Alaska Governor Primary Delivers Unexpected Results in Contentious Ranked-Choice Battle

Clear Facts

• Former state Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and running mate Zac Johnson finished first in Alaska’s nonpartisan gubernatorial primary, with former Democratic state Sen. Tom Begich and Julia Hnilicks placing second
• Seventeen governor-lieutenant governor pairs competed to advance to November’s general election to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Michael Dunleavy
• The race features multiple candidates from Alaska’s most prominent political families, including the Begich and Hickel dynasties

Alaska’s gubernatorial primary delivered surprising results Tuesday as seventeen governor-lieutenant governor candidate pairs competed for spots in November’s general election. Former state Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and running mate Zac Johnson emerged first, while former Democratic state Sen. Tom Begich and Julia Hnilicks secured second place.

The crowded field of 34 candidates for the two executive offices included several major political names. Begich entered the race as the frontrunner, backed by one of Alaska’s most influential political dynasties that has shaped the state’s politics since statehood.

Tom Begich’s father, Rep. Nick Begich Sr., D-Alaska, served in state and federal legislatures from 1962 until his disappearance during a flight through the Inside Passage between Anchorage and Juneau. The plane also carried House Majority Leader Hale Boggs, D-La.

Tom Begich’s brother, Mark, served as a longtime U.S. senator from Alaska. Most family members are Democrats, with the notable exception of incumbent Rep. Nick Begich III, R-Alaska.

Among the leading Republican candidates, business owner Bernadette Wilson brought deep Alaska roots to the race. Wilson grew up on the Kenai, and her family has lived in Alaska for generations. Her running mate is Michael Shower.

Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, another leading Republican candidate and Dunleavy’s deputy, dropped out of the race in June. This departure reshaped the Republican field in the nonpartisan primary.

Republican Michael Loren Gilbert campaigned on expanding the state’s energy dominance and considering a highway link to the Lower 48. His running mate, Timothy Hickel, represents another storied Alaskan political family.

Former Gov. Wally Hickel, Timothy’s father, served two nonconsecutive terms as governor decades apart and also served as President Richard Nixon’s interior secretary. The western bypass of downtown Anchorage that serves Ted Stevens International Airport bears his name as the Walter J. Hickel Parkway.

Former Anchorage Mayor David Bronson, a Republican, also competed as a leading candidate with running mate Josh Church. Former state Sen. Click Bishop, R-North Star, rounded out the field with lieutenant governor candidate Greta Schuerch.

The state uses ranked-choice voting in general elections, where voters rank candidates by preference and votes are redistributed in successive rounds as lower-performing candidates are eliminated. This system has proven controversial among conservatives who argue it dilutes voter intent and creates confusion.

Though Alaska remains a red state, Dunleavy’s departure gives Democrats like Begich an opportunity to flip the governor’s mansion. Rep. Nick Begich III defeated then-Rep. Mary Peltola last cycle after Peltola had won the seat following the death of Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, who had represented the state for nearly five decades.

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