The Alaska Story investigation: Did Treg Taylor just massively violate campaign finance laws?

By SUZANNE DOWNING

Aug. 14, 2026 – Republican gubernatorial candidate Treg Taylor poured more than $263,000 of his own money and travel expenses into his campaign during the final month before Alaska’s Aug. 18 primary — despite a state law that appears to cap candidate self-funding at $5,000 during that period.

Taylor’s seven-day campaign finance report filed with the Alaska Public Offices Commission shows that he contributed a $260,000 check to his campaign on Aug. 3.

The report also lists two non-monetary contributions from Taylor: $1,709.30 for flights to Kodiak on July 19 and $1,758.72 for flights to Ketchikan on July 24.

Altogether, Taylor reported giving his campaign $263,468.02 between July 19 and Aug. 3.

That appears to be $258,468.02 above the limit imposed by Alaska Statute 15.13.078(c), if all three transactions fall within the statutory restricted period.

The statute says that during the final reporting period before an election, a candidate “may not give or loan to the candidate’s campaign the candidate’s money or other thing of value of the candidate in an amount that exceeds $5,000.”

The restriction begins on the final day covered by the campaign’s 30-day report and continues through Election Day. For Alaska’s Aug. 18 primary, Taylor’s contributions appear to have been made after that restriction took effect.

The law applies to both money and other things of value, meaning Taylor’s campaign-related flights would appear to count toward the same $5,000 ceiling.

Here is what Taylor reported:

The campaign classified the $260,000 check as a contribution from Taylor, not as an outside donation. Taylor listed his occupation as “investor” and his employer as “self.”

Alaska currently allows outside individuals to contribute unlimited amounts directly to candidates because the state’s former individual contribution limit was struck down in federal court. That does not necessarily eliminate the separate restriction on how much candidates may give or loan their own campaigns during the final weeks before an election.

The distinction is important: Outside contributors may presently write enormous checks, but candidates themselves appear to remain subject to the late-election $5,000 self-funding cap.

Taylor’s filing also shows extraordinary support from Stanley and Candi English.

Stanley and Candice English gave the campaign a joint $100,000 check on July 28. Candi English separately provided $714.15 worth of food and beverages for a Kodiak event on and $3,393.23 for an Anchorage event.

The English family’s reported support totaled $104,107.38:

Candi English is the lieutenant governor candidate, subject to the same law.

Taylor and the English family together supplied $367,575.40 during the period covered by the report. That represents more than 66% of the campaign’s reported $554,735.92 in income.

No contribution from Taylor’s wife, Jodi Taylor, appears separately in the list of transactions. The $260,000 check is attributed solely to Treg Taylor. If the money came from jointly held marital assets, APOC may need to determine whether that affects its legal treatment, but the campaign’s own filing identifies Taylor as the contributor.

The $100,000 English check is similarly reported jointly under Stanley and Candice English.

Taylor was allowed to contribute or lend his campaign unlimited personal funds before the statutory cutoff. The question is why the campaign accepted and reported the $260,000 check on Aug. 3, just 15 days before the primary, rather than before the restricted period began.

The filing now presents APOC with several questions: Was Taylor’s $260,000 check permissible under AS 15.13.078(c)? Did the two flight contributions count toward his $5,000 allowance? And if the check was incorrectly dated or classified, will the campaign amend its report?

The statute itself is direct and unambiguous. During the restricted period, a candidate may not give or loan the campaign more than $5,000 of the candidate’s own money or property.

According to Taylor’s own reporting, he gave more than 52 times that amount.