Preceded by John Harris Name Paul Seaton Political party Republican Role Educator | Occupation Fisherman/Teacher Party Republican Party Religion Methodist | |
Born October 1, 1945 (age 78)
Oxnard, California ( 1945-10-01 ) Alma mater University of California, Santa Barbara Education University of California, Santa Barbara Residence Kachemak, Alaska, United States | ||
Paul K. Seaton (born October 1, 1945) is a Republican member of the Alaska House of Representatives, who has represented the southern Kenai Peninsula since 2003.
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Political career
In 2002, Seaton ran in the Republican primary against incumbent Drew Scazi, winning with 60% of the vote.
Since then, he has chaired the Education Committee, State Affairs Committee, Health & Social Services Committee, Resources Committee and the Special Committee on Fisheries. He also served on the Commerce, Community & Economic Development, Education & Early Development, Environmental Conservation, and Law Finance Subcommittees, for the 26th Legislature.
2016 election
Seaton won his 2016 Republican primary with 48% of the vote, followed by John Cox with 27%, and Mary Wythe with 25%. After being elected without general election opposition to his 7th term in the state house, Seaton joined a majority coalition of Democrats, Independents and two other Republicans, with an avowed goal of ameliorating the state's budget deficit, the latter a product of declining oil revenues, budgeting, and prior taxation restructuring. Seaton was chosen to co-chair the house finance committee. Tuckerman Babcock, chair of the Alaska Republican Party, informed Seaton by letter that the party will recruit and support a primary opponent against him in 2018. While campaigning early in 2016, Seaton said he doubted the Legislature could continue to successfully organize "simply on partisan grounds," and that legislators needed to address the budgetary crisis.
Personal life
Seaton has a wife, Tina, and two children, Tawny and Rand. Seaton graduated from Ventura College with an A.A. in 1965; from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks with a B.S. in 1966 and an M.A. in 1969, respectively; and from the University of California, San Diego with an M.S. 1972. He completed his graduate studies in crustacean population ecology at the University of California, Santa Barbara from 1974 - 1976. He also graduated from AVTEC (Alaska's Technology Institute) in Diesel Mechanics in 1979.