Tom Begich, candidate for governor, speaks to visitors at his campaign office. Begich and Julia Hnilicka, candidate for lieutenant governor, hosted supporters at their Anchorage campaign headquarters on May 28. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Seventeen candidates filed to run in Alaska’s open governor’s race, setting up a crowded field that includes former Gov. Bill Walker, six lawmakers, three former cabinet members and two mayors.
The slate of gubernatorial candidates who entered the race by the June 1 deadline numbers three independents, three Democrats, and 11 Republicans.
This is only the second time that Alaskans will use the current open primary system that was adopted by ballot measure in 2020 to elect a governor. Under the system, all candidates appear on a single ballot. The top four, regardless of party affiliation, will advance to the general election in November.
In 2022, 10 gubernatorial tickets competed in the open primary including five Republicans, one Democrat, one member of the since-dissolved Alaskan Independence Party, a Libertarian and two nonpartisan candidates. But Gov. Mike Dunleavy — running at the time as an incumbent — consolidated much of the GOP support.
This time around, Dunleavy is termed out from seeking reelection, prompting an open race for the first time in decades, and a swarm of hopefuls promising to solve Alaska’s woes.
With no clear front-runner — particularly among the 11 GOP candidates — some are preparing for the possibility of advancing to the general election ballot with support from less than 10% of the electorate.
To enter the “jungle primary,” as it is sometimes called, candidates don’t need to appeal to a partisan electorate. Candidates need only be at least 30 years old, be qualified to vote in Alaska, and have been residents of the state for at least seven years. Gubernatorial candidates also needed to find a running mate and pay the Division of Elections’ $200 filing fee.
For supporters of the open primary, the proliferation of candidates is a feature of Alaska’s voting system — not a bug.
“Part of the promise of the system is that lots of people have the opportunity to put their hat in the ring, and I’m glad that they have,” said Tom Begich, a Democratic former state lawmaker who entered the governor’s race in August.
Treg Taylor, left, and Candice English filed candidacy paperwork for governor and lieutenant governor respectively at the Alaska Division of Elections office in Anchorage on June 1. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Candidates will have until June 27 to drop out or alter their tickets, for example by swapping out a lieutenant governor candidate. After that date, the ballots for the Aug. 18 primary will be finalized.
The last-minute entry of Walker — the only candidate in the race who has previously occupied the governor’s seat — has the potential to shake up the field. The day after the Monday filing deadline, candidates in the race acknowledged that last-minute dropouts are possible as the reality of running in a crowded field sinks in.
“I think some people may actually say, ‘You know what? This isn’t worth it. This is too much,’” Republican former Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum said. For now, he said, he’s “just continuing the ‘happy warrior approach’ and enjoying the grind.”
Some Republicans also recognize that with so many in the race, the pool of would-be GOP votes will be divided among many contenders, potentially providing an advantage for moderates and Democrats.
Gubernatorial candidate Sen. Matt Claman has selected Sarah Skeel to be his lieutenant governor running mate. Photographed on May 28. (Bill Roth / ADN) Sen. Click Bishop, R-Fairbanks, speaks during a joint session of the Alaska Legislature met on March 18, 2024, to consider an override of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of an education funding bill. (Marc Lester / ADN)
“Common sense would say it would be diluted with that many Republicans in the race,” said Click Bishop, a Republican former lawmaker and labor commissioner who is looking to appeal to moderate voters.
“If you’ve gone to any of the meet-and-greets for the Republican candidates, we’re all saying a lot of the same stuff,” Crum said. “When it comes to affordability, things like this, Alaskans have these kind of same issues. Now it’s, ‘who do you think can actually deliver?’”
For some would-be candidates, the decision to drop out has already come. Current Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, a Republican, announced she was dropping out of the race on Monday, after a campaign that began more than a year ago.
Other lesser-known candidates, Republican Bruce Walden and independents Jessica Faircloth and Gregg Brelsford, indicated earlier in the year that they planned to run but did not file the necessary paperwork by the deadline.
Shelley Hughes, a Republican candidate for governor, announced her plans to step down from her position in the Alaska Senate to campaign full time. She spoke at a news conference in Anchorage on November 13, 2025. (Marc Lester / ADN) Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, candidate for governor, on June 1. (Marc Lester / ADN)
The crowded primary field also means that candidates view the coming 11 weeks leading to the pick-one primary election differently from the lead-up to the ranked-choice top-four general election that will follow. Strategies in the coming weeks will determine the makeup of the top four.
“Name ID is going to be a critical component of this,” said Begich, who benefits from a last name shared with multiple prominent politicians in Alaska on both sides of the political aisle. “It ends up being a campaign where you’re going to have to cut through the noise.”
Though several candidates have shown they are willing to reach deep into their own pockets to fund their campaigns, they will be competing for air time and room in Alaskans’ mailboxes with what are expected to be multimillion-dollar congressional races.
Former Alaska Gov. Bill Walker enters the Division of Elections office. Bill Walker and Randy Hoffbeck filed candidacy paperwork for governor and lieutenant governor respectively at the Alaska Division of Elections office in Anchorage on June 1, 2026. (Marc Lester / ADN) Dave Bronson speaks during his last Anchorage Assembly meeting as mayor on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (Bill Roth / ADN)
In the end, the coming weeks may come down to which candidates have it in them to zigzag the largest state in the union as they galvanize their supporters.
“If you’re going to outwork our team, you better bring a lantern and a lunch sack,” said Bishop. “I can tell you, we’re booked every week until Aug. 18.”
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Here is the full list of candidates in the running.
Bill Walker and Randy Hoffbeck
Independent Bill Walker served as governor between 2014 and 2018. He also ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2010, 2018 and 2022, making this his fifth run. Walker, who says he plans to focus his campaign on a fiscal plan for the state, picked his former revenue commissioner Randy Hoffbeck as his running mate.
Click Bishop and Greta Schuerch
Republican former lawmaker Click Bishop, who also served as labor commissioner under former Gov. Sarah Palin, filed to run last year. Bishop, who developed a reputation for bipartisanship as a state Senate member from Fairbanks, chose Iñupiaq leader Greta Schuerch, who has worked for a mining company, as his running mate.
Tom Begich and Julia Hnilicka
Democratic former Sen. Tom Begich — the son of the late Democratic U.S. Rep. Nick Begich and uncle to current Republican U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III — is among the three Democrats on the ballot. Begich, who is from Anchorage, picked former Biden administration official Julia Hnilicka, who grew up in Nenana, as his running mate.
Dave Bronson and Josh Church
Republican former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson — whose one-term tenure in City Hall was tumultuous and polarizing — entered the race last year. Bronson, a retired commercial and Air Force pilot, picked Fairbanks financial adviser Josh Church as his running mate.
Adam Crum and Bob Craig
Republican former revenue commissioner Adam Crum is one of two former Dunleavy cabinet members in the running. Crum, whose career began running a family-owned vocational training center in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, also served as commissioner of health and social services during the coronavirus pandemic. He has faced criticism for decisions he made as revenue commissioner. Crum picked Bob Craig, a healthcare administrator, as his running mate.
Edna DeVries and George Hightower
Republican Mat-Su Borough Mayor Edna DeVries is the most senior candidate in the race, running at the age of 84. DeVries picked as her running mate Dr. George Hightower, a retired family physician who resigned amid controversy from his role as medical clinic director in 2021.
Meda DeWitt and Christopher Steere
Independent Meda DeWitt, a community organizer who helped lead a recall campaign against Gov. Mike Dunleavy early in his tenure, entered the race earlier this year. DeWitt, a Lingít traditional healer, picked Christopher Steere, a Nanouk from Unalakleet, as her running mate, making it the only all-Alaska Native ticket.
Matt Heilala and Jesse Sumner
Republican Matt Heilala, a podiatrist and businessman who has never held elected office, has poured over $1.2 million of his own wealth into his campaign so far. Heilala, who lives in Anchorage, picked as his running mate Republican former Rep. Jesse Sumner, who owns a homebuilding business in the Mat-Su.
Shelley Hughes and Blake Gettys
Republican former Sen. Shelley Hughes resigned her post as a Mat-Su lawmaker late last year to focus on her campaign. The former Senate majority leader picked Blake Gettys, a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general, as her running mate.
Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and Zac Johnson
Democratic former Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins was the third Democrat to enter the race. The Sitka native, who dropped out of Yale University to run for office at 22, picked Anchorage Assembly member Zac Johnson as his running mate.
Lesil McGuire and Elizabeth Rexford
Republican former lawmaker Lesil McGuire served 16 years in the Alaska House and Senate, representing Anchorage districts. She picked Elizabeth Rexford, a longtime legislative staffer, as her running mate, making theirs the only two-woman ticket in the race.
Treg Taylor and Candice English
Republican former Attorney General Treg Taylor is running on his record of repeatedly suing the administration of former President Joe Biden while serving as Dunleavy’s chief legal adviser. Taylor, whose family owns millions of dollars of real estate in Alaska, picked Anchorage businesswoman Candice English as his running mate.
Bernadette Wilson and Mike Shower
Republican businesswoman Bernadette Wilson, who owns a garbage disposal company and previously hosted a talk radio show, was the first to enter the governor’s race last year. Wilson, who has never held elected office, picked former Wasilla Sen. Mike Shower, a commercial pilot, as her running mate.
Matt Claman and Sarah Skeel
Anchorage Democratic Sen. Matt Claman is the only sitting lawmaker running for office. Claman, an attorney who moved to Alaska after law school and previously served as acting mayor of Anchorage, picked Sarah Skeel, a healthcare executive, as his running mate.
Destry Payne and Cliff Silvers
Independent Destry Payne is a welder-fabricator working for a trucking company out of Fairbanks. He chose Cliff Silvers, who described himself as a truck driver, mechanic and heavy equipment operator, as his running mate.
James Parkin and Ramadhani Greer
Republican James Parkin is a retired educator who lives in Angoon and works for a mining company. He picked Ramadhani Greer, a Democrat who owns a residential contracting company, as his running mate.
Henry Kroll and Tommy Nicholson
Republican Henry Kroll is a commercial fisherman. He picked Tommy Nicholson as his running mate. Both are from Soldotna.
