By SUZANNE DOWNING
Gubernatorial candidate Dave Bronson has selected Fairbanks financial adviser Joshua Church as his running mate for lieutenant governor, announcing the ticket in Interior Alaska as Bronson continues building out his 2026 campaign.
Bronson, the former mayor of Anchorage, filed a letter of intent to run for governor on Sept. 20, 2025, and has been traveling the state since then, meeting with grassroots supporters and political leaders. The choice of Church brings an Interior Alaska presence to the ticket and adds a private-sector financial background alongside Bronson’s executive and military experience.
He said Church is young, aware of what is going on in the business community. Bronson said he has a bit of a blind spot for Fairbanks and the Interior and Church will help him overcome that blind spot. He said Church will be his primary advisor, not just someone to “guard the seal.”
Church is a financial adviser with Arbor Capital Management in Fairbanks, where he has worked since 2020. Before entering the finance world, Church served nine years in the US Marine Corps, including time with Marine Reconnaissance and Marine Special Operations, with deployments on four continents.
According to his professional biography, Church returned to Alaska in 2016 to raise his family and begin a new chapter after leaving the military. He started a construction company, invested in local real estate, and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks before transitioning into wealth management.
Church’s background blends military, business, and local civic involvement — a mix Bronson’s campaign says fits its message of fiscal discipline, self-reliance, and public service.
Church is currently pursuing Wealth Management Certified Professional and Chartered Financial Analyst designations. His civic and organizational affiliations include being a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association, a member of Gun Owners of America, an ACAST board member, a GVEA-MAC member, and a Fairbanks North Star Borough animal control commissioner.
Video clip of Josh Church announcement
He is also well-known locally through his family’s business and civic ties. His brother, Seth Church, is a Fairbanks businessman who serves on the University of Alaska Board of Regents.
Bronson, a retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel and businessman, served one term as mayor of Anchorage from 2021 to 2024. His tenure was marked by battles with the leftist-controlled Anchorage Assembly over pandemic policies, budgeting, and executive authority, earning him strong support from conservative voters and ongoing criticism from Anchorage’s progressive political establishment.
By announcing Church as his running mate in Fairbanks, Bronson signaled an early effort to build a statewide footprint that includes Interior Alaska.
Church is a combat veteran and is the father of three. Outside of work and public service, he is active in outdoor pursuits including hunting, hiking, snow machining, and dipnetting, and raises animals on his property, a lifestyle that mirrors the Interior Alaska culture Bronson is courting as the campaign moves toward the 2026 election.
