Kelly Merrick
{{Short description|American politician}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Kelly Merrick
| image = Kelly Merrick 2024 (cropped).jpg
| imagesize =
| smallimage =
| caption = Merrick in 2024
| order =
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1975}}
| birth_place = Juneau, Alaska, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality =
| party = Republican
| spouse = Joey Merrick
| relations =
| children =
| residence = Eagle River
| alma_mater =
| occupation =
| profession =
| religion =
| signature =
| website =
| footnotes =
| office = Member of the Alaska Senate
| constituency = L
| term_start = January 17, 2023
| predecessor = Lora Reinbold (District G)
| successor =
| office2 = Member of the Alaska House of Representatives
| termstart2 = January 16, 2019
| termend2 = January 17, 2023
| constituency2 = 14
| predecessor2 = Lora Reinbold
| successor2 = Jamie Allard (District 23)
}}
Kelly Merrick (née Richards; born 1975) is an American politician from Alaska. A Republican, Merrick was elected to the Alaska State Senate in 2022, representing District L in Eagle River. She was a member of the Alaska House of Representatives from 2019 to 2023. She took office as State Senator on January 17, 2023.{{Cite web |title=Alaska State Legislature |url=https://akleg.gov/senate.php |access-date=2023-03-07 |website=akleg.gov}}
Early life and career
Merrick worked as a staffer in the Alaska Legislature and served an aide (Secretary) to U.S. Rep. Don Young{{cite news |last1=Herz |first1=Nathaniel |title=Alaska legislative races feature ex-lawmakers seeking comebacks, credible challengers and a husband and wife |url=https://www.adn.com/politics/alaska-legislature/2018/06/01/alaskas-legislative-races-feature-former-lawmakers-seeking-comebacks-credible-challengers-to-incumbents-and-a-race-between-husband-and-wife/ |accessdate=31 March 2020 |work=Anchorage Daily News |date=June 2, 2018}} for 6 months.
Political career
Merrick ran for election to the Alaska House to succeed Lora Reinbold, who ran for the Alaska Senate. Merrick defeated Jamie Allard and Eugene Harnett in a 3-way race of the Republican primary and nonpartisan Joe Hackenmueller in the general election.{{cite news |last1=Herz |first1=Nathaniel |title=Voters may have ousted two of Alaska's top legislators, as House remains up for grabs |url=https://www.alaskapublic.org/2018/08/23/voters-may-have-ousted-two-of-alaskas-top-legislators-as-house-remains-up-for-grabs/ |accessdate=31 March 2020 |publisher=Alaska Public Media |date=August 23, 2018}} Rep. Merrick was censured by Republican District 14 for caucusing with the Democrats in 2021. The Alaska Republican State Central Committee also voted to censure Merrick and no longer recognizes Merrick as a Republican.
Electoral history
{{Incomplete list|date=February 2025}}{{Election box begin no change
| title = Nonpartisan primary
}}
{{Election box winning candidate no change
| party = Coalition Republican
| color = #ff95b3ff
| candidate = Kelly Merrick (incumbent)
| votes =2,332
| percentage =33.9
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| candidate = Jared Goecker
| votes =2,247
| percentage =32.7
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| party = Democratic Party (United States)
| candidate = Lee Hammermeister
| votes =1,003
| percentage =14.6
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| candidate = Ken McCarty (withdrew)
| votes =779
| percentage =11.3
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| candidate = Sharon Jackson (withdrew)
| votes =513
| percentage =7.5
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes =6,874
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box end}}
After the primary, McCarty withdrew from the race and endorsed Goecker. This would normally mean that Jackson, the fifth place finisher, would move up, but she also withdrew and endorsed Goecker.{{cite news|url=https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2024/08/28/ken-mccarty-drops-out-eagle-river-senate-race-endorses-incumbents-challenger/|title=Ken McCarty drops out of Eagle River Senate race, endorses incumbent's challenger|last=Kirch|first=Steve|date=August 28, 2024|accessdate=August 30, 2024|work=KTUU-TV}}
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right"
|+ colspan=6 | 2024 Alaska Senate General election |
| colspan=2 rowspan=2 | Party
! rowspan=2 | Candidate ! colspan=3 | First choice ! colspan=3 | Round 1 ! colspan=3 | Round 2 |
|---|
| Votes
! % ! Transfer ! Votes ! % ! Transfer ! Votes ! % |
| style="background-color:#ff95b3ff" |
| style="text-align:left" |Coalition Republican | style="text-align:left" scope="row" |{{sortname|Kelly|Merrick}} | 9,050 | 46.3% | +42 | 9,092 | 46.5% | +800 | 9,892 | 55.5% |
| style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (US)}}" |
| style="text-align:left" | Republican | style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{sortname|Jared|Goecker|nolink=1}} | 7,685 | 39.3% | +13 | 7,698 | 39.4% | +241 | 7,939 | 44.5% |
| style="background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (US)}}" |
| style="text-align:left" | Democratic | style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{sortname|Lee|Hammermeister|nolink=1}} | 2,754 | 14.1% | +16 | 2,770 | 14.2% | -2,770 | colspan="2" style="background:lightgrey; text-align:center;"| Eliminated |
| style="background-color:{{party color|Write-in}}" |
| style="text-align:left" colspan=2 | Write-in | 51 | 0.3% | -51 | colspan="5" style="background:lightgrey; text-align:center;"| Eliminated |
| class="sortbottom" style="background-color:#F6F6F6"
! colspan=3 scope="row" style="text-align:right;" | Total votes ! colspan=3 |19,540 ! colspan=3 |19,560 ! colspan=3 |17,831 |
| class="sortbottom" |
| class="sortbottom" style="background-color:#F6F6F6"
! colspan=6 scope="row" style="text-align:right;" | Blank or inactive ballots ! colspan=2 | 780 | +1,729 ! colspan=2 | 2,509 |
| class="sortbottom" style="background:#f6f6f6;"
! style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (US)}}" | | colspan="13" style="text-align:left" | Republican hold |
| style="background-color:#ff95b3ff" |
| colspan="13" style="text-align:left" | Coalition hold |
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Alaska House of Representatives}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merrick, Kelly}}
Category:21st-century American women politicians
Category:Date of birth missing (living people)
Category:Republican Party members of the Alaska House of Representatives
Category:21st-century members of the Alaska Legislature
Category:Politicians from Anchorage, Alaska
Category:Politicians from Juneau, Alaska
Category:Women state legislators in Alaska
{{Alaska-politician-stub}}