Late-Friday decision also restores Jose Tagle to the House District 22 ballot after a preliminary review found possible disclosure problems involving numerous candidates
By SUZANNE DOWNING
Sept. 5, 2026 – Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom abruptly reversed one of the most consequential decisions of Alaska’s 2026 election late Friday, announcing that former Attorney General Treg Taylor will be certified as a candidate for governor.
Dahlstrom also will certify Republican Jose Tagle as a candidate for state House District 22.
The announcement, released at about 10:15 pm Friday, came just four days after Dahlstrom said she would refuse to certify either candidate based on recommendations from the Alaska Public Offices Commission.
The reversal returns Taylor and his original running mate, Candi English, to the general-election ballot and ends — at least for now — an extraordinary chain of events that temporarily placed Taylor’s wife, Jodi Taylor, on the ballot as English’s running mate.
The Division of Elections updated its candidate list Friday night to show the ticket as Treg Taylor for governor and Candi English for lieutenant governor. Jodi Taylor is no longer a candidate.
Dahlstrom said the change followed an expedited, independent review by the Alaska Department of Law of financial-disclosure statements filed by all candidates advancing to the general election.
That preliminary review found “numerous potential discrepancies” between candidates’ filed statements and publicly available records, according to the Division of Elections announcement.
The department emphasized that its review was informal and preliminary and did not determine that any particular candidate violated Alaska’s financial-disclosure law.
“The Department of Law’s informal review has raised questions about the recommendations made on August 31,” Dahlstrom said. “I will not withhold certification from two candidates on recommendations that, in light of this additional information, I cannot apply with confidence across the field of candidates.”
“Certification decisions have to rest on a process that can be defended as to every candidate,” she added.
In a letter to Taylor, Dahlstrom said APOC had recommended on Aug. 27 that she reject the nominations of three candidates because of deficiencies identified in their Public Official Financial Disclosure statements. Two of those candidates — Taylor and Tagle — otherwise qualified to advance to the November ballot.
Dahlstrom initially accepted APOC’s recommendations and, on Aug. 31, directed the Division of Elections not to certify them.
The Department of Law subsequently conducted, without notification to the public, a limited review of disclosures filed by all general-election candidates. That work included comparisons with local property records and databases maintained by the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development.
“Early indications are that many candidates’ POFDs may not fully comply with AS 39.50,” Dahlstrom wrote.
She did not identify the candidates or describe the possible discrepancies. She also stressed that the review was not comprehensive and that candidates had not yet been given an opportunity to respond.
But the findings raised a larger question: Why had Taylor, Tagle and one other candidate been subjected to detailed scrutiny when the disclosures filed by the remaining candidates had not received the same review?
“I am concerned that three candidates were singled out for scrutiny while the POFDs of all the remaining candidates were never reviewed,” Dahlstrom wrote. “This raises serious questions that the decision APOC recommended I adopt was arbitrary and capricious.”
The Department of Law provided an initial working draft of its findings to APOC on Thursday evening. Dahlstrom said she expected the commission to call a special meeting to reconsider its recommendations, but it did not do so before the Division of Elections’ 5 pm Friday deadline for finalizing ballots.
With the clock running out, Dahlstrom reversed her earlier decision.
“I find I am compelled to act to protect the integrity of the general election,” she wrote.
Dahlstrom made clear that she was not overturning APOC’s underlying findings or declaring that Taylor and Tagle complied with the law. Instead, she said the commission’s recommendations could not support the “extraordinary and effectively irreversible step” of excluding the candidates when the same standard had not been applied across the entire field.
Taylor’s financial disclosure listed more than $1 million in rental income but did not include the complete names of renters that APOC staff said were required under state law. Taylor maintained that he had complied with the requirements. APOC ultimately found that his disclosure did not substantially comply with AS 39.50 and recommended against certification.
Tagle filed a disclosure form that contained no reportable information, prompting a challenge from the Alaska Democratic Party and a similar recommendation from APOC.
The Taylor decision produced an unusual sequence of ballot changes.
Taylor placed fifth in the Aug. 18 gubernatorial primary. He moved into the fourth and final general-election position after second-place finisher Tom Begich withdrew, allowing the next candidate in line to advance.
When Dahlstrom initially refused to certify Taylor, Alaska law allowed his lieutenant governor candidate, Candi English, to move into the governor’s position. English then selected Jodi Taylor — Treg Taylor’s wife — as her candidate for lieutenant governor.
Breaking: Treg Taylor asks Bernadette and Bronson to combine tickets for governor
Friday night’s reversal unwound that arrangement. Under AS 15.25.100, the Division of Elections restored the original Taylor-English pairing.
The November governor’s ballot will now include Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and Republicans Bernadette Wilson, Dave Bronson and Treg Taylor. English will appear as Taylor’s running mate.
Tagle will appear in the House District 22 race against Democratic Rep. Ted Eischeid.
The episode appears to have no direct precedent in modern Alaska election history.
APOC’s findings remain in place unless the commission votes to reconsider them, and Dahlstrom’s letter leaves open the possibility of further investigation into financial disclosures filed by Taylor, Tagle and other candidates.
6 thoughts on “Breaking: Dahlstrom reverses course, puts Treg Taylor back on governor’s ballot”
Div Elections and Lt Governor made a big oopsie? Mr Taylor and attorneys had a potential lawsuit to make a couple millions from taxpayers for the oopsie?
You know that Rep Andrew Grey now is looking like THAT type of lawmaker too quick to use his office and position to weaponize committee and law against any political enemy by drafting and publishing that government document to prosecute Treg Taylor for financial campaign disclosure misconduct.
Do you see what is at stake if Alaska Republicans don’t unite behind accepting we are forced into tanking the Red not leaving any R candidate on the Governor’s ticket blank. Then we end up with Democrats in the Governor’s office, controlling the legislature, controlling state departments from the commissioners, they are going to weaponize state government against their political enemies.
Now it would be better having One Republican running for Governor. But that’s not current reality. We got three despite their imperfections, insecurities, and flaws I see Alaskans who are not Democrats are blessed to have Wilson, Bronson, Treg Taylor making the top four. We have to rank them and do not rank JKT else he gets a vote wherever he is placed even if it was fourth. Considering Republicans already going to be divided in order of rank we don’t want to increase the risk of voting for JKT as governor because of us ranking him fourth.
And so the pushback on a fully politicized APOC begins. About time. Cheers –
Dahlstrom may have triggered a support movement to Treg Taylor who stood up to Lt. governors apparant improprieties as evidence in her leniency concerning Wilson’s garbage business Denali Disposal.
Summarize; Go Treg Taylor.
[…] Breaking: Dahlstrom reverses course, puts Treg Taylor back on governor’s ballot […]
Each day we proceed this way AK becomes more of a laughing stock. Our elections are in shambles. With that said Treg gets my second vote.
1. Bronson
2. Treg
3. Bernadette
One thing we can all agree on is this system is a joke.