Cathy Giessel, Alaska

Senator Cathy Giessel, first elected in 2010, was ousted by her own party in a 2020 primary after clashing with Republican leadership. She returned to the Senate through Alaska's new nonpartisan election system and now serves as Majority Leader of the chamber's bipartisan governing coalition, championing the ranked-choice voting reforms that gave voters more choice. Her priorities include fiscal stability, responsible natural resource management, and cross-partisan governance that puts results ahead of ideology.