Your Team
Matt Claman and Sarah Skeel are running for Governor and Lt. Governor because we need leaders who understand Alaska and will fight for every Alaskan. Matt currently serves Alaska as the State Senator for West Anchorage and a member of the Alaska Senate Majority. Sarah has a distinguished career in health care and as a health care executive. We are dedicated to financial responsibility, improving public education and public health, and building safer communities.
About Matt
Matt Claman began representing West Anchorage in the Alaska State Senate in 2023 following the November 2022 election. Before his service in the Senate, Matt served in the State House of Representatives from 2015 through 2022. During these challenging times, Matt effectively represents the interests of West Anchorage and all of Alaska. He’s running for Governor to make sure Alaska’s interests are heard and represented in Juneau.
Matt always puts Alaska first, working across party lines for a responsible action plan for Alaska with common-sense, practical solutions. A responsible action plan includes:
Improving public safety and making wise use of our public safety resources
Balancing the budget and protecting the Permanent Fund
Protecting your constitutional rights, including the right to privacy
Matt is proud to be part of the bi-partisan Senate Majority and serves in a leadership role in the State Senate as Chair of the Judiciary Committee, on the Resources and Health and Social Services Committees, and on the Legislative Council.
Matt served as Acting Mayor of Anchorage in 2009 during the height of the national financial crisis. He provided steady, careful leadership in challenging times. Before and after his service as acting mayor, he represented West Anchorage on the Anchorage Assembly (2007–2010) and was unanimously elected assembly chair in 2008. The Anchorage Daily News described his service as acting mayor: “During a short but troubled period, Claman demonstrated leadership skills that carried the city forward.”
Matt followed his dream and first came to Alaska in 1980, working as a cook in remote mining camps. After graduating from law school, Matt returned to Alaska to make his home, raise his family, and establish his career. An attorney for more than 37 years, Matt knows about helping people solve problems. He has represented victims of domestic violence, commercial fishermen, loggers, families in crisis, local businesses, and individual Alaskans from all walks of life. He managed his own small law business for more than 11 years and taught law classes at the University of Alaska Anchorage. After his colleagues elected Matt to the Board of Governors of the Alaska Bar Association in 2002, he served as president in 2007–2008. The Alaska Bar Association awarded Matt its pro bono service award for his work representing victims of domestic violence in 2016 and its distinguished service award in 2022. He was instrumental in bringing Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Anchorage for the Alaska State Bar Convention, which was the most-attended bar convention in Alaska history. Matt provided leadership in implementing a pay-as-you-go method for membership dues and increasing accountability to the public.
Committed to our community, Matt served on the Heritage Land Bank Advisory Commission and on the board of several local non-profit organizations, including the Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Trailside Discovery, the Anchorage Youth Symphony Association, the Alaska Center for the Environment, the Anchorage Rotary Club, and Planned Parenthood of Alaska.
Matt Claman is married to Lisa Rieger, who manages her own consulting firm and has worked extensively for Cook Inlet Tribal Council, one of Alaska’s most successful non-profit corporations. Matt and Lisa raised two children, Maia and Ben, who both graduated from West Anchorage High School. Maia works as a nurse and Ben manages a tech start-up company.
Along with his public service and work as an attorney, Matt is a licensed Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and accomplished commercial river guide in the Grand Canyon. An active hiker, biker, and skier, you’ll often find Matt enjoying the beauty of Alaska with friends and family on our trails, on our rivers, and in our parks.
About Sarah
Sarah was born and raised in Alaska with deep roots in our communities and a strong understanding of service. She was raised to believe in hard work and the value of Alaska’s land. Her parents moved to Alaska when her father, Wesley, was stationed at Fort Richardson. Growing up, she and her family spent winters skiing, and summers camping and fishing.
In 2001, she married her high school sweetheart, Brandon, who she met in second period English class at Chugiak High School. Together, they raised two boys, Nolan, a rising junior at South High, and Carson, a U.S. Marine, with the same love for Alaska and commitment to service.
Sarah’s world view and approach to leadership is rooted in her training as a licensed clinical social worker and 25 years working in healthcare. She is a Fellow for American College of Healthcare Executives and spent the last 18 years serving in leadership positions. Her most recent role was Chief Administrative Officer at Providence Alaska Medical Center. Sarah knows what it means to manage budgets, people, and systems under pressure. And she understands the challenges Alaskan families face when it comes to accessing care.
A lifelong Alaskan and leader in healthcare, Sarah knows that when Alaskans engage in community and come together for a common purpose, we always win. When times are tough, we find a way forward through community.
Today, Alaska is at a turning point. The opportunities she and Brandon had growing up in Alaska are slipping away from our next generation. Sarah joined the ticket because she shares Matt’s approach to leadership and vision for Alaska. They share a commitment to better solutions through working together and are ready to take the next step toward a better Alaska.
As your Lieutenant Governor, Sarah will continue to lead with integrity, listen to Alaskans, and advocate for a better Alaska as she has done for her entire career.