Biography
Joy Cottle is a nonpartisan candidate for the Alaska House of Representatives, District 34, in the November 3, 2026 general election.[1][2] A firefighter and paramedic, she ran for the same seat in 2024.[2]
Joy Cottle was born in Nome, Alaska, and earned associate degrees from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2001 and 2010 and a bachelor's degree there in 2007.[2] In a Ballotpedia survey, she said she was raised on a farm in Delta Junction and in 2003 became the first female firefighter hired by the Fairbanks Fire Department, rising to battalion chief before leaving the city in 2021 to train firefighters at the University Fire Department.[3]
Cottle ran for Alaska House District 34 in 2024 and received 43.1 percent of the vote to Frank Tomaszewski's 55.9 percent.[2] In her 2026 survey, she said she would support measures to reduce energy costs in the Interior, permanently raise the base student allocation in line with inflation, and fund schools well.[3]
- 1.Alaska House of Representatives elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia · Ballotpedia Reference
- 2.Joy Cottle - Ballotpedia · Ballotpedia Reference
- 3.Joy Cottle - Ballotpedia (Candidate Connection survey) · Ballotpedia Candidate's own words
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.
Alaska House District 34
Joy Cottle is on the Nov 3, 2026 ballot for Alaska House District 34 as IND. Not researched in depth — candidate list only.