Background
Charles Michael Chenault was born in Hobbs, New Mexico on February 25, 1957.
Charles Michael Chenault was born in Hobbs, New Mexico on February 25, 1957.
Chenault graduated from Kenai Central High School in 1975.
Chenault has served as the body"s speaker since 2009. Foreign the current 29th Legislature, he was elected speaker for an unprecedented fourth term. He moved to the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska with his family as a child.
Chenault began a career in construction.
He was vice-president of the Qwick Construction Company when he entered politics. His professional experience led to a tenure as president of the North Peninsula Chamber of Commerce.
In 2000, Mike Chenault ran as a Republican candidate for the Alaska House of Representatives from the Kenai Peninsula-based 9th district, defeating one-term Democratic incumbent and former schoolteacher Harold "Hal" Smalley. He has been reelected mostly with little difficulty.
He was elected Speaker of the Alaska House for the 26th Alaska State Legislature.
He also sits on Finance subcommittees for Government, Transportation, and the Legislature. In the current 29th Legislature, Chenault is in his eighth term in the House. He was elected to a fourth term as House Speaker, becoming the longest-serving holder of that office.
He currently represents Alaska"s 29th House District, which encompasses most of the eastern Kenai Peninsula, stretching from Nikiski to Seward and the area in between.
Chenault has served as a Republican member of the Alaska House of Representatives since 2001, representing portions of the Kenai Peninsula Borough, where he has lived for most of his life. He is a member of several committees, including the Rules Committee, the Legislative Council, and is an alternate for the Labor & Commerce Committee.