2026 Alaska gubernatorial election
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| Elections in Alaska |
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The 2026 Alaska gubernatorial election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the next governor and lieutenant governor of Alaska. Incumbent Governor Mike Dunleavy is term-limited and ineligible to seek a third consecutive term.
A nonpartisan blanket primary will be held on August 18, 2026, in which the four highest-placing candidates will advance to a ranked-choice general election.
Candidates
Republican Party
Declared
- Click Bishop, former state senator from district R (2013–2025)[1]
- Adam Crum, former commissioner of the Alaska Department of Revenue[2]
- Nancy Dahlstrom, Lieutenant Governor of Alaska (2022–present) and candidate for Alaska's at-large congressional district in 2024[1]
- Edna DeVries, mayor of Matanuska-Susitna Borough (2021–present)[3]
- Matt Heilala, member of the Alaska State Medical Board (2021–present)[4]
- Shelley Hughes, state senator from district M (2017–present) and former Senate Majority Leader (2023–2025)[5]
- James Parkin, retired educator[6]
- Bernadette Wilson, waste management company founder[1]
Publicly expressed interest
- Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senator (2002–present) and daughter of former governor Frank Murkowski[7]
Potential
- Treg Taylor, Alaska Attorney General (2021–present)[8]
Democratic Party
Declared
- 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[9]
Potential
- Mary Peltola, former U.S. Representative from Alaska's at-large congressional district (2022–2025)[10][11]
Primary election
Endorsements
Bernadette Wilson (R)
- U.S. Representatives
- Byron Donalds, U.S. Representative from Florida's 19th congressional district (2021–present)[12]
Polling
Hypothetical polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[a] | Margin of error | Tom Begich (D) | Click Bishop (R) | Adam Crum (R) | Nancy Dahlstrom (R) | Edna DeVries (R) | Mary Peltola (D) | Treg Taylor (R) | Bernadette Wilson (R) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data for Progress (D)[13] | July 21–27, 2025 | 678 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 6% | 6% | 4% | 10% | 2% | 40% | 3% | 11% | 18% |
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[14] | Solid R | January 23, 2025 |
| Inside Elections[15] | Solid R | February 6, 2025 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[16] | Likely R | May 1, 2025 |
| Race to the WH[17] | Tossup | Aug 10, 2025 |
Polling
Hypothetical polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | RCV round | Tom Begich (D) | Click Bishop (R) | Adam Crum (R) | Nancy Dahlstrom (R) | Edna DeVries (R) | Mary Peltola (D) | Treg Taylor (R) | Bernadette Wilson (R) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data for Progress (D)[13] | July 21–27, 2025 | 584 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 1 | 8% | 8% | 5% | 13% | 3% | 47% | 3% | 13% |
| 581 (LV) | 2 | 8% | 9% | 5% | 14% | Elim | 48% | 4% | 14% | |||
| 575 (LV) | 3 | 8% | 9% | 5% | 15% | 48% | Elim | 14% | ||||
| 567 (LV) | 4 | 9% | 10% | Elim | 17% | 49% | 15% | |||||
| 562 (LV) | 5 | Elim | 10% | 19% | 54% | 16% | ||||||
| 544 (LV) | 6[b] | Elim | 23% | 58% | 19% | |||||||
| 491 (LV) | 7[b] | 35% | 65% | Elim | ||||||||
| 498 (LV) | 7[c] | 36% | 64% | |||||||||
| 539 (LV) | 7[d] | 41% | 59% | |||||||||
| 539 (LV) | 7[e] | 49% | 51% | |||||||||
| 562 (LV) | 7[f] | 44% | 56% | Elim |
Nick Begich vs. Mary Peltola
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Nick Begich (R) | Mary Peltola (D) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data for Progress (D)[18][19] | February 28 – March 7, 2025 | 1000 (LV) | ± 3.0% | 46% | 46% | 5%[g] | 3% |
Nancy Dahlstrom vs. Mary Peltola
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Nancy Dahlstrom (R) | Mary Peltola (D) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data for Progress (D)[18][19] | February 28 – March 7, 2025 | 1000 (LV) | ± 3.0% | 34% | 44% | 14%[h] | 7% |
See also
Notes
- ^ Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear - ^ a b Hypothetical continuation of elimination/distribution even though a candidate already exceeded 50%
- ^ Hypothetical scenario where voters whose fourth ranking is Click Bishop or Bernadette Wilson and whose vote is exhausted when those candidates are eliminated are instead distributed to Nancy Dahlstrom
- ^ Hypothetical scenario above while also distributing the vote of all Republican respondents whose vote was exhausted after eliminating 'Not sure' to Nancy Dahlstrom
- ^ Hypothetical scenario above while also distributing all votes exhausted when a Republican candidate is eliminated to Nancy Dahlstrom
- ^ Hypothetical scenario above while also eliminating Mary Peltola in the first round
- ^ "I would rank neither" with 5%
- ^ "I would rank neither" with 14%
References
- ^ a b c Brooks, James (May 14, 2025). "Third Republican candidate, Bernadette Wilson, enters Alaska governor's race". Alaska Beacon. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
- ^ Samuels, Iris (August 12, 2025). "Former Alaska revenue commissioner is the 8th Republican to enter governor's race". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
- ^ Maguire, Sean (June 12, 2025). "Mat-Su mayor files to run as a Republican for Alaska governor". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
- ^ Stone, Eric (July 16, 2025). "Anchorage podiatrist joins all-Republican field in 2026 Alaska governor's race". Alaska Public Media. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ Stone, Eric (July 25, 2025). "Palmer state Sen. Shelley Hughes announces campaign for governor". Alaska Public Media. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
- ^ Larson, Clarise (July 16, 2025). "Angoon resident and former teacher launches bid for Alaska governor". KTOO. Archived from the original on July 16, 2025. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
- ^ Samuels, Iris (August 4, 2025). "Murkowski declines to rule out a run for Alaska governor". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
- ^ Downing, Suzanne (May 6, 2025). "Two Republicans -- Nancy Dahlstrom and Click Bishop -- file for governor". Must Read Alaska. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
- ^ Courtney, Wil (August 18, 2025). "Tom Begich enters governor's race, first Democrat to join crowded field". Alaska's News Source. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
- ^ Gans, Jared (March 6, 2025). "Peltola's potential comeback buoys Democratic hopes in Alaska". The Hill. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ Journal, Nathaniel Herz, Northern (July 15, 2025). "Dems are 'salivating' over a Peltola bid for Senate, but Alaska governor race could be 'wide open'". Alaska Beacon. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Downing, Suzanne (June 8, 2025). "Video: Congressman Byron Donalds endorses Bernadette Wilson for governor of Alaska at rally". Must Read Alaska. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
- ^ a b "Mary Peltola Would Be Front-Runner for Alaska Governor". August 8, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
- ^ "2026 CPR Governor Race ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
- ^ "Gubernatorial Ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
- ^ "2026 Governor". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
- ^ "Governor Forecast - 2026-2026". Race to the WH. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
- ^ a b Katz-Brown, Jason (March 13, 2025). "Oil Taxes, Rural Subsistence, Public School Funding: These Are a Few of Alaska Voters' Favorite Things". Data For Progress. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
- ^ a b "Data for Progress March 2025 Crosstabs" (PDF). Data for Progress. March 13, 2025. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
External links
Official campaign websites