Treg Taylor brings Anchorage businesswoman on as running mate

By SUZANNE DOWNING

June 1, 2026 – Republican gubernatorial candidate Treg Taylor announced his running mate, filing with the Alaska Division of Elections alongside businesswoman Candice English as his choice for lieutenant governor.

The filing came on a whirlwind final day for candidates seeking to qualify for Alaska’s Aug. 18 primary election, a day marked by major announcements, candidate withdrawals, and political reshuffling across the state.

Taylor, Alaska’s former attorney general, paired his government experience with English’s private-sector background, introducing the founder and president of Northern Solutions, an Anchorage-based company that supports oil and gas operations and manufactures patented tools used around the world.

English founded Northern Solutions in 2007 after a two-decade career with ARCO Alaska on the North Slope. The company began as a workforce solutions business and expanded into engineering, manufacturing, and industrial support services. She and her husbands are investors in the blog Must Read Alaska.

“In my life, I never made excuses because something was hard,” English said in campaign materials announcing the ticket. “I built my company by designing and manufacturing tools that solve hard problems. Juneau politicians have spent too much time making excuses. Alaska’s best days are still ahead, but we need to waste less, produce more, and give the next generation the tools to build something better.”

Taylor’s campaign said the pairing brings together public-sector and private-sector leadership experience.

English’s personal story includes surviving polio as a child, including time spent in an iron lung. She credits her parents with teaching her perseverance and self-reliance, lessons she says shaped her career, family life, and business success.

She came to Alaska during the Trans-Alaska Pipeline construction era in the 1970s and built her career in the state’s energy industry. She and her husband, Stanley, have been married nearly 30 years and have two daughters and two grandchildren, including one on the way in Alaska.

Taylor’s filing came amid a flurry of political developments on the final day of candidate filing.

Earlier Monday, former state Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, a Democrat from Sitka, announced Anchorage Assemblyman Zac Johnson as his running mate.

Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom announced she was ending her gubernatorial campaign, citing the increasingly crowded field of candidates seeking the state’s top office.

The day also brought significant movement in Interior Alaska legislative races.

Fairbanks businessman and University of Alaska Regent Seth Church filed to challenge incumbent Republican Rep. Will Stapp in House District 32, setting up what could become one of the most closely watched races in the state.

At the same time, Sen. Robert Myers announced he will not seek reelection to the Alaska Senate. Following Myers’ decision, Rep. Frank Tomaszewski of Fairbanks filed to run for Senate Seat Q. His move leaves an open House seat, and his wife, Harmony Tomaszewski, filed for that position.

With filing deadlines expiring Monday, Alaska’s 2026 election season is rapidly taking shape, with multiple contested legislative primaries, a crowded governor’s race, and a series of last-minute candidate decisions reshaping the political landscape just weeks before campaigning shifts into full gear.