Soldotna Republican Rep. Justin Ruffridge has been named the minority whip for Alaska House Republicans. The appointment comes amid reshuffling in the Alaska Legislature’s lower chamber following the departure of two senators who are running for higher office.
Ruffridge will replace Wasilla Republican Cathy Tilton, who Gov. Mike Dunleavy appointed to one of the two Senate vacancies. It follows a weekend meeting of House Minority Caucus members that left some members unhappy. Soldotna Republican Rep. Bill Elam is also a member of the caucus, but declined to comment on whether he voted in favor of Ruffridge’s nomination.
On Tuesday, Ruffridge said the role wasn’t on his 2025 bingo card.
“You end up being grateful for, you know, people putting some trust in your abilities to get work done,” he said. “So that's a good thing, but, you know, it also comes with a lot of responsibilities that I'm a little nervous about on some level.”
Ruffridge will work alongside the new House minority leader, Palmer Republican Rep. DeLena Johnson. He says he’ll be tasked with managing the inner workings of an ideologically diverse caucus.
“The leader is an external, sort of the face of your group, right?” he said. “So I'm definitely not the face of that, but I would be, you know, internally, managing our group and trying to get folks rowing in the same direction.”
He says it’s not uncommon for the caucus to take a stance on certain issues. But that doesn’t mean every member is bound to vote with that stance. Since he’s been in the capitol, Ruffridge says whips don’t usually go door-to-door seeking commitments from lawmakers.
“Usually the work, the work of that, is done a little differently,” he said. “It's done as, ‘I've gotten to know you. I know it's important to you, and so I'm going to make sure I try to get that thing that's important to you as a part of this discussion.”
Despite jitters about his new role, Ruffridge says the job of consensus-building is something he already does in Juneau. He pointed to some of the bills he’s been able to get across the finish line with bipartisan support since joining the Legislature – like one expanding the Alaska Performance Scholarship, and another exempting veterinarians from the state’s opioid monitoring program.
Ruffridge says his responsibilities as whip will dovetail with his existing legislative philosophy.
“I think it is kind of the job of, you know, representing or trying to do it well is to, you know, try to visit with people in their offices, you know, what works for them, what doesn't,” he said. “I feel like I've been, you know, successful in that.”
The Alaska Legislature reconvenes Jan. 20.
