34th Legislature(2025-2026)
Member Information
Forrest Dunbar
LEGISLATIVE SERVICE:
2023-2026 Senator District
RESIDENCY:LENGTH OF RESIDENCY IN ALASKA: Lifelong
ALASKAN COMMUNITIES LIVED IN :Eagle, Cordova, Anchorage
EDUCATION :Cordova High School, American University, Harvard Kennedy School, Yale Law School, Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School
MILITARY SERVICE :Army Guard - Major
POLITICAL AND GOVERNMENT POSITIONS :State Senator, Anchorage Assembly, two-time Chair; formerly Vice President of Scenic Foothills Community Council, Attorney at Office of Public Advocacy, Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Kazakhstan), Wildland Firefighter with Northstars
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS :Former Attorney at Chugach Government Solutions; briefly Stoel Rives LLP, before full-time military service; commercial fisherman, canneries, Fred Meyer in my youth
SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS MEMBERSHIPS :Former board member at Park Foundation, founding board member of Muldoon Farmers Market; interned at Alaska Legal Services; Congregation Beth Sholom
SPECIAL INTERESTS :Basketball, Football, using our beautiful trails, reading, film
OTHER :I grew up in Rural Alaska, but came to Anchorage for judo, basketball, etc. I settled here after school, passed the Bar Exam, and met my wife, who’s from Chugiak. I love serving this community.
STATEMENT :It has been an honor to serve in the State Senate as part of the Bipartisan Majority Coalition. I’m running for re-election to continue that bipartisan work, with the hope that we will have partners in the House willing to do the same. In the past two years, I sponsored and passed legislation that increased scholarships for students studying at our universities and trade schools, provided tax incentives for new housing construction, protected the peer counseling programs at our first responder agencies, and cosponsored much more. We’ve made progress, but there is still much work to be done. Together, we can increase investments in affordable housing, childcare, and energy for our homes. We can harness new federal funding to improve transportation, including pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and improve broadband and outdoor infrastructure. We can join our tribal partners to tackle challenges and promote cultural tourism to increase new visitors. We can reduce the unacceptable rates of child abuse, substance misuse, and sexual violence in Alaska. And we can continue to protect healthcare and abortion access. Anchorage and Alaska as a whole are great places to live, but they can be even better: more affordable, safer, thriving, with the kind of well-paying jobs we need for this and future generations.
