Murphy is out, Johnson stays

One incumbent lost, another kept his seat and the one open seat went to the less conservative candidate of the two running for office.

In District 7, Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly member Brent Johnson fended off two challengers in Central Kenai Peninsula to retain his seat.

Looking to oust the first-term assembly member and commercial fisherman Johnson were Travis Swanson and Damon Yerly.

In Nikiski’s District 3, the race to replace one-term assembly member Ray Tauriainen was between two self-identifying conservatives. 

Wayne Ogle, a retired Coast Guard officer and former municipal public works director, based his campaign on the idea that the local government should be smaller, cost less and be less intrusive. While Steve Chamberlain, owner of Charlie’s Pizza, set a more specific campaign, running to get the seat and use it to conduct a healthy water campaign based on sampling drinking water wells in the community.

Ogle was winning the race by a 34 percent margin with 93 percent of the vote in.

Running for the Soldotna District 4 seat was incumbent Linda Murphy and Soldotna city councilman Dale Bagley.

With 100 absentee votes still to be counted, Murphy did not believe she would sweep up enough votes to win the race, which was 13 points in Bagley’s favor as of 10 p.m. Tuesday.

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