Five candidates file for Alaska governor in 2026

Through Lesil McGuire's May 29 filing, five candidates had filed Letters of Intent for Alaska governor with the Alaska Public Offices Commission. By the June 1 state filing deadline, the Alaska Division of Elections candidate list grew to 17 tickets pairing governor and lieutenant governor candidates.

The five APOC Letter of Intent filers through May 29 were Tom Begich, who filed August 18, 2025; Edna DeVries, who filed June 12, 2025; Dave Bronson, who filed September 20, 2025; Henry Kroll, who filed December 20, 2025; and Lesil McGuire, who filed May 29, 2026.

By Monday evening, the Division of Elections list included 17 tickets, some certified and some pending. The certified tickets were Tom Begich and Julia Hnilicka, Click Bishop and Greta Schuerch, Dave Bronson and Josh Church, Edna DeVries and George Hightower, Meda DeWitt and Christopher Steere, Shelley Hughes and Blake Gettys, Hank Kroll and Tommy Nicholson, and James "JP4" Parkin and Ramadhani "Ram" Greer. The pending tickets were Matt Claman and Sarah Skeel, Adam Crum and Bob Craig, Matt Heilala and Jesse Sumner, Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and Zac Johnson, Lesil McGuire and Elizabeth Rexford, Destry Payne and Cliff Silvers, Treg Taylor and Candi English, Bill Walker and Randy Hoffbeck, and Bernadette Wilson and Michael Shower.

Governor Mike Dunleavy is term-limited under Alaska's two-consecutive-term limit and cannot seek a third consecutive term in 2026.

The primary is August 18, 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. Under Alaska's top-four primary system adopted in 2020, the four highest vote-getters advance to a ranked-choice general election.

The Alaska Division of Elections maintains the official list of certified candidates. The voter registration deadline for the primary is July 19, 2026.