Seventeen governor-lieutenant governor candidate pairs competed Tuesday in Alaska's primary to determine who will advance to the November general election and succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Michael Dunleavy.
Former state Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and running mate Zac Johnson finished first, while former Democratic state Sen. Tom Begich and Julia Hnilicks finished second. The two pairs secured their spots in the general election alongside two additional winning governor-lieutenant governor combinations that will be determined from Tuesday's results.
Several major political names competed among the 34 candidates on the ballot for the two executive offices. Alaska uses ranked-choice voting in its general elections, where voters rank candidates by preference and votes are redistributed in successive rounds as lower-performing candidates are eliminated.
What the Right Is Saying
Republican candidates emphasized their party's competitive position despite losing Dunleavy to term limits. Leading Republican contenders included business owner Bernadette Wilson, who grew up on the Kenai Peninsula and whose family has lived in Alaska for generations, and former Anchorage Mayor David Bronson.
Michael Loren Gilbert told Ballotpedia he wants to expand the state's energy dominance and explore building a highway link to the Lower 48. His running mate Timothy Hickel represents another prominent Alaskan political family; his father, former Gov. Wally Hickel, served two nonconsecutive terms as governor and also served as Interior Secretary under President Richard Nixon.
Republican Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, who had been considered a leading Republican candidate, dropped out of the race in June. Former state Sen. Click Bishop, R-North Star, was also among the Republican candidates competing Tuesday.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive voices highlighted the strong showing of Kreiss-Tomkins, a former Democratic state representative from Southeast Alaska who previously served in the legislature representing the 34th District. His first-place finish puts a candidate with deep roots in progressive Democratic politics at the top of the ticket heading into November.
Alaska Democrats have pointed to Dunleavy's departure as an opportunity to compete for the governor's mansion. The Begich family name carries significant weight in Alaska Democratic circles; Tom Begich's father, Nick Begich Sr., served in state and federal legislatures from 1962 until his disappearance during a plane flight with House Majority Leader Hale Boggs in 1971, while his brother Mark Begich served as U.S. senator for Alaska.
What the Numbers Show
Thirty-four candidates total appeared on Tuesday's ballot for the two executive offices, with 17 governor-lieutenant governor pairs competing. The top four finishers advance to the November general election under Alaska's ranked-choice voting system.
Though Alaska is considered a traditionally red state in federal elections, Democrats have shown recent strength at the statewide level. In the most recent congressional cycle, Republican Nick Begich III defeated Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola for Alaska's at-large House seat after Peltola had won the seat following the death of longtime Rep. Don Young, who had represented the state for nearly five decades.
The Bottom Line
Tuesday's primary results set up a competitive general election contest in November as Alaskans select their next governor without an incumbent on the ballot for the first time in years. The advancement of both Kreiss-Tomkins and Begich guarantees Democratic representation among the finalists, while Republicans will need to consolidate support around candidates like Wilson or Bronson to compete in a ranked-choice general election where Democrat-leaning votes may concentrate.
Voters should watch how Republican campaigns navigate Alaska's ranked-choice system, which political analysts have noted can create strategic challenges. The two additional winning pairs from Tuesday's results had not yet been fully determined at publication time.