effectiveness: 4.1
Nicknames: “Edge Man,” “B-Money,” “Bryce Rocket”
2. Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins
D-Sitka
Overall rating: 3.91
Intelligence: 4.3
Ethics: 3.9
Effectiveness: 3.5
Nicknames: “I quit Yale for this?” “The Sitka Slammer,” “Notorious JKT,” “Mr. Short Shorts,” “Mr. I’m the other half to that guy who looks somewhat like me”
3. Sen. Jesse Kiehl
D-Juneau
Overall rating: 3.89
Intelligence: 4.2
Ethics: 4.1
Effectiveness: 3.4
Nicknames: “The Real Deal,” “Juneau Jesse,” “Jesse the Ace,” “I knew if I stuck around long enough, I’d get this job”
4. Rep. Ivy Spohnholz
D-Anchorage
Overall rating: 3.85
Intelligence: 4.1
Ethics: 3.8
Effectiveness: 3.6
Nicknames: “Poison Ivy,” “Alternative Timeline Speaker Spohnholz,” “Ms. It Needs to Pencil Out”
5. Rep. Andy Josephson
D-Anchorage
Overall rating: 3.84
Intelligence: 4.2
Ethics: 4
Effectiveness: 3.3
Nicknames: “Counselor,” “Uncle Andy,” “Do I make you Andy, Baby? DO I?”
6. Sen. Tom Begich
D-Anchorage
Overall rating: 3.84
Intelligence: 4
Ethics: 3.9
Effectiveness: 3.6
Nicknames: “The Average B,” “The Guitar Man,” “At Least He’s Not Mark,” “I Ain’t My Brother,” “The Other Begich,” “The Most Recent Begich”
7. Rep. Matt Claman
D-Anchorage
Overall rating: 3.83
Intelligence: 4.1
Ethics: 3.9
Effectiveness: 3.5
Nicknames: “Point of Order,” “Birkenstocks with Socks,” “The Professor,” “The Knife”
8. Sen. Bert Stedman
R-Sitka
Overall rating: 3.82
Intelligence: 4
Ethics: 3.5
Effectiveness: 4
Nicknames: “The Bank,” “Mr. Peanut,” “Ferryman,” “The Bert Locker,” “Not Bad for a Republican,” “Senator Cranky,” “Steadyman,” “The Codfather”
9. Rep. Tiffany Zulkosky
D-Bethel
Overall rating: 3.77
Intelligence: 3.9
Ethics: 3.9
Effectiveness: 3.5
Nicknames: “Future Governor,” “St. Tiffany”
10. Sen. Bill Wielechowski
D-Anchorage
Overall rating: 3.76
Intelligence: 4.3
Ethics: 3.8
Effectiveness: 3.3
Nicknames: “Governor,” “Mr. PFD,” “Dollar Bill,” “Money isn’t Realechowski,” “The Last True PFD OG,” “Bill Will”
The Bad
60. Sen. Lora Reinbold
R-Eagle River
Overall rating: 1.26
Intelligence: 1.3
Ethics: 1.3
Effectiveness: 1.2
Nicknames: “Qaren,” “No Fly Reinbold,” “Low-Ra,” “Loopy Lora,” “Qora Rightbold,” “Dumpster Diva,” “La La La Lora,” “Lora Whinebold,” “There should be a level below bottom of the barrel,” “Marjorie Taylor Greene,” “Reinbored,” “Landbound Lora,” “The Mask,” “Abh-ora Nein-bold,” “The Toxic Masked Avenger,” “The Lone Ranger,” “@#&$%”
59. Rep. David Eastman
R-Wasilla
Overall rating: 1.53
Intelligence: 2
Ethics: 1.5
Effectiveness: 1.2
Nicknames: “Alaskan Proud Boy,” “Make Wasilla Great Again,” “LEastman,” “NEastman,” “Wreck-It-Ralph,” “No, No, No”
58. Rep. Christopher Kurka
R-Wasilla
Overall rating: 1.59
Intelligence: 1.7
Ethics: 1.7
Effectiveness: 1.5
Nicknames: “Not Quite Eastman,” “Eastman Jr.,” “The Annoying Little Brother,” “Jurka,” “Berzurka,”
57. Sen. Mike Shower
R-Wasilla
Overall rating: 1.69
Intelligence: 1.7
Ethics: 1.7
Effectiveness: 1.7
Nicknames: “The Vote Suppressor,” “Dozer,” “When the going gets tough, I always use my real job as an excuse to get out of Juneau,” “Don Quixote,” “No Power Shower,” “Sly Dog,” “Bully Fly Boy,” “Mike ain’t Ike,” “Cold Shower
56. Rep. Ben Carpenter
R-Nikiski
Overall rating: 1.75
Intelligence: 1.9
Ethics: 1.8
Effectiveness: 1.6
Nicknames: “Bad Ben,” “The Pro-Life Peonie,” “Ding-Dong,” “Adolph Jr.,” “Not-so-gentle Ben,” “Herr Carpenter”
55. Rep. Sarah Vance
R-Homer
Overall rating: 1.75
Intelligence: 1.8
Ethics: 1.9
Effectiveness: 1.6
Nicknames: “Representative Karen,” “Rep. Umbridge,” “AdVance Warning,” “Representative Can’t AdVance”
54. Rep. Ron Gillham
R-Soldotna
Overall rating: 1.87
Intelligence: 1.8
Ethics: 2.1
Effectiveness: 1.7
Nicknames: “Who?” “Mr. Who?” “No Relation to Bob Gillam,” “The Rifleman”
53. Rep. Kevin McCabe
R-Big Lake
Overall rating: 1.96
Intelligence: 2.1
Ethics: 2
Effectiveness: 1.9
Nicknames: “Who?” “McCaucus,” “The Potato,” “Poor Man’s Tammie Wilson,” “Boss Flog”
52. Rep. Mike Prax
R-North Pole
Overall rating: 2.02
Intelligence: 2
Ethics: 2.3
Effectiveness: 1.7
Nicknames: “Who?” “Most Likely to be the Villain from Toy Story,” “Impraxtical,” “Eddie Munster Grew Up”
51. Rep. Mike Cronk
R-Tok
Overall rating: 2.1
Intelligence: 2.2
Ethics: 2.2
Effectiveness: 1.9
Nicknames: “Cronk the Crank,” “Cronka-Donk,” “Cronkski,” “Gronk”
And The, wait, WHO?
No nicknames for these guys. They’re all pretty much just some variation of “Who?”
Rep. Tom McKay
R-Anchorage
Overall rating: 2.11
Intelligence: 2.2
Ethics: 2.2
Effectiveness: 2
Rep. James Kaufman
R-Anchorage
Overall rating: 2.3
Intelligence: 2.5
Ethics: 2.4
Effectiveness: 2
Rep. David Nelson
R-Anchorage
Overall rating: 2.29
Intelligence: 2.3
Ethics: 2.6
Effectiveness: 2.1
Rep. Ken McCarty
R-Eagle River
Overall rating: 2.26
Intelligence: 2.3
Ethics: 2.4
Effectiveness: 2.1
Rep. Calvin Schrage
I-Anchorage
Overall rating: 3.22
Intelligence: 3.4
Ethics: 3.4
Effectiveness: 2.9
And the full rankings
Name | Office | Party | Overall | Int. | Ethics | Efficacy | Skipped | Change |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rep. Bryce Edgmon | 37-Dillingham | I | 4.067 | 4.2 | 3.94 | 4.06 | 68 | 0 |
Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins | 35-Sitka | D | 3.913 | 4.34 | 3.94 | 3.46 | 67 | 01 |
Sen. Jesse Kiehl | Q-Juneau | D | 3.893 | 4.15 | 4.14 | 3.39 | 49 | 02 |
Rep. Ivy Spohnholz | 16-Anchorage | D | 3.847 | 4.14 | 3.83 | 3.57 | 59 | -02 |
Rep. Andy Josephson | 17-Anchorage | D | 3.843 | 4.17 | 4.03 | 3.33 | 67 | 03 |
Sen. Tom Begich | J-Anchorage | D | 3.837 | 4.01 | 3.86 | 3.64 | 30 | 04 |
Rep. Matt Claman | 21-Anchorage | D | 3.827 | 4.11 | 3.91 | 3.46 | 65 | -01 |
Sen. Bert Stedman | R-Sitka | R | 3.82 | 4.04 | 3.47 | 3.95 | 39 | -04 |
Rep. Tiffany Zulkosky | 38-Bethel | D | 3.77 | 3.93 | 3.91 | 3.47 | 82 | 03 |
Sen. Bill Wielechowski | H-Anchorage | D | 3.763 | 4.26 | 3.77 | 3.26 | 24 | 01 |
Rep. Sara Hannan | 33-Juneau | D | 3.757 | 3.91 | 3.96 | 3.4 | 78 | 17 |
Sen. Gary Stevens | P-Kodiak | R | 3.663 | 3.81 | 3.69 | 3.49 | 43 | 02 |
Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson | I-Anchorage | D | 3.647 | 3.77 | 3.95 | 3.22 | 33 | 08 |
Rep. Liz Snyder | 27-Anchorage | D | 3.643 | 3.93 | 3.83 | 3.17 | 67 | New |
Rep. Dan Ortiz | 36-Ketchikan | I | 3.61 | 3.7 | 3.81 | 3.32 | 84 | 07 |
Rep. Neal Foster | 39-Nome | D | 3.61 | 3.68 | 3.41 | 3.74 | 78 | 03 |
Sen. Click Bishop | C-Fairbanks | R | 3.607 | 3.59 | 3.64 | 3.59 | 38 | -04 |
Rep. Louise Stutes | 32-Kodiak | R | 3.543 | 3.52 | 3.47 | 3.64 | 62 | 18 |
Sen. Scott Kawasaki | A-Fairbanks | D | 3.513 | 3.82 | 3.69 | 3.03 | 27 | 01 |
Rep. Andi Story | 34-Juneau | D | 3.48 | 3.54 | 3.86 | 3.04 | 86 | 09 |
Rep. Grier Hopkins | 04-Fairbanks | D | 3.453 | 3.53 | 3.71 | 3.12 | 69 | 02 |
Rep. Harriet Drummond | 18-Anchorage | D | 3.41 | 3.44 | 3.73 | 3.06 | 63 | 03 |
Rep. Adam Wool | 05-Fairbanks | D | 3.403 | 3.56 | 3.31 | 3.34 | 63 | 12 |
Sen. Natasha von Imhof | L-Anchorage | R | 3.4 | 3.87 | 3.02 | 3.31 | 37 | -15 |
Sen. Lyman Hoffman | S-Bethel | D | 3.357 | 3.58 | 2.8 | 3.69 | 51 | -10 |
Rep. Chris Tuck | 23-Anchorage | D | 3.24 | 3.35 | 3.07 | 3.3 | 67 | 11 |
Rep. Calvin Schrage | 25-Anchorage | I | 3.22 | 3.36 | 3.43 | 2.87 | 90 | New |
Sen. Donny Olson | T-Golovin | D | 3.173 | 3.51 | 2.96 | 3.05 | 48 | 03 |
Rep. Josiah Patkotak | 40-Utqiaġvik | I | 3.117 | 3.21 | 3.01 | 3.13 | 85 | New |
Rep. Bart LeBon | 01-Fairbanks | R | 3.097 | 3.25 | 3.13 | 2.91 | 68 | 03 |
Rep. Zack Fields | 20-Anchorage | D | 3.033 | 3.39 | 2.87 | 2.84 | 64 | -15 |
Rep. Kelly Merrick | 14-Eagle River | R | 2.99 | 3.06 | 2.84 | 3.07 | 73 | 09 |
Rep. Steve Thompson | 02-Fairbanks | R | 2.94 | 3.01 | 2.86 | 2.95 | 75 | -06 |
Rep. Geran Tarr | 19-Anchorage | D | 2.933 | 3.19 | 3.08 | 2.53 | 60 | -04 |
Sen. Peter Micciche | O-Soldotna | R | 2.657 | 3.04 | 2.11 | 2.82 | 31 | 03 |
Sen. Josh Revak | M-Anchorage | R | 2.607 | 2.62 | 2.62 | 2.58 | 41 | 08 |
Rep. Laddie Shaw | 26-Anchorage | R | 2.583 | 2.76 | 2.68 | 2.31 | 62 | 02 |
Rep. Sara Rasmussen | 22-Anchorage | R | 2.577 | 2.58 | 2.51 | 2.64 | 65 | 10 |
Sen. David Wilson | D-Wasilla | R | 2.577 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.53 | 41 | 10 |
Rep. Cathy Tilton | 12-Wasilla | R | 2.433 | 2.44 | 2.47 | 2.39 | 68 | 06 |
Sen. Robert Myers | B-North Pole | R | 2.42 | 2.39 | 2.69 | 2.18 | 84 | New |
Rep. DeLena Johnson | 11-Palmer | R | 2.337 | 2.35 | 2.5 | 2.16 | 72 | 01 |
Sen. Shelley Hughes | F-Palmer | R | 2.31 | 2.31 | 2.29 | 2.33 | 33 | 08 |
Rep. James Kaufman | 28-Anchorage | R | 2.303 | 2.51 | 2.42 | 1.98 | 99 | New |
Rep. David Nelson | 15-Anchorage | R | 2.29 | 2.25 | 2.56 | 2.06 | 98 | New |
Rep. Ken McCarty | 13-Eagle River | R | 2.257 | 2.33 | 2.35 | 2.09 | 91 | New |
Sen. Roger Holland | N-Anchorage | R | 2.25 | 2.23 | 2.44 | 2.08 | 71 | New |
Sen. Mia Costello | K-Anchorage | R | 2.237 | 2.46 | 2.13 | 2.12 | 41 | -03 |
Rep. George Rauscher | 09-Palmer | R | 2.13 | 2.11 | 2.33 | 1.95 | 75 | 01 |
Rep. Tom McKay | 24-Anchorage | R | 2.11 | 2.2 | 2.17 | 1.96 | 101 | New |
Rep. Mike Cronk | 06-Tok | R | 2.1 | 2.16 | 2.23 | 1.91 | 78 | New |
Rep. Mike Prax | 03-North Pole | R | 2.023 | 2.02 | 2.33 | 1.72 | 73 | -05 |
Rep. Kevin McCabe | 08-Big Lake | R | 1.96 | 2.08 | 1.95 | 1.85 | 84 | New |
Rep. Ron Gillham | 30-Soldotna | R | 1.87 | 1.84 | 2.05 | 1.72 | 94 | New |
Rep. Ben Carpenter | 29-Nikiski | R | 1.753 | 1.87 | 1.8 | 1.59 | 71 | 03 |
Rep. Sarah Vance | 31-Homer | R | 1.753 | 1.75 | 1.9 | 1.61 | 71 | 01 |
Sen. Mike Shower | E-Wasilla | R | 1.69 | 1.71 | 1.7 | 1.66 | 27 | -02 |
Rep. Christopher Kurka | 07-Wasilla | R | 1.593 | 1.65 | 1.66 | 1.47 | 73 | New |
Rep. David Eastman | 10-Wasilla | R | 1.53 | 1.95 | 1.46 | 1.18 | 31 | 0 |
Sen. Lora Reinbold | G-Eagle River | R | 1.263 | 1.3 | 1.31 | 1.18 | 8 | 0 |
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