Today’s announcement of Steve Cox as Alaska’s next attorney general is tremendous news for the Last Frontier—and a masterful move by Governor Mike Dunleavy that should have his constituents and allies celebrating from Anchorage to Washington.
In his announcement message, Dunleavy praised Cox for bringing “a wealth of experience to the Attorney General’s office,” and that is, if anything, an understatement.
Cox has a gold-plated resume that reflects how well prepared he is for the job of being Alaska’s top lawyer. He is an alumnus of the Department of Justice under President Trump, having served at the highest levels of Main Justice in Washington as deputy associate attorney general and chief of staff in the Office of the Associate Attorney General. In that role, Cox had oversight over almost all the core functions of the Justice Department and worked under Rachel Brand—now Walmart’s chief legal officer and a top talent who served both President Bush and President Trump with distinction.
After serving in the highest levels at Main Justice in Washington, Cox went to the front lines with a 2020 appointment as United States attorney for the Eastern District of Texas. In this role he served as the chief federal law enforcement officer for a 43-county region, leading a staff of more than 120 with direct oversight over important law enforcement matters abutting the border including criminal activity from violent crime and drug trafficking to money laundering and public corruption.
But Cox is far more than a government lawyer. He has worked at private companies like Apache and, since 2021, as chief legal officer at Bristol Bay Industrial, an investment platform of an Alaska Native corporation. Those roles allowed him to take a leading role in matters involving major utility, energy, and resource projects and understand what it means to interact with the government from the private side of the table.
At every stage of his career, Cox has handled responsibilities that will prepare him well to lead the Alaska Department of Law. Earlier in his career, he clerked for noted conservative Judge J.L. Edmondson on the Eleventh Circuit; served as a senior advisor to the director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; worked as an associate at WilmerHale, one of D.C.’s topflight law firms; and served on the Webster Commission in its review of the F.B.I.’s counterterrorism and intelligence operations following the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood.
Perhaps no other candidate could bring such a perfect match of experiences to the job of Alaska attorney general. Cox has worked on the front lines of the energy industry and navigated the halls of corporate America and the Department of Justice. He knows the lawfare and other campaigns the Left is waging against red states and American energy, and he understands how important this fight is.
This isn’t theoretical for Cox. He has lived it. He knows what it takes to step up and fight alongside the Justice Department on the biggest stages. And at least as important, he has the character to do what is right, follow the law, and get results.
“The duties are broad, but the role of the Attorney General begins and ends in Alaska and with its people,” Cox remarked on his appointment. “It is a privilege to step into this role, and I am committed to serving with fairness and justice.” His grounded perspective—combining national-level experience with real Alaska roots—is exactly what the state needs.
Not since the appointment of Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti in Tennessee has a state landed an appointed attorney general with such a potent mix of talent, judgment, and relevant experience.
From the oil fields of the North Slope to the fishing communities of Southeast Alaska and beyond, Alaskans should celebrate.