4 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
Alaska's general election is decided by ranked choice voting, so with one Democrat and three Republicans on the ballot, how Republican voters rank each other will matter as much as first choices.
4 candidates · ballot order · open seat
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Fixing the state's fiscal structure, which he calls his number one issue: 'We're living and dying by the price of oil, and we have a structural budget deficit.'
Education funding.
Lowering energy costs.
Housing and childcare.
Fisheries and resource development.
Working across party lines — his running mate is an independent.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Member of the Alaska House of Representatives for the 35th district, 2013-2023; first elected at 23.
Led the August 18 2026 top-four primary with about 22.5% in a field that at one point had sixteen candidates.
Reported a $1.8 million fundraising haul by July 2026, which reporting described as driven substantially by donors in California.
Runs with Zac Johnson, an Anchorage assembly member for the 6th district, who is an independent.
Arguments in favor
He names Alaska's structural budget deficit as the first problem to solve rather than campaigning around it — 'we're living and dying by the price of oil.'
— Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for Governor campaign
'The data showed that the ability to change the direction of the state of Alaska was significantly better if there was one rather than two Democrats in the race' — his main rival stood down for him.
— Tom Begich, former state senator, on withdrawing
Arguments against
His money is coming from outside Alaska: 'We are here to make sure that California megadonors don't control the future of Alaska.'
— Candi English, Republican candidate for lieutenant governor
His first-place finish reflects a Republican vote split four ways rather than majority support — he took under a quarter of the primary vote in a state that has not elected a Democratic governor in more than two decades.
— Alaska Republicans, as reported by Alaska Beacon
What we couldn’t verify
His position on the Permanent Fund Dividend, which is central to Alaska politics, could not be established from a source read directly.
How he would close the structural deficit — new revenue, spending cuts, or both.
His position on specific resource projects such as the Ambler Road and the Willow project.
Only two arguments are listed on each side because general election coverage was still thin as of early September 2026.
Across-the-board spending cuts and 'right-sizing' state government.
Fewer regulations and a more efficient state government; she says Alaska has become 'stagnant.'
Natural resource development, naming AKLNG, the NPRA, ANWR, Willow, the Ambler Road, West Susitna and King Cove.
Making Alaska's schools the best in the country, and protecting salmon runs.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Founder of a waste management company in Anchorage; great-niece of former governor Wally Hickel.
Long involved in Alaska conservative politics and ballot campaigns.
Finished third in the August 18 2026 top-four primary with about 10% (16,468 votes).
Runs with Mike Shower, who served as Alaska Senate minority leader in 2025 and represented district O from 2018 to 2025.
Has not held elected office.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No organised advocacy for her candidacy and no criticism of her by name from an opposing campaign or outlet could be found, so no arguments are listed on either side. General election coverage was still thin as of early September 2026.
How across-the-board spending cuts would be reconciled with restoring the full statutory dividend, given the state's structural deficit.
Mayor of Anchorage from 2021 to 2024; former commercial airline pilot.
In June 2022 closed the city's mass homeless shelter in a sports arena and moved residents to a campground in northeast Anchorage that his administration did not treat as part of the city's homelessness response, and which provided no food or supportive services.
Fired municipal manager Amy Demboski in December 2022 shortly after she raised concerns about possible municipal code violations; her January 2023 demand letter alleged a hostile work environment, sole-source contracts split to evade Assembly approval thresholds, and unapproved work on a homeless shelter.
The Anchorage ombudsman's March 2024 investigation substantiated several of Demboski's allegations.
City employees accused his administration of downloading City Hall surveillance video to identify who was visiting the ombudsman's office and speaking to Assembly members; ombudsman Darrel Hess referred the matter to municipal prosecutors, saying 'there may have been a breach of duty, misconduct, or illegal activity.'
Announced his run for governor on October 2 2025 and finished fourth in the August 18 2026 primary with about 8.1% (13,364 votes).
Committed in August 2026 to staying in the race.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
His stated policy positions for this campaign could not be established; no campaign website or issues page was located, so standsFor is left empty rather than inferred from his mayoral record.
No organised advocacy for his candidacy and no criticism of him by name from a rival gubernatorial campaign could be found, so no arguments are listed on either side; the substantiated findings from his time as mayor are recorded above as facts rather than as campaign arguments.
Attorney General of Alaska, 2021-2025, appointed by Governor Mike Dunleavy; lawyer by profession.
Finished fifth in the August 18 2026 top-four primary with about 7.3% (11,928 votes), and moved into the top four when Tom Begich withdrew on August 28.
The Alaska Public Offices Commission found 4-1 that he violated financial disclosure requirements by failing to provide the full names of tenants at an Anchorage apartment building he owns.
Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom declined to certify his nomination on August 31, saying: 'The law, however, is not unclear. When a candidate has not complied with Alaska's financial disclosure requirements within the time required, the Lieutenant Governor may not certify that person's nomination.'
His running mate Candi English took the ballot slot in his place, naming his wife Jodi Taylor as her running mate.
Dahlstrom reversed the decision on September 4-5 2026 and certified him, which election officials attributed to a fresh look at the underlying facts.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
His stated policy positions for this campaign could not be established; no campaign website or issues page was located, so standsFor is left empty.
Whether Candi English remains on the ballot in her own right following his reinstatement.
Whether the disqualification and reversal will be challenged further.
No organised advocacy for his candidacy and no criticism of him by name from a rival gubernatorial campaign could be found, so no arguments are listed on either side; the disclosure finding is recorded above as a fact.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
Open seat: Republican Mike Dunleavy is term-limited. This field changed repeatedly in the two weeks after the primary, and the sequence below is what the record showed as of September 6 2026. Alaska uses a nonpartisan top-four primary followed by ranked choice voting in the general election. In the August 18 2026 primary, former state Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (D) led with about 22.5%, followed by former state Senator Tom Begich (D) at about 20%, Bernadette Wilson (R) at about 10%, Dave Bronson (R) at about 8%, and Treg Taylor (R) fifth at about 7.3%. Begich withdrew on August 28 to consolidate Democratic support behind Kreiss-Tomkins, which moved Taylor into the top four. Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom then declined to certify Taylor on August 31 after the Alaska Public Offices Commission found 4-1 that he had not met financial disclosure requirements — he had not given the full names of tenants in an Anchorage apartment building he owns — and his running mate Candi English took the ballot slot with Taylor's wife Jodi Taylor as her running mate. On September 4-5 Dahlstrom reversed herself and certified Taylor after what officials called a fresh look at the facts. Reporting since the reversal describes the field as Kreiss-Tomkins, Wilson, Bronson and Taylor, with English as Taylor's running mate; whether English also remains on the ballot in her own right could not be confirmed. Because ranked choice voting applies, second and later preferences will matter. Sources: Wikipedia's race page, Alaska Beacon, Alaska Public Media, Anchorage Daily News and Ballotpedia.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A Alaska ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Alaska Division of Elections.