Eric Croft | |
|---|---|
| Chair of theAlaska Democratic Party | |
| Assumed office February 10, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Wenstrup |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1964-11-06)November 6, 1964 (age 61) Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Relatives | Chancy Croft (father) |
| Education | Stanford University (BS) University of California, Hastings (JD) |
Eric Chancy Croft (born November 6, 1964) is an American attorney and politician who represented Anchorage's West district on the Anchorage Assembly from 2016 to 2019.[1] From 1997 to 2006, Croft served as a member of theAlaska House of Representatives for District 15, representingSpenard, Anchorage. He was also a candidate in the2006 Alaska gubernatorial election. He received 23.1% of the vote, losing to 68.6% achieved by former governorTony Knowles. Croft served as Anchorage'sschool board president from 2013 to 2016.[2] In April 2016, he was elected to theAnchorage Assembly, replacing Ernie Hall, who decided not to run for reelection.[3] In December 2019, he filed papers to run in the2021 Anchorage mayoral election, before dropping out in November 2020.[4] On February 10, 2025, it was announced Croft had been elected Chair of theAlaska Democratic Party.[5]
Eric Chancy Croft was born inAnchorage, Alaska on November 6, 1964. His parents, Toni (née Williamson) andChancy Croft, moved to Alaska in 1962, having previously resided withinWest Texas. Croft's father served in theAlaska Legislature and was the Democratic candidate in the1978 Alaska gubernatorial election. His maternal grandfather, John Conwell Williamson (1912 – 2001), was a wildcatter in West Texas, who contributed to uncovering oil in both Texas andNew Mexico.[6]
Croft grew up in the South Addition neighborhood adjacent todowntown Anchorage, graduating fromWest Anchorage High School in 1982. He went on toStanford University, earning an undergraduate degree inelectrical engineering. He then received aJ.D. degree fromUniversity of California, Hastings College of the Law inSan Francisco.
Eric Croft was first elected to the Alaska House in 1996, four years after graduating law school, and was reelected four times, facing generally nominal opposition in his Democratic Anchorage district. He is a lifetime member of theNational Rifle Association of America and received both the 2003 NRA Defender of Freedom and Gun Rights Legislator of the Year awards. He is a strong supporter in Alaska'sinitiative process[5] as well as a strong proponent of the prospective Alaskanatural gas pipeline. A strong supporter of gender parity, he is "pro-choice," supporting a woman's right to privacy regarding her procreative rights but subject to the right to life of a viable fetus.[clarification needed]
He announced his candidacy for governor in 2006 focusing on natural resource issues and that Alaskans get their "fair share" of the state's resource wealth.
He joined with future governorSarah Palin to lodge an ethics complaint against[7] Attorney GeneralGregg Renkes, who later resigned from his office.
In December 2019, Croft filed a letter of intent with the state to run in the2021 Anchorage mayoral election. He dropped out in November of 2020, citing the presence of multiple ideologically similar candidates to himself.[4]
In 2025, Croft succeededMike Wenstrup as chair of the Alaska Democratic Party.[5]
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Croft works as an attorney in Alaska. He and his wife, Joanna Burke Croft, own Alaska Professional Testing, Inc. Joanna Croft, an architect by training, is also an alumnus ofStanford University.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Chair of theAlaska Democratic Party 2025–present | Incumbent |