By SUZANNE DOWNING
Feb. 17, 2026 – Meda DeWitt, a prominent bull-ring-wearing progressive activist who helped lead the failed 2019 recall effort against Gov. Mike Dunleavy, has filed to run for governor of Alaska, bringing the total number of candidates in the 2026 race to 17.
She is the second Alaska Native to file for governor this year. The first was Bernadette Wilson, of Aleut descent, who filed last year as a Republican.
DeWitt, who is running as “undeclared” rather than under the Democratic Party banner, enters an already crowded field that includes three high-profile Democrats: state Sen. Matt Claman, former legislator Tom Begich, and Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins.
Her candidacy could further fracture the left-leaning vote, particularly among Alaska Native voters, a constituency Democratic candidates often court carefully and are reluctant to challenge aggressively.
DeWitt announced her campaign this week in a social media post encouraging supporters to organize and volunteer.
“I’m announcing my intent to run for Governor of Alaska, to bring leadership that builds a future where all Alaskans can thrive,” she wrote. “This campaign isn’t about one person — it’s about all of us working together.”
On her campaign website, DeWitt describes herself as a lifelong Alaskan, Lingít (Tlingit), educator, traditional healer, and community organizer. Her platform language echoes familiar themes common among progressive candidates, emphasizing community-based decision-making, cultural integrity, and broad promises of fairness and opportunity.
“Meda believes Alaska’s future depends on protecting the space for families to live their lives without unnecessary intrusion,” her biography states, while also calling for systems “that answer to citizens, not distant interests.”
While the rhetoric is heavy on values and stewardship, the campaign has so far offered few specific policy proposals on major issues facing Alaska, such as energy development, fiscal stability, or public safety. She says nothing about gasline, mining, or fish policy.
DeWitt is best known politically for her leadership role in the Recall Dunleavy campaign, an effort launched after Dunleavy’s 2019 budget vetoes sparked outrage among Democrat activists and public employee unions.
As chair of the recall organization, DeWitt framed the campaign as an accountability movement aimed at removing the governor from office. The recall effort ultimately failed to gather enough valid signatures and was folded in 2021.
Though her bid for governor is widely seen as a long shot, her entry could still prove disruptive for Democrats already facing internal competition. With multiple candidates vying for similar voter blocs, DeWitt may peel away support from the existing Democratic contenders — or position herself for influence in the race in other ways.
Some speculate her candidacy could be less about winning outright and more about leveraging support for a potential lieutenant governor slot on another ticket, perhaps with Democrats Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, Matt Claman or Tom Begich. Her late filing makes it difficult for politicos to take her candidacy seriously, except to respect that she could be a spoiler.
For now, DeWitt joins a growing list of gubernatorial hopefuls in what is shaping up to be Alaska’s most crowded and unpredictable election cycles in state history.
9 thoughts on “Who is Meda DeWitt, besides the second Alaska Native to file for governor?”
Just what Alaska needs: A democrat lackey for governor. Another Peltola. You can kiss the PFD goodbye because it will used to fund union pension plans and all kinds of socialist baloney.
Another squaw.ker. No thanks. Mary Peltola has already laid claim to the lazy, over-privileged, Democrat Native woman stereotype. And you already know what to expect from these people. HUGE pass on this one.
Any idea what she does for a living? Or should we assume she has a six-figure no-show “position” with a dark-money NGO?
If it were ever possible to fully de-fund the Left, the entire Democrat party would disappear along with all the silly street protests.
First thing that came to mind for me as well. ‘Community Organizer’ always raises the proverbial red flag. As well as ‘Educator” (indoctrinator?). I would say really no resume.
Agreed. She is afraid to use the “D” word. How come Republicans are not afraid to put the “R” word behind their name?
Pull up her pro radical Islam posts supporting Palestine and defending the use of the Nazi Swastika. The world should see what a nutcase she is.
The nose ring tells you everything you need to know.
She’s banking on the Rigged Choice Voting.
Ms DeWitt is President of the ANCSA village corporation for Yakutat where she is best known for leading a successful dissident shareholder effort to end timber harvest on the corporation’s lands. She is also “an Alaska senior manager” for The Wilderness Society, according to its website.