Republican candidate Adam Crum announced his lieutenant governor running mate Thursday morning, becoming one of the latest gubernatorial contenders to complete the ticket required under Alaska election law ahead of the June 1 filing deadline.
Former healthcare executive and US Army veteran Robert “Bob” Craig will join his ticket.
The announcement comes just days before Alaska’s June 1 filing deadline, when candidates for governor and lieutenant governor must officially file together as a ticket. Alaska’s nonpartisan primary is scheduled for Aug. 18, with the general election on Nov. 3.
Crum, a former commissioner of revenue and former health commissioner under Gov. Mike Dunleavy, entered the governor’s race in August 2025 and was among the earliest major Republican candidates to announce.
In selecting Craig, Crum highlighted his military service and healthcare leadership experience.
“Bob Craig served our nation and state, and lived through many of the problems too many veterans are facing,” Crum said in a statement. “He was a patient at the VA. He worked at the VA. And then he spent decades building and running one of Alaska’s most respected healthcare organizations.”
Craig’s career began after his honorable discharge from the Army, when he worked as a front desk clerk for the Department of Veterans Affairs. According to the campaign, that experience gave him firsthand exposure to both the strengths and shortcomings of the veterans’ healthcare system.
He later became chief executive officer of the Alaska Heart and Vascular Institute, one of Alaska’s largest cardiovascular healthcare organizations.
The Crum campaign said Craig would take a leading role in two major initiatives if the ticket is elected.
The first would focus on reforming veterans’ healthcare access in Alaska. The second would involve creation of an Office of Results and Efficiency, or ORE, aimed at reducing waste and increasing accountability in state government.
The campaign also proposed establishing an Office of Special Audits modeled after Kentucky’s state auditor system. According to the proposal, the office would have a protected budget that could not be reduced by lawmakers in retaliation for audits and would operate a public hotline for reporting waste, fraud, and abuse.
Craig said his experience as a patient, employee, and healthcare executive gives him a unique perspective on healthcare reform.
“I have experienced every side of the healthcare system,” Craig said. “As a patient, as an employee, and as an executive, I know where the gaps are and I know what it takes to close them. Alaska’s veterans deserve better than what the current system delivers.”
He also praised Crum as a conservative reform-minded candidate willing to challenge the political status quo in Juneau.
The Crum-Craig campaign said it will focus on four primary themes: economic growth and job creation, resource development and infrastructure expansion, support for families and communities, and greater efficiency in state government.
Crum has never held elected office but has emphasized his executive experience in both government and the private sector throughout his campaign. Born and raised in Alaska, he lives in Wasilla with his wife, Colleen, and their daughters, Ellie and Lucy.
The announcement comes amid a flurry of activity in the governor’s race as candidates finalize their tickets ahead of Monday’s filing deadline. Democrat Tom Begich announced his lieutenant governor selection on Wednesday, while other candidates continue to reveal their running mates before the deadline, and former Gov. Bill Walker filed a letter of intent to run for governor again.
4 thoughts on “Adam Crum announces lieutenant governor running mate: US Army vet Bob Craig”
A solid choice and an excellent team.
Bob Craig is a prince, just a great guy. Surprised he’d go into politics but he is exactly the kind of person we should have in government.
“………The Crum campaign said Craig would take a leading role in two major initiatives if the ticket is elected. The first would focus on reforming veterans’ healthcare access in Alaska…………”
I don’t understand. The Veterans Administration is a federal agency. Don’t they operate the VA health system? How would a Lt. Governor reform that?
Protected budget? Wouldn’t that fail the state constitution’s prohibition on dedicating funds? Besides, the governor doesn’t necessarily have the final say on budget items.