David S. Wilson

David S. Wilson (born ca. 1981) is an American politician from Alaska. A Republican, Wilson has represented District D in the Alaska Senate since 2017. He formerly served as a city councilman in Wasilla.^[1]

Wilson was elected to the Senate at the age of 35. He narrowly defeated Representative Lynn Gattis in the Republican primary to succeed longtime Senator Charlie Huggins, who was retiring, in August 2016. He was endorsed in his campaign by the conservative Republican Assembly but did not run with the backing of the Alaska Republican Party. He was previously an unaffiliated voter, registering with the Republican Party less than a year before his primary victory.^[1]

Upon being sworn in on January 17, 2017, Wilson became the first African-American elected to the Senate from Alaska's Matanuska-Susitna Valley,^[2] the third African-American Republican in the history of the Alaska Legislature and the first to serve in the Senate.

On May 2, 2017, Wilson allegedly slapped Nathaniel Herz of the Alaska Dispatch News during an encounter in the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau. The event was recorded by Herz's smartphone as the reporter was questioning Wilson on his reaction to a recent article about a bill proposed by Wilson. Herz filed a police report that day.^[3]

On December 12, 2017, The Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions declined to pursue charges against Wasilla Republican Sen. David Wilson for a May incident in which he allegedly slapped Anchorage Daily News reporter Nathaniel Herz. In a letter Tuesday to Juneau police, Chief Assistant Attorney General Andrew Peterson wrote that it is unlikely the state will be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Wilson acted with the specific intent to harass or annoy Herz, the standard for determining harassment in the second degree.^[4]

Personal life

Wilson was born in California and raised in a Christian household. He attended Alaska Pacific University, earning a degree in psychology, where he met his wife, Aleta.

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