The 2026 Alaska gubernatorial election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the next governor and lieutenant governor of Alaska. A nonpartisan top-four primary election occurred on August 18, 2026, in which four candidates would advance to a ranked-choice general election. Incumbent governor Mike Dunleavy is term-limited and ineligible to seek a third consecutive term.

Candidates Republican Party Advanced to general Dave Bronson, former mayor of Anchorage (2021–2024) Running mate: Josh Church, financial professional Bernadette Wilson, waste management company founder and conservative activist Running mate: Mike Shower, former minority leader of the Alaska Senate (2025) from district O (2018–2025) Treg Taylor, former Alaska Attorney General (2021–2025) Candice English, oil and gas support business owner

Eliminated in primary Click Bishop, former state senator from district R (2013–2025) Running mate: Greta Schuerch, member of the NANA Regional Corporation board of directors (Independent) Adam Crum, former commissioner of the Alaska Department of Revenue Running mate: Robert Craig, former healthcare executive Edna DeVries, mayor of Matanuska-Susitna Borough (2021–present) Running mate: George Hightower, retired physician Michael Loren Gilbert Running mate: Timothy Hickel Matt Heilala, member of the Alaska State Medical Board (2021–present) Running mate: Jesse Sumner, former state representative from the 28th district (2023–2025) Shelley Hughes, former majority leader of the Alaska Senate (2021–2023) from district M (2017–2025) Running mate: Blake Gettys, retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general Henry R. "Hank" Kroll, author Running mate: Tommy R. Nicholson III (Independent) Lesil McGuire, former state senator from district K (2007–2017) (endorsed Kreiss-Tomkins) Running mate: Elizabeth Rexford, legislative staffer James W. "JP4" Parkin, lab technician and retired educator Running mate: Ramadhani "Ram" Greer, general contractor (Democratic)

Withdrawn Nancy Dahlstrom, Lieutenant Governor of Alaska (2022–present) and candidate for Alaska's at-large congressional district in 2024

Declined Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senator (2002–present) and daughter of former governor Frank Murkowski

Fundraising Italics indicate a withdrawn or disqualified candidate Campaign finance reports as of February 1, 2026CandidateRaisedSpentCash on handClick Bishop (R)$283,606$163,347$130,259Dave Bronson (R)$217,284$87,219$130,065Adam Crum (R)$347,986$168,245$179,741Nancy Dahlstrom (R)$17,810$12,930$4,880Edna DeVries (R)$10,986$5,617$9,359Matt Heilala (R)$1,364,237$354,757$1,009,480Shelley Hughes (R)$306,510$147,798$158,712Henry Kroll (R)$0$0$0James Parkin (R)$1,799$1,668$131Treg Taylor (R)$880,310$155,679$724,631Bruce Walden (R)$2,192$0$2,192Bernadette Wilson (R)$305,985$241,190$64,794Source: Alaska Public Offices Commission

Democratic Party Advanced to general Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, former state representative from the 35th district (2013–2023) Running mate: Zac Johnson, Anchorage assemblymember for the 6th district (Independent)

Withdrew after advancing to general Tom Begich, former Minority Leader of the Alaska Senate (2019–2023) from district J (2017–2023) and uncle of U.S. Representative Nick Begich III (endorsed Kreiss-Tomkins) Running mate: Julia Hnilicka, former Alaska state director for USDA Rural Development and nominee for Alaska's 6th house district in 2020

Withdrawn Matt Claman, state senator from district H (2023–present) (endorsed Kreiss-Tomkins) Running mate: Sarah Skeel, former chief administrative officer of Providence Alaska Medical Center

Declined Mary Peltola, former U.S. Representative from Alaska's at-large congressional district (2022–2025) (running for U.S. Senate)

Fundraising Campaign finance reports as of August 8, 2026CandidateRaisedSpentCash on handTom Begich (D)$1,195,970$1,078,770$117,199Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (D)$2,170,998$1,861,062$309,935Source: Alaska Public Offices Commission

Independents Eliminated in primary Meda DeWitt, community organizer and traditional healer Running mate: Christopher Steere, Dewitt's campaign manager Destry J. Payne Sr., welder-fabricator Running mate: Cliff Silvers, mechanic Bill Walker, former governor of Alaska (2014–2018) and candidate for governor in 2010 and 2022 Running mate: Randy Hoffbeck, former commissioner of the Alaska Department of Revenue

Primary election

Campaign The primary featured a crowded field of 17 candidates. Candidates at times struggled to distinguish themselves, while Alaska's nonpartisan primary and ranked-choice voting system were credited with encouraging more positive campaigning. As a result, candidates often emphasized areas of agreement, particularly with members of their own party.

Republican Bernadette Wilson called on Republican candidates to withdraw if they advanced to the general election but received fewer votes than another Republican, though she was the only candidate to pledge to do so herself. Democrats Tom Begich and Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins similarly discussed the possibility of one withdrawing after the primary to consolidate Democratic support behind the other.

The race also saw heavy spending. Republicans Treg Taylor and Matt Heilala, the party's two highest-spending candidates, largely self-funded their campaigns. Heilala contributed $1.4 million to his campaign, while Taylor contributed $600,000. Taylor's contribution violated an Alaska campaign finance deadline, though he argued that the restriction was unconstitutional.

Kreiss-Tomkins spent more than any other candidate and reported the largest number of individual Alaskan contributors, although most of his funding came from outside the state, including employees of Anthropic and others connected to the artificial intelligence industry. Begich raised approximately $1.2 million, more than half of which came from two wealthy Alaskan donors.

Endorsements

Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Margin TomBegich(D) ClickBishop(R) DaveBronson(R) MattClaman(D) NancyDahlstrom(R) JonathanKreiss-Tomkins(D) BillWalker(I) BernadetteWilson(R) Other UndecidedChange Research (D)July 17–19, 2026604 (LV)–17%4%6%––15%7%14%10%27%Alaska Survey ResearchJune 30 – July 1, 20261,528 (RV)± 2.7%20%9%11%––12%9%15%24% June 27, 2026 Claman withdraws from the racePublic Policy Polling (D)June 24–25, 2026529 (LV)± 4.2%16%10%13%3%–13%8%12%25% June 1, 2026 Dahlstrom withdraws from the race June 1, 2026 Walker enters the raceAlaska Survey ResearchMay 14–17, 20261,401 (LV)± 3.0%21%10%11%7%6%8%–16%22%Dittman ResearchApril 27–30, 2026451 (LV)–21%6%7%5%2%5%–6%13%35%Alaska Survey ResearchApril 16–19, 20261,612 (LV)± 2.5%19%9%10%––––14%48%Alaska Survey ResearchMarch 19–22, 20261,061 (LV)± 3.0%19%–10%10%–––14%47%Lake Research Partners (D)February 5–11, 2026600 (LV)± 4.0%22%6%8%6%5%9%–14%8%23%

with Mary Peltola Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Margin TomBegich(D) ClickBishop(R) AdamCrum(R) NancyDahlstrom(R) EdnaDeVries(R) MaryPeltola(D) TregTaylor(R) BernadetteWilson(R) UndecidedData for Progress (D)July 21–27, 2025678 (LV)± 4.0%6%6%4%10%2%40%3%11%18%

"Republican Primary Poll" Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error NancyDahlstrom(R) MaryPeltola(D) BernadetteWilson(R) Other UndecidedCygnal (R)July 24–27, 2025500 (LV)–11%9%17%6%57%

Results

General election Campaign After initially finishing second in the primary, Begich withdrew and endorsed Kreiss-Tomkins, allowing fifth-place finisher Taylor to advance to the general election. However, the Alaska Public Offices Commission recommended against certifying Taylor's candidacy after finding that his financial disclosure did not substantially comply with state law. On August 31, Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom declined to certify Taylor, temporarily elevating his running mate, Candice English, to the gubernatorial nomination; English subsequently selected Taylor's wife, Jodi Taylor, as her running mate. On September 4, Dahlstrom reversed her decision and announced that Taylor would be certified after a preliminary review by the Alaska Department of Law raised questions about whether the financial disclosure requirements had been applied consistently.

In the general election campaign, Taylor softened his messaging and attempted to appeal to independent and Democratic voters. Kreiss-Tomkins pledged that Democrats, Republicans, and independents would be equally represented in his cabinet and emphasized endorsements from moderate Republicans. In contrast, Wilson criticized bipartisanship and said that bipartisan coalitions in the Alaska legislature had been ineffective.

Taylor and Bronson called upon Republican voters to rank all three Republicans in the race, while Wilson urged her supporters not to rank other candidates and renewed her calls for the other Republicans to drop out.

While the three Republican candidates generally agreed on most issues, including opposition to new taxation proposals from Kreiss-Tomkins, Wilson was alone in advocating for a return to paying out full Permanent Fund dividends according to the statutory formula. Incumbent governor Mike Dunleavy had made a similar promise during his 2018 campaign, but his efforts to implement the proposal had been unsuccessful. In fact, dividends reached a record low during Dunleavy's administration. The other candidates argued that following the statutory formula would be unaffordable for the foreseeable future.

The candidates also diverged on the issue of data centers. Bronson and Taylor were generally supportive of data centers, portraying them as an economic opportunity provided they generated their own electricity and did not drive up energy costs. Despite receiving large campaign contributions from donors connected to the artificial intelligence industry, Kreiss-Tomkins advocated for a moratorium on data center construction until a regulatory framework could be developed. He also supported regulation of artificial intelligence more broadly. Wilson also opposed data centers, highlighting their environmental impact and arguing that Kreiss-Tomkins could not be trusted on the issue.

Predictions SourceRankingAs ofThe Cook Political ReportOctober 1, 2026Decision Desk HQSeptember 23, 2026Fox NewsSeptember 22, 2026Inside ElectionsOctober 1, 2026RealClearPoliticsSeptember 23, 2026Sabato's Crystal BallOctober 6, 2026Silver Bulletin September 19, 2026

Post-primary endorsements

Polling Ranked-choice polls Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error RCVround BernadetteWilson (R) JonathanKreiss-Tomkins (D) DaveBronson (R) TregTaylor (R) Undecided / Not RankedAlaska Survey ResearchOctober 1–3, 20261,512 (LV)± 3.0%127%48%15%10%–230%50%20%––346%54%–––New York Times/Siena UniversitySeptember 24 – October 1, 2026504 (LV)± 5.1%20%40%15%11%13% 124%46%17%13%–231%48%22%––348%52%–––Fabrizio Ward (R)/Impact Research (D)September 8–11, 2026800 (LV)± 3.5%20%40%14%7%18% 125%49%18%8%18% 228%50%21%–19% 345%55%––25%

First-past-the-post polls Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error BernadetteWilson (R) JonathanKreiss-Tomkins (D) DaveBronson (R) TregTaylor (R) UndecidedNew York Times/Siena UniversitySeptember 24 – October 1, 2026504 (LV)± 5.1%20%40%14%7%18%Cygnal (R)September 24–27, 2026502 (LV)± 4.37%24%44%8%9%15%co/efficient (R)September 14–17, 2026799 (LV)± 3.5%20%43%17%6%14%Fabrizio Ward (R)/Impact Research (D)September 8–11, 2026800 (LV)± 3.5%20%40%14%7%18%

Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Margin RCVround TomBegich(D) ClickBishop(R) AdamCrum(R) NancyDahlstrom(R) EdnaDeVries(R) MaryPeltola(D) TregTaylor(R) BernadetteWilson(R)Data for Progress (D)July 21–27, 2025584 (LV)± 4.0%18%8%5%13%3%47%3%13%581 (LV)28%9%5%14%Elim48%4%14%575 (LV)38%9%5%15%48%Elim14%567 (LV)49%10%Elim17%49%15%562 (LV)5Elim10%19%54%16%544 (LV)6Elim23%58%19%491 (LV)735%65%Elim498 (LV)736%64%539 (LV)741%59%539 (LV)749%51%562 (LV)744%56%Elim Nick Begich vs. Mary Peltola