Sen. Matt Claman, D-Anchorage, speaks during a Senate Resources Committee meeting at the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau on Monday, May 18, 2026. (Bill Roth / ADN)
Democrat Matt Claman has exited Alaska’s crowded gubernatorial race with hours remaining until the Saturday deadline for candidates to withdraw from the August primary ballot.
That leaves 17 candidates in the race, including 12 Republicans, three independents and two Democrats.
Current Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, is termed out from seeking reelection.
Claman, a state senator from Anchorage, had lagged in support behind the other two Democrats in the race — former Anchorage Sen. Tom Begich and former Sitka Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins. Claman’s departure clears the way for Begich and Kreiss-Tomkins to consolidate support from left-leaning voters.
Meanwhile, the Republican field remains packed, even as some candidates have been attempting to pressure others to drop out.
In a video posted on social media earlier this week, Josh Church, the Republican running mate of former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson, called on other Republicans to drop out of the race.
“For the good of the people of Alaska, I’m calling on all of the candidates that are nice people and have great vision for Alaska, but have no serious chance of winning, to do the right thing, make the right decision, and drop out of the race,” said Church. “Help the voters make a decision by taking the 11 Republicans and bringing it down to two or three or four that have a chance of winning.”
The GOP candidate slate includes Bronson, former state Sen. Click Bishop, former Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum, Matanuska-Susitna Borough Mayor Edna DeVries, podiatrist and businessman Matt Heilala, former state Sen. Shelley Hughes, former legislator Lesil McGuire, former Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor, businesswoman Bernadette Wilson, retired educator James Parkin, commercial fisherman Henry Kroll and Michael Gilbert.
Independents in the race include former Gov. Bill Walker — the only candidate in the race to previously hold the job — along with Meda DeWitt and Destry Payne.
Under Alaska’s open primary system, all candidates will appear on the same Aug. 18 primary ballot. The top four vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, will advance to the general election.
Candidates have until Saturday at 5 p.m. to notify the Division of Elections that they would like their names removed from the ballot.
That cutoff also applies to gubernatorial candidates looking to alter their running mate picks.
Lesil McGuire, left, and Elizabeth Rexford filed candidacy paperwork for governor and lieutenant governor respectively at the Alaska Division of Elections office in Anchorage on June 1. McGuire said Saturday, June 27, that Sara Rasmussen will replace Rexford as her running mate. (Marc Lester / ADN)
McGuire, the Republican former lawmaker, said Saturday that she had picked a new lieutenant governor candidate, Sara Rasmussen, a former Alaska House member from Anchorage. Rasmussen replaces Elizabeth Rexford, who withdrew her name from consideration but will stay with the campaign as a policy adviser, McGuire said.
[Previous coverage: UA Regent Seth Church drops out of Fairbanks legislative race ahead of Saturday withdrawal deadline]
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
