By SUZANNE DOWNING
Feb. 18, 2026 – Bernadette Wilson is emerging as one of the strongest early fundraisers in Alaska’s Republican race for governor, reporting more than $306,000 raised in her year-start campaign filing with the Alaska Public Offices Commission.
Wilson’s campaign says the total represents the second-highest fundraising haul among GOP candidates, once the heavy self-funding is removed from some of the contenders, and that she has built an unusually large donor base compared to the rest of the field. Her report shows nearly 1,500 individual contributors, more than three times the number claimed by other Republican candidates.
“From the start of this campaign, I made a decision to run a high-energy, relentless campaign,” Wilson said in a statement, arguing that her early momentum reflects face-to-face outreach rather than “political rhetoric that has been purchased and paid for out of an individual candidate’s pocket.”
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Wilson, a first-time candidate who entered the race in May, is best known as the owner of Denali Disposal, a private waste management company. Though she has never held elected office, she has worked behind the scenes in Alaska politics, including managing campaign operations for Joe Miller during his challenge against Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
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Her APOC filing also shows significant early spending, more than $241,000, indicating an aggressive startup phase as she invests in campaign infrastructure, statewide travel, and voter engagement.
Wilson’s campaign chairman is former Lt. Gov. Craig Campbell. He praised her as “one of the only leading candidates who hasn’t taken a paycheck from government,” and said her message is resonating with hardworking Alaskans across the state.
The campaign also points to Wilson’s strength in independent polling and social media engagement, noting that she and her running mate, Sen. Mike Shower, are working to build a statewide operation capable of countering what they describe as an expected surge of outside Democratic spending in the general election.
With the year-start reporting deadline providing the first clear financial snapshot of the 2026 governor’s race, Wilson’s filing places her among the most competitive Republican candidates heading into the next phase of the campaign. With national endorsement from Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, who is Trump’s endorsed candidate for Florida governor, she has a broad donor network already in place.
4 thoughts on “Bernadette Wilson comes in hot: Reports $306,000 in governor’s race, second highest GOP-funded candidate”
Click Bishop can’t wait to get re-elected, and re-commit to a binding caucus with democrats. This negates every effort republicans make to establish a clear, strong platform, one which makes a clear distinction from democrats.
Craig Campbell sure knows a thing or two about collecting a government paycheck
Wilson is another middle of the road operative. While being strong on pro-life issues which I applaud, she’d otherwise be similar to a Murkowski-Giessel style politician in most regards.
I don’t believe she genuinely supported Joe Miller in the Alaska Senate race years ago, but do believe she’d support any ‘R’ which has shown so often to be devastating!
Don’t believe everything you read or hear about anyone running for office. Do a little research before settling in on a candidate. And remember how many times we’ve voted based upon words only to find that actions don’t match those words!
Your last comment could apply to all candidates.